ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the collection of talented group of officers in Naval Intelligence Department (NID), heavily interpenetrated with organisations like Royal United Services Institution (RUSI) and SNR who embodied it between 1885-1914. The NID at the Admiralty was staffed by Naval and Royal Marine officers, chosen by merit and opportunity. They were normally commanders or captains from the Royal Navy; Royal Marine majors or captains from the Artillery or Light Infantry. The 'Intelligence Department' was headed by a post-captain, assisted by three commanders and two Royal Marine officers. A large number of NID officers came from naval families. NID expected officers to read and absorb reports of a high intellectual quality, a sine qua non for displaying the 'zeal' and efficiency expected by their superiors. On the Senior Officers War Course, 'Languages' were important enough to comprise one of the four subjects additional to the course itself, from which an officer would select two.
