The government was notable for having a small War Cabinet consisting of only the principal and service ministers, with most other government positions serving outside the Cabinet. The War Cabinet included Chamberlain, Hoare, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir John Simon, Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax, Churchill, Secretary of State for Air Sir Kingsley Wood, Minister for Coordination of Defence Lord Chatfield, Lord Hankey (as Minister without Portfolio) and Secretary of State for War Leslie Hore-Belisha. Oliver Stanley replaced Hore-Belisha in January 1940 while Chatfield left the war cabinet in April 1940.
The government ended on 10 May 1940 when Chamberlain resigned and was succeeded by Winston Churchill who formed the War Coalition.
CabinetEdit
War Cabinet, September 1939 – May 1940Edit
Chamberlain's September 1939 War Cabinet. From left to right: Standing: Wood, Churchill, Hore-Belisha, and Hankey. Front row: Halifax, Simon, Chamberlain, Hoare, and Chatfield.
Upon the outbreak of the war, Chamberlain carried out a fullscale reconstruction of the government and introduced a small War Cabinet who were as follows:
January 1940 – Oliver Stanley succeeds Leslie Hore-Belisha as Secretary of State for War.
April 1940 – Hoare swaps Lord Privy Seal with Wood for Secretary of State for Air. Lord Chatfield leaves the Government and the office of Minister for Coordination of Defence is abolished.
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Fifth National Government redirects here For the New Zealand government see Fifth National Government of New Zealand This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Chamberlain war ministry news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Neville Chamberlain formed the Chamberlain war ministry in 1939 after declaring war on Germany Chamberlain led the country for the first eight months of the Second World War until the Norway Debate in Parliament led Chamberlain to resign and Winston Churchill to form a new ministry Chamberlain war ministry1939 1940Date formed3 September 1939 1939 09 03 Date dissolved10 May 1940 1940 05 10 People and organisationsMonarchGeorge VIPrime MinisterNeville ChamberlainPrime Minister s history1937 1940Total no of members98 appointmentsMember parties Conservative Party Liberal National Party National LabourStatus in legislatureMajority coalition 428 615 70 Opposition party Labour PartyOpposition leaderClement AttleeHistoryLegislature term s 37th UK ParliamentOutgoing formationNorway DebatePredecessorFourth National GovernmentSuccessorChurchill war ministry Contents 1 History 2 Cabinet 2 1 War Cabinet September 1939 May 1940 2 1 1 Changes 2 2 Key office holders not in the Cabinet 2 2 1 Changes 3 List of ministers 4 ReferencesHistory EditFurther information Phoney War On 3 September 1939 Neville Chamberlain Prime Minister of the United Kingdom reconstructed his existing government so as to be suited for the Second World War The most dramatic change to the ministerial line up saw the return of Winston Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty Other changes included Lord Caldecote replacing Lord Maugham as Lord Chancellor Sir John Anderson replacing Sir Samuel Hoare as Home Secretary Hoare became Lord Privy Seal with a wide ranging brief and the return of Anthony Eden to the government as Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs However the administration was not a true national unity government as it was made up primarily of Conservatives with support from some National Labour and National Liberal members There were no representatives from the Labour Party or Liberal Party The government was notable for having a small War Cabinet consisting of only the principal and service ministers with most other government positions serving outside the Cabinet The War Cabinet included Chamberlain Hoare Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir John Simon Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax Churchill Secretary of State for Air Sir Kingsley Wood Minister for Coordination of Defence Lord Chatfield Lord Hankey as Minister without Portfolio and Secretary of State for War Leslie Hore Belisha Oliver Stanley replaced Hore Belisha in January 1940 while Chatfield left the war cabinet in April 1940 The government ended on 10 May 1940 when Chamberlain resigned and was succeeded by Winston Churchill who formed the War Coalition Cabinet EditWar Cabinet September 1939 May 1940 Edit nbsp Chamberlain s September 1939 War Cabinet From left to right Standing Wood Churchill Hore Belisha and Hankey Front row Halifax Simon Chamberlain Hoare and Chatfield Upon the outbreak of the war Chamberlain carried out a fullscale reconstruction of the government and introduced a small War Cabinet who were as follows Neville Chamberlain Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Commons Sir Samuel Hoare Lord Privy Seal Sir John Simon Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Halifax Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Leslie Hore Belisha Secretary of State for War Sir Kingsley Wood Secretary of State for Air Winston Churchill First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Chatfield Minister for Coordination of Defence Lord Hankey Minister without PortfolioChanges Edit January 1940 Oliver Stanley succeeds Leslie Hore Belisha as Secretary of State for War April 1940 Hoare swaps Lord Privy Seal with Wood for Secretary of State for Air Lord Chatfield leaves the Government and the office of Minister for Coordination of Defence is abolished Key office holders not in the Cabinet Edit Lord Caldecote Lord Chancellor Lord Stanhope Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Lords Sir John Anderson Secretary of State for the Home Department Malcolm MacDonald Secretary of State for the Colonies Anthony Eden Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs Lord Zetland Secretary of State for India and Burma John Colville Secretary of State for Scotland Oliver Stanley President of the Board of Trade Lord De La Warr President of the Board of Education Sir Reginald Dorman Smith Minister of Agriculture Ernest Brown Minister of Labour and National Service Walter Elliot Minister of Health Euan Wallace Minister of Transport Leslie Burgin Minister of Supply William Shepherd Morrison Minister of Food and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Herwald Ramsbotham First Commissioner of Works Lord Macmillan Minister of Information Ronald Cross Minister of Economic Warfare Sir Walter Womersley Minister of Pensions George Tryon Postmaster General Lord Winterton Paymaster General Sir Donald Somervell Attorney General Sir Terence O Connor Solicitor General David Margesson Chief WhipChanges Edit October 1939 The position of Minister of Shipping is created with Sir John Gilmour the first holder November 1939 Lord Winterton resigns as Paymaster General and no successor is appointed January 1940 Oliver Stanley becomes Secretary of State for War and a member of the War Cabinet in succession to Leslie Hore Belisha resigned see above and is succeeded as President of the Board of Trade by Andrew Duncan Lord Macmillan resigns as Minister of Information and is succeeded by Sir John Reith April 1940 Robert Hudson succeeds Sir John Gilmour deceased as Minister of Shipping Lord De La Warr exchanges President of the Board of Education with Herwald Ramsbotham for First Commissioner of Works William Shepherd Morrison swaps the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for the Postmaster General with George Tryon and is succeeded as Minister of Food by Lord Woolton May 1940 Sir Terence O Connor dies and no new Solicitor General is appointed before the government falls List of ministers EditMembers of the Cabinet are in bold face Office Name Party Dates NotesPrime MinisterFirst Lord of the TreasuryLeader of the House of Commons Neville Chamberlain Conservative 3 September 1939 10 May 1940 Member of War CabinetLord Chancellor The Viscount Caldecote Conservative 3 September 1939Lord President of the CouncilLeader of the House of Lords The Earl Stanhope Conservative 3 September 1939Lord Privy Seal Sir Samuel Hoare Bt Conservative 3 September 1939 Member of War CabinetSir Kingsley Wood Conservative 3 April 1940Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir John Simon Liberal National September 1939 Member of War CabinetParliamentary Secretary to the Treasury David Margesson Conservative September 1939Financial Secretary to the Treasury Harry Crookshank Conservative September 1939Lords of the Treasury James Stuart Conservative September 1939 10 May 1940Thomas Dugdale Conservative September 1939 12 February 1940Patrick Munro Conservative September 1939 10 May 1940Stephen Furness Liberal National September 1939 10 May 1940Sir James Edmondson Conservative September 1939 13 November 1939Patrick Buchan Hepburn Conservative 13 November 1939 10 May 1940William Boulton Conservative 12 February 1940 10 May 1940Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The Viscount Halifax Conservative September 1939 Member of War CabinetParliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs R A Butler Conservative September 1939 10 May 1940Secretary of State for the Home Department Sir John Anderson National 3 September 1939Under Secretary of State for the Home Department Osbert Peake Conservative September 1939Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Home Security Alan Lennox Boyd Conservative 6 September 1939William Mabane Liberal National 24 October 1939First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill Conservative 3 September 1939 Member of War CabinetParliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty Geoffrey Shakespeare Liberal National September 1939Sir Victor Warrender Bt Conservative 3 April 1940Civil Lord of the Admiralty Sir Austin Hudson Bt Conservative September 1939Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Sir Reginald Dorman Smith Conservative September 1939Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries The Lord Denham Conservative 19 September 1939Secretary of State for Air Sir Kingsley Wood Conservative September 1939 Member of War CabinetSir Samuel Hoare Bt Conservative 3 April 1940 Member of War CabinetUnder Secretary of State for Air Harold Balfour Conservative September 1939Secretary of State for the Colonies Malcolm MacDonald National Labour September 1939Under Secretary of State for the Colonies The Marquess of Dufferin and Ava Conservative September 1939Minister for Coordination of Defence The Lord Chatfield Independent September 1939 Member of War Cabinet until 3 April 1940 Office abolished 3 April 1940Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs Anthony Eden Conservative 3 September 1939Under Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs The Duke of Devonshire Conservative September 1939Minister for Economic Warfare Ronald Cross Conservative 3 September 1939President of the Board of Education The Earl De La Warr National Labour September 1939Herwald Ramsbotham Conservative 3 April 1940Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education Kenneth Lindsay National Labour September 1939Minister of Food William Morrison Conservative 4 September 1939 Combined with Duchy of LancasterThe Lord Woolton Conservative 3 April 1940Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food Alan Lennox Boyd Conservative 11 October 1939Minister of Health Walter Elliot Conservative September 1939Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health Florence Horsbrugh Conservative September 1939Secretary of State for India and Burma The Marquess of Zetland Conservative September 1939Under Secretary of State for India and Burma Hon Sir Hugh O Neill Ulster Unionist 11 September 1939Minister of Information The Lord Macmillan Conservative Party 4 September 1939Sir John Reith National 5 January 1940Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Information Sir Edward Grigg Conservative Party 19 September 1939 Office vacant 3 April 1940Minister of Labour and National Service Ernest Brown Liberal National 3 September 1939Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and National Service Ralph Assheton Conservative Party 6 September 1939Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster William Morrison Conservative Party September 1939 From 4 September 1939 3 April 1940 combined with Minister for FoodGeorge Tryon Conservative Party 3 April 1940 Lord TryonPaymaster General The Earl Winterton Conservative Party September 1939Vacant November 1939Minister of Pensions Sir Walter Womersley Conservative Party September 1939Minister without Portfolio The Lord Hankey Independent 3 September 1939 10 May 1940 Member of War CabinetPostmaster General George Tryon Conservative Party September 1939William Morrison Conservative Party 3 April 1940Assistant Postmaster General William Mabane Liberal National September 1939Charles Waterhouse Conservative Party 24 October 1939Secretary of State for Scotland John Colville Conservative Party September 1939Under Secretary of State for Scotland John McEwen Conservative Party 6 September 1939Minister of Shipping Sir John Gilmour Bt Conservative Party 13 October 1939Robert Hudson Conservative Party 3 April 1940Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Shipping Sir Arthur Salter Conservative Party 13 November 1939Minister of Supply Leslie Burgin Liberal National September 1939Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply John Llewellin Conservative Party September 1939President of the Board of Trade Hon Oliver Stanley Conservative Party September 1939Sir Andrew Duncan National 5 January 1940Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade Gwilym Lloyd George Independent Liberal 6 September 1939Secretary for Overseas Trade Robert Hudson Conservative Party September 1939Geoffrey Shakespeare Liberal National 3 April 1940Secretary for Mines Geoffrey Lloyd Conservative Party September 1939Minister of Transport Euan Wallace Conservative Party September 1939Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport Robert Bernays Liberal National September 1939Secretary of State for War Leslie Hore Belisha Liberal National September 1939 Member of War CabinetHon Oliver Stanley Conservative Party 5 January 1940 Member of War CabinetUnder Secretary of State for War The Viscount Cobham Conservative 19 September 1939Financial Secretary to the War Office Sir Victor Warrender Bt Conservative September 1939Sir Edward Grigg Conservative 3 April 1940First Commissioner of Works Herwald Ramsbotham Conservative September 1939The Earl De La Warr National Labour 3 April 1940Attorney General Sir Donald Somervell Conservative September 1939Solicitor General Sir Terence O Connor Conservative September 1939Lord Advocate Thomas Cooper Conservative September 1939Solicitor General for Scotland James Reid Conservative September 1939Treasurer of the Household Charles Waterhouse Conservative September 1939Robert Grimston Conservative 12 November 1939Comptroller of the Household Charles Kerr Liberal National September 1939Vice Chamberlain of the Household Robert Grimston Conservative September 1939Sir James Edmondson Conservative 12 November 1939Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms The Earl of Lucan Conservative September 1939Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Lord Templemore Conservative September 1939Lords in Waiting The Earl Fortescue Conservative September 1939 10 May 1940The Earl of Birkenhead Conservative September 1939 10 May 1940The Viscount Bridport Conservative September 1939 10 May 1940The Lord Ebury Conservative September 1939 10 May 1940References EditD Butler and G Butler Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900 2000 Preceded byFourth National Government Government of the United Kingdom1939 1940 Succeeded byChurchill war ministry Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chamberlain war ministry amp oldid 1172556583, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
