The Supreme Command, 1914-1918 (Routledge Revivals) Volume I [Paperback]

Lord Hankey (1877-1963) was a British civil servant and the first Cabinet Secretary, a top aide to Prime Minister David Lloyd George and the War Cabinet that directed Britain in World War One. Mostly derived from the authors diaries, which began in March 1915, this study describes how Lord Hankey contributed to the development of the British system of Cabinet Government during the war years. First published in 1961, the two-volume collection is a history of the Supreme Command of the War; the conduct of the war, the development of the Supreme Command from Balfour to Lloyd George, and the emergence of the Cabinet Secretariat from the Secretariat of the War Cabinet. It contains intimate glimpses of the statesmen, sailors and soldiers who guided affairs towards 1918. This is a fascinating first-hand examination of the people who influenced the conduct of the war, and will be of particular value to students interested in its diplomatic history.

Preface;  Part I: The Committee of Imperial Defence  Introduction  1. The Renaissance of the Fleet  2. Naval Reorganization  3. Coast Defences  4. Naval Strategy and Co-ordination  5. The Committee of Imperial Defence  6. Policy  7. Grand Strategy  8. Economic Pressure  9. The Declaration of London  10. Supplies  11. Miscellaneous Precautions  12. The War Book  13. Empire Co-operation  14. General View of our Defensive Preparations  15. 1914;  Part II: The Cabinet  16. The Outbreak of War  17. The March of Events  18. The Cabinet and the Western Front  19. Antwerp  20. Home Defence  21. Breakdown of the Old Cabinet System; The Cabinet: Names of Chief Ministers;  Part III: The War Council  22. The War Council at Work  23. The General SlC!