UK/Minister/Supply
 UK/Minister/Supply  (Minister of Supply) | |
|---|---|
| Start | 1939 |
| End | 1959 |
| Responsible for supplying the British armed forces during WW2. Also took over all army research establishments in 1939, and responsibilities for atomic weapons, including the H-bomb development programme. | |
The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircraft production, and the Admiralty retained responsibilities for supplying the Royal Navy.[1]
The Ministry of Supply also took over all army research establishments in 1939.[2] The Ministry of Aircraft Production was abolished in 1946, and the MoS took over its responsibilities for aircraft, including the associated research establishments. In the same year, it also took on increased responsibilities for atomic weapons, including the H-bomb development programme.
The Ministry of Supply was abolished in late 1959 and its responsibilities passed to the Ministry of Aviation, the War Office, and the Air Ministry. The latter two ministries were subsequently merged with the Admiralty to form the Ministry of Defence.
Office Holders on Wikispooks
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Reginald Maudling | 7 April 1955 | 14 January 1957 |
| Selwyn Lloyd | 18 October 1954 | 7 April 1955 |
| Max Aitken | 29 June 1941 | 4 February 1942 |
| Herbert Morrison | 12 May 1940 | 4 October 1940 |
References
- ↑ Hornby, William (1958). Factories and Plant: (History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Civil Series). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office and Longmans, Green and Co.
- ↑ "Military Establishments and the Advancement of Science and Technology", Forman, Paul; Sánchez-Ron, José Manuel (editors), Springer Science & Business Media, 1996, ISBN 978-1-4020-0250-2
