Admiralty Letter to Jellicoe, 31 July, 1914
Letter from the Permanent Secretary to the Admiralty, W. Graham Greene detailing Jellicoe's assumption of command of the Grand Fleet. Reproduced in Correlli Barnett, The Swordbearers, p. 104.
Letter
31st July 1914
Sir,
I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to inform you that, in the circumstances which will have arisen when the present letter will have been opened, They have been pleased to select you to be Commander-in-Chief of the Grand or First Fleet in succession to Admiral Sir George Callaghan. You are therefore forthwith on receipt of orders to open this letter to repair with it on board H.M.S. "Iron Duke", show it to Sir George Callaghan as your authority for so doing and arrange with him for whatever immediate steps may be necessary to make your succession to his command effective. Thereafter Sir George Callaghan will come on shore.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient servant
W Graham Greene
To
Vice-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe
KCB, etc, etc.
Envelope
Only to be opened on receipt of telegraphic instructions from the Admiralty to that effect, which will be conveyed in the words:—
"Open secret personal envelope taken with you from London"
—
Vice-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe KCB &c.
