ABSTRACT
When the First World War began in August 1914, Patrick Blackett was near the end of his passing out examinations from Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. This was routine, and there was every expectation that Blackett would succeed in his career in the Navy, especially in one of the technical branches. Academically he had been a success at the naval colleges: when he moved from Osborne to Dartmouth, he had been second in his class of 71, and he was the top cadet at Dartmouth in the passing out examinations.1 A successful officer in the Navy could look forward to good promotion and a steady career, if the previous years of the Navy were any guide.
