It was announced on Tuesday that Admiral Bridgeman has been
appointed to succeed Sir Arthur Wilson as First Sea Lord, Prince Louis of Battenberg succeeding Admiral Egerton as Second Sea Lord, and Captain Pakenham becoming Third Sea Lord in place of Rear-Admiral Madden. Mr. Winston Churchill, in reply to a question in the House, pointed out that Sir Arthur Wilson, whose great services both to the Navy and the State he cordially acknowledged, was due to retire in any case in March, and the Fourth Sea Lord on January 5th on his promotion to a sea-going appointment. Having thus to face a change of the Board of Admiralty to the extent of half its members early next year while the Naval Estimates were under discussion, the Prime Minister and his colleagues had decided that in the interests of the public it would be better that the changes should take place now. The new Sea Lords are, so far as we know, free from the charge of having been partisans in recent controversies, and the promotion of Prince Louis of Battenberg, on the simple ground of capacity, would probably be endorsed by an overwhelming majority of his brother officers. The other appointments also command the approval of the Service.
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