‘It’s a Case of All or None’: ‘Jacky’ Fisher’s Advice to Winston Churchill, 1911

In October 1911 Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty with a mandate to improve the Royal Navy’s readiness for war. He immediately began a correspondence with ‘Jacky’ Fisher, First Sea Lord from 1904 to 1910, and during the last three months of 1911 the two men exchanged ideas on a wide range of subjects, including senior appointments in the navy. This article examines the background to Churchill’s appointment and his approaches to Fisher. It surveys the recommendations which Fisher made with regard to the positions in the fleet and the Admiralty which Churchill had to fill, providing an insight into Fisher’s opinions and the state of the upper ranks of the navy’s officer corps.