Beatty, Somerville, and the cost of choosing staff by connection

Clarke notes that some senior naval officers lacked the confidence to challenge ministers in cabinet, making David Beatty's political assertiveness potentially valuable. Beatty's weakness was a tendency to choose staff through personal connection rather than demonstrated suitability for the post. He selected Ralph Seymour for signals work after turning down James Somerville, who had professional communications experience. A specialist might have produced clearer signals and substantially changed the later memory of Beatty's performance at Jutland. The criticism also concerns Seymour carrying much of the blame for failures created by an appointment system that placed him in an unfamiliar role.