The Mobilisation Division [1] was the former Directorate of the British Admiralty Naval Staff responsible for mobilisation requirements, manning and war preparation planning from 1912–1918.
Division overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 1912 |
Preceding Division | |
Dissolved | 1918 |
Superseding agency | |
Jurisdiction | Government of the United Kingdom |
Headquarters | Admiralty Building Whitehall London |
Parent department | Admiralty Naval Staff |
The Mobilisation Division was established on 8 January 1912 [2] it evolved out of the Naval Mobilisation Department of the Admiralty and was part of both the Admiralty War Staff and Admiralty Naval Staff departments. Mobilisation ceased to be a Naval Staff division on 12 January 1918 [3] when it was re-designated an admiralty department that would now report to the Office of the Second Sea Lord until 1932.
The division was responsible for the mobilisation of active personnel, in addition to securing crews for all commissioned vessels including those in reserve. It also had to plan for and arrange the requisition of merchant vessels for the purpose of auxiliary purposes. It was also responsible for liaising with various mobilisation (naval employment offices) present all ports to process drafted conscripts. Other duties included the planning and projecting all manning requirements and securing available resources to meet those plans. During world war one in addition to its other duties, the Mobilisation Division was also charged with the responsibility for the supplying the fleet with fuel, from the Naval War Staff point of view.
As of 1917:
Included:[4]
Included:[8]
A more detailed breakdown of the distribution of work allocated within the division to the various staff sections can be seen below.
As of 1917:[9]
Mobilisation
Section | Admiralty Room | Responsibility |
---|---|---|
HMOD | 18 (III.) | The head of sub-division is responsible for general superintendence of work of Mobilisation Sections. |
MO1 | 19 (III.) | Admiralty Representative on Navy Employment Agency, Control of all rail and road traffic in time of War, Mobilisation arrangements as regards Personnel of Fleet, Mobilisation questions raised by the Mobilising Committees at the Ports, Preparation for Peace Manœuvres. |
MO2 | 19 (III.) | Preparation of Monthly Mobilising List of Officers. |
Manning
Section | Admiralty Room | Responsibility |
---|---|---|
HMAD | 32 (III.) | The head of sub-division is responsible for general superintendence of work of Manning Sections, |
MA3 | 31 (III.) | Manning requirements and resources, Secure and make ready arrangements for War Staff. |
MA4 | 31 (III.) | Preparation of reports on the number of officers and men available for manning. |
Primary source for this article is by Harley Simon, Lovell Tony, (2016), Mobilisation Department (Royal Navy), dreadnoughtproject.org, http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org.