§ 31. Lord CHARLES BERESFORDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether 16 eleven officers have been appointed to the War Staff without undergoing the qualifying course; and, if so, whether he can explain what is the object of the qualifying course.
§ Mr. CHURCHILLYes, Sir. It is a necessary feature of the inauguration of the War Staff system. These officers have all been occupying positions of responsibility upon the War Staff or in similar situations for which a War Staff qualification would be indispensable were officers of such training available in sufficient numbers. This was clearly foreshadowed in the original Memorandum on a Naval War Staff issued by me on the 1st January, 1912, which was appended to the statement explanatory of the Navy Estimates, 1912–13.