In this book, the author examines the role of the Naval Staff of the Admiralty in the war, reassessing both the calibre of the staff and its function and structure.
He challenges historians such as Arthur Marder and naval figures such as Captains Herbert Richmond and Kenneth Dewar who were influential in creating the largely bad press that the Staff has received, showing that the influence of these critics has been, at times, both unhealthy and misinformed.
The way in which the Staff developed during the war from a small, overstretched and often manipulated body, to a much more highly specialised and successful one is also examined.