The Munitions Inventions Department (MID) of the British

Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis of ...

was created during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1915. Its administrative structure encompassed university and industrial laboratories, private workshops, and military experimental grounds. The department made us of the experimental facilities of other government agencies, including the National Physical Laboratory at Bushy House and the

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, abbreviated DSIR was the name of several British Empire organisations founded after the 1923 Imperial Conference to foster intra-Empire trade and development. * Department of Scientific and Industria ...

(DSIR). Two sister organisations were formed: The

Board of Invention and Research Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a t ...

(BIR) which was established in July 1915 to support the

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, and the Air Inventions Committee (AIC), which supported the Air Board once it became become fully operational in the summer of 1917.

Predecessors

The readiness of the British military to tap the inventiveness of the public can be dated back to the eighteenth century. Two War Office committees, the Colonels' Committee and the Field Officers' Committee had been convened in the 1760s to consider proposals submitted by inventors. However it was during the

Crimea War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

that the Ordnance Select Committee was established under the

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, in his capacity as

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

. It superseded the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

, established in the 15th century but deemed inadequate for the circumstances of the time. Originally this committee had had some civilians amongst its fifteen strong membership. However this was dropped when the committee was given a permanent remit. The establishment of the

Ordnance Committee Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unite ...

in 1881 re-introduced civilian participation, however retaining strong involvement of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

officers. The foundation of the

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics The Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (ACA) was a UK agency founded on 30 April 1909, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. In 1919 it was renamed the Aeronautical Research Committee, later becoming the Aeronautical ...

in 1909 by

Richard Haldane Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane, (; 30 July 1856 – 19 August 1928) was a British lawyer and philosopher and an influential Liberal and later Labour politician. He was Secretary of State for War between 1905 and 1912 during whi ...

(later Lord Haldane) helped provide a model for the MID to follow: the committee supervised the aeronautical research of the National Physical Laboratory and provided more general advice pertaining to the scientific problems involved with aerial construction and navigation. The short war illusion that the war would be "over by Christmas" meant that little consideration was given to the development of new means of destruction. The unfolding of the

Shell Crisis of 1915 The Shell Crisis of 1915 was a shortage of artillery shells on the front lines in the First World War that led to a political crisis in the United Kingdom. Previous military experience led to an over-reliance on shrapnel to attack infantry in th ...

indicated a new approach to innovation in the tools of warfare was needed if the war aims were to be achieved.

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...

, the newly appointed

Minister of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis of ...

pointedly remarked that the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

exhibited "mental obtuseness in their neglect to keep abreast of modern development in pattern of munitions and machinery for munition production".

Foundation

On 28 July 1915 Lloyd George announced to parliament that

Ernest Moir Sir Ernest William Moir (9 June 1862 – 14 June 1933) was a British civil engineer and the first Moir baronet. He is credited with inventing the first medical airlock while working on the Hudson River Tunnel in New York in 1889. Early life ...

would lead the MID, and on 5 August Moir assumed the role of

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. Over the next week Moir drew up a list of people to serve on the advisory panel of the MID. Moir remained in place into November 1915, when he was persuaded by Lloyd George to go to

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in an informal role organising munition supplies from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Despite Moir arguing for his replacement to be drawn from the civilian experts, Colonel Henry Edward Fane Goold-Adams, a

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

officer who was part of the Ordnance Board came into post on 19 February 1916.

Controls and Reports

Inventions, ideas and suggestions had to be approved before resources could be allocated to their further assessment or development. The MID’s work was summarised in a series of comprehensive and detailed reports. As the date of the Armistice was approaching the 37th monthly report of the MID dated 1st November 1918 was issued by Sir Henry Norman. Its introduction stated that from its formation in August 1915, the MID had received 47,112 inventions, ideas and suggestions of which 46,104 had been examined, 45,985 considered and just 4,026 reported as worthy of further consideration. The MID was formally dissolved on 1 July 1919. The MID classified reports were specifically intended for and addressed to the Minister of Munitions of War on a monthly basis. The recipient of this 37th report was

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

who held the post from 17 July 1917.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munitions Inventions Department 1915 establishments in the United Kingdom United Kingdom in World War I British Army in World War I