Q&A · 3:09:25-3:13:16

Which naval leaders to save or remove before 1939

Preserving Reginald Henderson, Roger Backhouse, and Christopher Cradock would strengthen senior command. Removing Beatty, Lord Sempill, and Arthur Henderson is proposed to change leadership and treaty policy.

Question

Which three officers or politicians would be preserved, and which three would be removed, between 1900 and 1939?

Short answer

Preserve Reginald Henderson, Roger Backhouse, and Christopher Cradock; remove David Beatty, Lord Sempill, and Arthur Henderson.

Notes

Preserving Admirals Reginald Henderson and Roger Backhouse would retain stronger senior alternatives to Dudley Pound and another voice able to challenge Churchill. Christopher Cradock is the third choice to save and is preferred to David Beatty in several respects. The proposed removals are Beatty, Lord Sempill, and politician Arthur Henderson. Arthur Henderson's role in the 1930 London Naval Treaty and disarmament policy explains the last choice. The criticism explicitly accepts his sincere convictions about peace and does not treat him as a bad man.