Item 01: Fred Hamilton-Kenny letter diary, 29 August-19 October 1914 - Page 170
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[Page 170]
Sunday Nov 1 – 1914
Nothing doing as regards war ships - Warren of the Parramatta dined on board last eveng - & when the usual Rabelaic discourse ended the war & its prospects were discussed - The naval men discussed the resignation of Prince Louis of Battenberg as 1st Lord of the Admiralty - They hope Fisher will go back - He is regarded as the Naval Kitchener – a great organiser – not a strategist or tactician - He couldn't handle a ship, let alone a fleet, but as an organiser he is supreme & the maker of the modern Navy - Fisher says "Favoritism is the secret of efficiency" & in his hands this meant that he picked men & made them his favorites so long as they were efficient but efficiency first & efficiency last in any single department of the navy was Sir John Fisher's aim – Ships – Men – Dockyards – Coaling Stations all came under his eye & were made stable & efficient - Jellicoe under him came to the front & under no other system could Jellicoe have become Admiral of the Fleet - The road to eminence should not be thro the rooms of Buckingham Palace or the Royal Yacht but thro hard work done by a strong brain -