Geoffrey Arbuthnot had served as Fourth Sea Lord responsible for supply and transport and then commanded the East Indies Station. Moving him to the honors and awards committee in 1942 was not an active operational command, but it kept an experienced admiral inside the service. The placement may also have preserved a ready replacement if another senior officer died. Routine committee duty could therefore carry a reserve function during a period of sudden command vacancies.
Notable Point · 1:19:51-1:24:29
Geoffrey Arbuthnot as an available reserve admiral
An honors committee could keep a seasoned former sea lord available if wartime losses created a sudden command vacancy.