Henry May builds a school for admirals and staff officers

May recognized that running a department, commanding a ship, directing a fleet, and serving on a staff demanded different forms of professional education. He wanted War College preparation tied more firmly to staff appointments so that operational planning would not depend on experience acquired by chance. His 1904 death from gastroenteritis removed an unusually respected intellectual officer who might otherwise have reached senior command by the First World War. His writing on the lessons of the Spanish-American War, naval armament, and coast defence also places him among the thinkers moving toward the all-big-gun battleship. May's ability to retain the respect of both sides in the Fisher-Beresford dispute helped him establish the college with unusually broad institutional support. His example joins the creation of a new tier of command education with the loss of a plausible contemporary and rival to John Jellicoe.