Lord Beatty has resigned the post of First Sea Lord
and has been succeeded by Sir Charles Madden. Last November Lord Beatty completed his term of seven years at the Admiralty and would have retired then had he not been specially asked to remain temporarily. Since then rumour has been busy with the name of his successor, and Sir Roger Keyes was mentioned as often as Sir Charles Madden. Sir Charles Madden was Lord Jellicoe's Chief of Staff during the War, and the Navy greatly admired the unselfishness with which lie accepted appointments that prevented him from taking an independent command. His appointment as First Sea Lord naturally suggests to those who deal in gossip that the Jellicoe school of naval tactics has been preferred to the Beatty school. However that may be, the appointment has been well received in the Navy. Lord Beatty retires with honour, for to his daring exploits in the War he has added a record of successful administration. The personnel of the Navy had to be greatly reduced, and nothing more creditable to him can be said than that in carrying out this disagreeable but necessary reduction he was never accused of being indifferent to hardship.
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