Royal Navy signal language gave particular phrases more force than their ordinary wording suggests. 'My intentions are' told a senior that the officer on the spot believed a course was best and expected trust unless the plan was clearly unsound. 'My earnest advice' allowed a junior officer to press a recommendation upward while leaving the formal decision with the superior. Tomkinson used that level of language when urging members of the Admiralty Board to come to Invergordon and speak with the fleet. The phrasing reveals how professional convention carried judgment through a rigid hierarchy.
Notable Point · 1:36:49-1:38:13
How 'my earnest advice' carried command weight
Traditional phrases such as 'my intentions are' and 'my earnest advice' let an officer on the spot press a recommendation upward without openly challenging senior command.