ABSTRACT
The distinction between preparations made with the intention of going to war and precautions against attack is a distinction clear and definite in the minds of those who build up armaments. It would be tedious to describe in detail the numerous inquiries at the Committee of Imperial Defence by means of which our defensive preparations for war were completed and allusion will be made only to a few of the more important. A battle fleet would gain but little from the point of view of time by using such a canal as compared with the sea route through the Pentland Firth. One of the most important of our inquiries was undertaken by a subcommittee under Haldane in 191112 resulting in the formation of the Royal Flying Corps. The Admiralty took advantage of this situation to re-name the Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps the Royal Naval Air Service.
