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War Office
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see
War Office
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Image:Old_war_office.jpg thumb|right|250px|Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office
The '''War Office''' was a former department of the
British Government, responsible for the administration of the
British Army between the
17th century and
1963, when its functions were transferred to the
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) Ministry of Defence. The name "War Office" is also often given to the former home of the department, the Old War Office Building on
Whitehall,
London.
History
The War Office developed from the
Council of War, an ''ad hoc'' grouping of the King and his senior military commanders which oversaw
England's frequent wars and campaigns. A number of older institutions, notably the
Board of Ordnance (which dates from the
14th century), were merged to form the War Office. It worked alongside the
Admiralty, responsible for the
Royal Navy, and the (much later)
Air Ministry, which oversaw the
Royal Air Force. Its foundation has traditionally been ascribed to
William Blathwayt, who on his appointment as
Secretary at War in
1684 greatly expanded the remit of his office to cover general day-to-day administration of the Army.
The department had several London homes until it settled at
Horse Guards (building) Horse Guards in
Whitehall in
1722, where it was to remain until
1858. Horse Guards and the War Office became virtually synonymous (indeed, Horse Guards is still the official headquarters of the Army). The War Office moved to
Cumberland House,
Pall Mall, London Pall Mall for the last half of the
19th century before finally moving to purpose-built accommodation in what is now known as the
War Office#Old War Office Building Old War Office Building.
The management of the War Office was initially headed by the curiously-named
Secretary at War, whose role had originated under King
Charles II of England as the secretary to the
Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. The first War Office Secretary at War is usually said to have been William Blathwayt, though he had two predecessors in the post. It was, however, a fairly minor government post which dealt with the minutiae of administration rather than grand strategy. Issues of strategic policy during wartime were managed by the
Northern Department Northern and
Southern Departments (the predecessors of today's
Foreign Office and
Home Office).
From
1704 to
1855, the post of Secretary was filled by a minister of the second rank, although he occasionally sat in the Cabinet. Many of the responsibilities were transferred to the Secretary of State for War following the creation of that more senior post in
1794. The post of Secretary at War was merged with that of the Secretary of State for War in
1855 and was abolished altogether in
1863. The Secretary of State for War was also responsible, between
1801 and
1854, for Britain's colonies (when the post was known as the Secretary of State for War and Colonies). This responsibility ceased with the establishment of the
Colonial Office.
The disastrous campaigns of the
Crimean War led to the consolidation of all administrative duties in
1855 under the Secretary of State for War, a
Cabinet post. He was not, however, solely responsible for the Army; the Commander-in-Chief held a virtually equal level of responsibility. This was reduced in theory by the reforms introduced by
Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell Edward Cardwell in
1870, which subordinated the C-in-C to the Secretary for War. In practice, however, a huge amount of influence was retained by the exceedingly conservative C-in-C Field Marshal
Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, who held the post between
1856-
1895. His resistance to reform caused military efficiency to lag well behind Britain's rivals, a problem which became painfully obvious during the
Second Boer War.
The situation was only remedied in
1904 when the post of Commander-in-Chief was abolished and replaced with that of the
Chief of the General Staff. An
Army Council was created along similar lines to the
Board of Admiralty, chaired by the Secretary of State for War, and an
Imperial General Staff was established to coordinate Army administration.
The management of the War Office was undermined by persistent clashes between the civilian and military sides of the organisation. The government of
Herbert Asquith attempted to resolve this during the
First World War by appointing
Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener Lord Kitchener as Secretary for War, making him the first and only soldier to hold the post. This did not prove a happy experience; under his tenure, the Imperial General Staff was virtually dismantled. Its role was effectively replaced by the Committee of Imperial Defence, established in
1902 to discuss wider defence issues.
The War Office declined greatly in importance after the First World War, a fact illustrated by the drastic reductions in its staff numbers during the inter-war period. On
1 April 1920, it employed 7,434 civilian staff; this had shrunk to 3,872 by
1 April 1930. Its responsibilities and funding were also reduced. In
1936, the government of
Neville Chamberlain appointed a Minister for Co-ordination of Defence, who worked outside of the War Office. When
Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in
1940, he bypassed the War Office altogether and appointed himself Minister of Defence (though there was, curiously, no ''ministry'' of defence until 1964).
Clement Attlee continued this arrangement when he came to power in
1945 but appointed a Minister of Defence for the first time in
1947. In 1964, the Ministry of Defence was established, unifying the War Office, Admiralty, and Air Ministry.
Old War Office Building
Image:Owo whitehall south.jpg right|thumb|250px|View of the Old War Office Building looking south along Whitehall, London
Between
1906 and its abolition in 1964, the War Office was based in a massive
Baroque architecture neo-Baroque building, completed in 1906, located on
Whitehall,
London. It contains about a thousand rooms across seven floors, linked by 2½ miles of corridors. The construction of the War Office building took five years to complete at what was then a huge cost of over £1.2 million.
The building is somewhat oddly shaped, forming a
trapezium shape in order to maximise the usage of the irregularly shaped plot of land on which it was built. Its four distinctive domes were designed as a decorative means of disguising the building's shape.
The building is still used by the Ministry of Defence and is not currently open to the public.
War Office Departments
*
Secretary of State for War Office of the Secretary of State
**
Military Secretary Military Secretary's Department (1870–1964)
*
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War Department of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary
**
Directorate-General of Lands (?–1923)
**
Directorate of Lands (1923– )
**
Directorate-General of the Territorial and Volunteer Forces (?–1921)
**
Directorate-General of the Territorial Army (1921– )
*
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War Central Department (Department of the Secretary)
**
Chaplain-General Department of the Chaplain-General
**
Judge Advocate-General to the Forces Department of the Judge Advocate-General
**Publicity Section/Information Section
*
Financial and Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office Department of the Financial and Parliamentary Secretary (Finance Department)
**
Directorate of Army Contracts (1924– )
*
Chief of the Imperial General Staff Imperial General Staff
**
Directorate of Military Intelligence (?–1922)
**
Directorate of Military Operations (?–1922)
**
Directorate of Military Operations and Intelligence (1922– )
**
Directorate of Military Training (1922– )
**
Directorate of Army Staff Duties
*
Adjutant-General to the Forces Department of the Adjutant-General
**
Directorate-General of Graves Registration and Enquiries (?–1921)
**
Directorate-General of Army Medical Services
**
Directorate of Mobilisation
**
Directorate of Organisation
**
Directorate of Army Personal Services
**
Directorate of Prisoners of War (?–1921)
**
Directorate of Recruiting and Organisation
*
Quartermaster-General to the Forces Department of the Quartermaster-General
**
Directorate of Equipment and Ordnance Stores (?–1927)
**
Directorate of Movements
**
Directorate of Quartering
**
Directorate of Remounts
**
Directorate of Supplies and Transport
**
Controller of Surplus Stores and Salvage Department of the Controller of Surplus Stores and Salvage
**
Surveyor-General of Supply Department of the Surveyor-General of Supply (?–1921)
**
Directorate-General of Army Veterinary Services
**
Directorate of Works (1927– )
*
Master-General of the Ordnance Department of the Master-General of the Ordnance
**
Directorate of Artillery
**
Directorate of Factories
**
Directorate of Fortifications and Works (?–1927)
**
Directorate of Ordnance Services (1927– )
**
Chief Technical Examiner for Works Services Department of the Chief Technical Examiner for Works Services
External links
-
The Old War Office Building - A history
See also
*
United States Department of War
Category:British Army
Category:National government buildings in London
Category:United Kingdom political history
Category:Westminster
fr:War Office
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