Naval Intelligence Division (Royal Navy)

The Naval Intelligence Division (from 1912 to 1918 the Intelligence Division) was the intelligence-gathering body of the Royal Navy's Admiralty War Staff and successor Naval Staff.

History

As constituted on 8 January, 1912, the Intelligence Division was composed of a Director, an Assistant Director, fourteen Naval and Marine officers, and thirteen civilian staff. The first Director, Captain Thomas Jackson, had been Assistant Director of Naval Intelligence in the Naval Intelligence Department and Head of Foreign Division. The Assistant Director, Captain Maurice S. FitzMaurice, had been additional Assistant Director of Naval Intelligence in the N.I.D.

Great War

Commander Gilbert Stephenson, an officer in the Intelligence Division, later commented:

The system in the War Room at the start was very inadequate. None of the Commanders on duty there was able to take action without the approval of a Post-Captain. This was quite ridiculous, and I said so! My suggestion for more delegation of authority was not approved.
But when I worked as a Duty Commander - 24 hours on, 48 hours off - there was no question of referring everything to senior officers. The messages that came in had to be acted upon - and of course that suited me much better.

According to Dr. Nicholas Black, 206 Royal Navy officers served in the division during the war.

At some point between 18 March, 1918, and 18 June, 1918, the division was renamed the Naval Intelligence Division and the director became the Director of Naval Intelligence once more.

Sections

Publicity Section

This section was under D.N.I. and the Chief Censor. An office memorandum of 27 January, 1918, outlined the duties of the section staff as shown in the table below. At some point in 1918 the section became an independent Naval Publicity Department.

27 January, 1918.
Office: 47, West Block, Admiralty.
Commander Colpoys C. Walcott, R.N. Section 31.	(1) Liason officer to N.W.A.C. and Department of Information. (2) In charge of all work connected with this section. Deals direct with D.I.D. and Chief Censor or other Heads of Departments as requisite in connection with Publicity work, and all questions of policy should be dealt with by Commander Walcott, being referred to him by his staff.
Lieutenant H. Sullivan, R.N.V.R. 31 (V).	(1) Assistant to Commander Walcott. (2) Arranges details of all visits to the Fleet and Naval Bases. (3) Reads British Press and German W/T messages.
Paymaster H. Foster, R.N.R.	Secretary. Receives and deals with all official correspondence.
Office: Lord Chancellor's Court, House of Lords.
Commander Calthrop. 31 (C).	Assists Commander Walcott on Press matters generally. Liason between N.W.A.C. [National War Aims Committee] and country Press. Attends meetings on Wednesday of N.W.A.C. and country Press. Writes articles as requisite. Assists when required with visits of foreign journalists, etc.
Office: 4a, Cockspur Street, Room "A".
Mr. John Leyland. 31 (A).	Deals with the Editor in Chief, N.W.A.C. Writes articles as requisite on Naval policy and Naval operations. Assists Mr. Fiennes to cover the neglected side of Naval Press work. New dockyards and works of this class.
Lieutenant Gordon Robinson, R.M.A.	Deals entirely with the Ministry of Shipping and writes articles on all subjects connected therewith. Keeps in touch with Press of all nations on shipping matters, assisted by Mr. Hanbury.
Mr. Cecil Hanbury. 31 (H).	Assists Commander Walcott. Visits Sections in I.D. and writes trade articles as requisite for the foreign Press from material gained from these interviews after consultation with the Foreign Office News Department. Reads foreign Press shipping matters. Consults Mr. Robinson as requisite when dealing with articles in connection with foreign shipping.
Office: 4a, Cockspur Street, Room "B".
Staff Paymaster Cox, R.N.R. 31 (X).	(1) Deals with operations overseas by articles, etc. (2) Coast watching and patrol work, minesweeping, the work of fishermen.
Paymaster H. Loughnan, R.N.R. 31 (M).	Deals with articles, etc., relating to German submarine operations against the Mercantile Marine. Honours and awards to Naval Ratings, stories of heroism.
Office: 4a, Cockspur Street, Room "C".
Mr. H. F. Wyatt. Staff Paymaster Collingwood Hughes. 31 (L).	Deal with all questions relating to or in connection with Naval lectures and lecturers on the Navy and Mercantile Marine. To lecture as requisite and arranged in conjunction with N.W.A.C., War Office and Y.M.C.A. Assist duly credited organisations such as N.W.A.C. and Y.M.C.A., Shipyard Labour, War Office, etc., as requisite by providing Naval anecdotes and statistics for their accredited speakers and lecturers.

Information Section

This section is known to have existed during World War II, at least.

Directors

Dates of appointment given:

• Captain Thomas Jackson, 9 January, 1912 – 1 November, 1913
• Rear-Admiral Henry F. Oliver, 1 November, 1913 – 13 October, 1914
• Rear-Admiral Sir W. Reginald Hall, 14 October, 1914 – 15 January, 1919
• Rear-Admiral Hugh F. P. Sinclair, 18 January, 1919 – 15 August, 1921
• Rear-Admiral Maurice S. FitzMaurice, 15 August, 1921
• Rear-Admiral Alan G. Hotham, 15 August, 1924 – 15 August, 1927
• Rear-Admiral William W. Fisher, 17 August, 1926 – 1 January, 1927  (temporary)
• Rear-Admiral Barry E. Domvile, 15 August, 1927 – 15 August, 1930
• Rear-Admiral Cecil V. Usborne, 15 August, 1930 – 15 August, 1932
• Rear-Admiral Gerald C. Dickens, 15 August, 1932 – 9 September, 1935
• Vice-Admiral James A. G. Troup, 9 September, 1935 – 7 February, 1939
• Vice-Admiral John H. Godfrey, 7 February, 1939 – 27 November, 1942
• Rear-Admiral Edmund G. N. Rushbrooke, November, 1942 – July, 1946
• Vice-Admiral William E. Parry, July, 1946 – May, 1948
• Rear-Admiral Eric William Longley Longley-Cook, May, 1948 – August, 1951

Deputy Directors

• Captain William M. James, 15 January, 1919 – 20 March, 1920
• Captain Geoffrey Hopwood, 20 March, 1920 – 31 March, 1922
• Captain Edward O. Cochrane, 1 April, 1922 – 14 September, 1923
• Captain George K. Chetwode, 11 September, 1923 – 15 May, 1925
• Captain Kenneth G. B. Dewar, 15 May, 1925 – May, 1927
• Captain Cecil B. Prickett, 15 June, 1927 – 15 June, 1929
• Captain Alfred E. Evans, 15 June, 1929 – 26 April, 1930
• Captain Gerald C. Harrison, 26 April, 1930 – 29 April, 1932
• Captain William E. C. Tait, 29 April, 1932 – 24 November, 1933
• Captain George A. Scott, 17 November, 1933 – January, 1936
• Captain Claude Preston Hermon-Hodge, 6 January, 1936 – 14 February, 1938
• Captain Geoffrey C. Cooke, 7 February, 1938 – 25 February, 1940
• Captain William Derek Stephens, 25 February, 1940 – early 1941

Assistant Directors

Dates of appointment given:

• Captain Maurice S. FitzMaurice, 8 January, 1912 – 14 February, 1914
• Captain Edward H. F. Heaton-Ellis, 14 February, 1914 – 13 May, 1914
• Captain Raymond A. Nugent, 30 September, 1916 – 22 August, 1918  (sick, requiring operation)
• Commander Vivian R. Brandon, 22 August, 1918 – 15 April, 1919
• Captain Edward O. Cochrane, 15 July, 1921 – 1 April, 1922

Tristan Dannreuther held this position from 7 April, 1919, but we've left him off the list as, in March 1919, five men were jointly holding the position.

Bibliography

• Black, Nicholas (2009). The British Naval Staff in the First World War. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. ISBN 9781843834427.
• Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division (1929). The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. Its Work and Development. B.R. 1845 (late C.B. 3013). Copy No. 8 at The National Archives. ADM 234/434.