Cutting from The Morning Post - The Facts About the Fleet - Shortage of Men, Ships, Shells and Oil.

Cutting from The Morning Post - Navy the Paramount Consideration: More Men, More Ships, More Aircraft - Obsolete Vessels to be Replaced.

Cutting from The Morning Post - Admiral's Inspection of Cruiser with only three A.B.s.

Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on War Staff papers on hypothetical German raids against Harwich [Essex], the Humber and the Firth of Tay. [Carbon].

Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on the definition of "Command of the Sea" and the difficulties of absolute obtaining naval superiority for either Britain or Germany. [Carbon].

Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on the defence of the East Coast of Britain, pointing out the inadequacy of 4 cruisers, 74 destroyers and torpedo boats and 18 submarines for maintaining a regular patrol and outlining measures to improve the effectiveness of the coast watch, including the use of territorial forces and aerial squadrons. [Carbon].

Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on the results of recent naval exercises. [Carbon].

Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on the necessity for keeping a large proportion of the Fleet ready for immediate service, stating plans to utilise the 7,000 active service ratings based on yachts, harbour tenders and in harbour establishments. [Carbon].

Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], to the 1st Sea Lord [Prince Louis of Battenberg, later 1st Lord Milford Haven], asking about the desirability of making a thorough overhaul of the mobilisation arrangements, and suggesting Admiral Sir Reginald Custance to conduct the enquiry; WSC also states his aim to obtain a mobilisation of the Royal Fleet Reserve in the following year. [Carbon].

Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], to the 1st Sea Lord [Prince Louis of Battenberg, later 1st Lord Milford Haven], on the executive list of War Requirements for 1920, detailing the composition of the 1920 War Fleet. [Carbon; final folio of minute at CHAR 13/6B/452].

Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on a proposal to create a further Admiral of the Fleet, setting out qualifications for the position: to have served as 1st Sea Lord for more than one year, to have commanded the Principal Fleet for more than 12 months or to have undertaken special war services. [Carbon].

Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on the freedom of German warships to use Norwegian ports, requesting the Foreign Office to write to the Norwegian Government, asking for the same rights to be extended to the British Navy. [Carbon].

Memorandum by Vice-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe [? 2nd Sea Lord], on his reasons for preferring seven, or if possible, eight "Super Active" cruisers, with extensive annotations by Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher, criticising the "Super Active" design: "What on earth is the use of a vessel that can neither fight nor run away, nor able to reconnoitre nor able to accompany submarines".

Prints and technical drawings of proposed 25-knot battleships with internal combustion engines, and of 29,000 and 27,500 tons displacement.

Letter from WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, to Herbert Asquith, Prime Minister [later 1st Lord Oxford and Asquith] on approval by King George V of changes to constitution and composition of the Board of Admiralty, and the appointment of Sir Francis Hopwood [later 1st Lord Southborough] as Additional Civil Lord, and his intention to make the changes as quickly as possible [incomplete typescript draft, with ms annotations by WSC].

Letter from J L Garvin, Pall Mall Gazette, to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, enclosing paper, "Cromwell and the Navy", giving a summary of the Commonwealth's Naval achievements.

Letter from Archibald Hurd, Downshire Hill, Hampstead, London, to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, thanks for sending copy of his "masterly memorandum", and praising him on the appointment of the Additional Civil Lord, Sir Francis Hopwood [later 1st Lord Southborough].

Letter from Sir Francis Hopwood [later 1st Lord Southborough], (Reform Club, London) to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, recommending delaying publication of his War Staff proposals until after the German elections, as they would certainly be distorted and used for election purposes.

Letter from Lewis Harcourt, Colonial Office, to WSC, protesting about the Admiralty communicating directly with the Canadian Government though the High Commission in London, on the storage of fuel at Halifax, Nova Scotia, stating that such communications should go through the Colonial Office.