CAB80-25 — Page 201

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mo.........o

Tilis ... was considered at Co.5.(41) 24 Meting,

COS. (41) 5210

(THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT).

TO BE KEPT UNDER LOOK AND KEY.

It is requests trai spe jalca omay be taken lo

ensure the secrecy of this aucu.ment,

SECRET.

C.O.S.(41) 39.

14TH JANUARY, 1941.

COPY NO.

29

171

1.

WAR CABINET.

CHIEFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE,

TRANSFER OF OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF ORKNEYS & SHETLANDS TO THE COM ANDER-IN-CHIEF, HOME FORCES. Memorandum by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff.

At their 258th Meeting on the 9th August, 1940, the Chiefs of Staff concluded: --

"That Headquarters, Home Forces, should be relieved of any operational responsibility for the Orkneys and Shetlands; such matters, insofar as they affect the Army, being dealt with by the War Office through the Admiralty.it

(Conclusion 2(b)).

In accordance with this decision, operational control of Orkneys and Shetlands was relinquished by the Commander-in- Chief, Home Forces, on the 20th August, 1940.

20

The arrangement previous to this decision had been found unsatisfactory only in the channel of communication in operational matters affecting the Army, which was through Admiral Comanding Shetlands to Admiralty, Admiralty to War Office,

The decision and War Office to Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces. quoted above thus shortened this channel, while leaving administrative arrangements still in the hands of Scottish Command.

3.

The

Local operational control (as defined at Annex I) of the Orkneys and Shetlands is, however, vested in the Admiral The Naval area for which Commanding Orkneys and Shetlands. he is responsible includes the North coast of Scotland. Royal Air Force defence system covering the Islands also extends south to include Caithness and part of Sutherland.

from the point of

4.

It has become increasingly ovident view of the Army that the land defences of the Orkneys and Shetlands cannot be considered in isolation, and that the defences must be closely co-ordinated with the land defences

The necessity for this of the North of Scotland. co-ordination has been further emphasized by the arrangement s for the defence of aerodromes laid down in C.0.S.(D.A.)(40) 8 (Revise) dated the 1st December, 1940, which stated, inter alia,

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