Munitions Inventions Department facts for kids
The Munitions Inventions Department (MID) was a special group created in Britain during the First World War in 1915. It was part of the Ministry of Munitions, which was like a government department in charge of making sure the army had enough weapons and supplies. The MID worked with universities, factories, private workshops, and military testing sites. They also used the testing places of other government groups, like the National Physical Laboratory and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Two similar groups were also formed: the Board of Invention and Research (BIR) for the navy (called the Admiralty) and the Air Inventions Committee (AIC) for the air force (called the Air Board).
How Britain Handled Inventions Before
Britain had been interested in new inventions for its military for a long time, even back in the 1700s. Committees like the Colonels' Committee and the Field Officers' Committee would look at ideas from inventors.
During the Crimea War, a new group called the Ordnance Select Committee was set up. This group replaced an older one from the 1400s, which wasn't good enough for the problems of the time. The new committee sometimes had regular people (civilians) on it, not just military officers. Later, in 1881, the Ordnance Committee brought civilians back into the mix, though army officers, especially from the artillery (big guns), were still very involved.
In 1909, the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was formed. This group helped guide the MID later on. It oversaw airplane research at the National Physical Laboratory and gave advice on scientific problems related to building and flying aircraft.
At the start of World War I, many people thought the war would be "over by Christmas." Because of this, not much thought was given to creating new weapons. However, the Shell Crisis of 1915 showed that Britain didn't have enough artillery shells. This made it clear that a new way of inventing war tools was desperately needed. David Lloyd George, who became the new Minister of Munitions, said that the army was "slow to understand" and didn't keep up with new ideas for weapons and how to make them.
Starting the Munitions Inventions Department
On July 28, 1915, Lloyd George told the government that Ernest Moir would lead the MID. Moir officially started as the leader (called the Comptroller) on August 5. Over the next week, Moir made a list of experts to help advise the MID.
Moir stayed in his role until November 1915. Then, Lloyd George convinced him to go to New York to help organize war supplies coming from the United States. Moir wanted a civilian expert to take his place. However, Colonel Henry Edward Fane Goold-Adams, an officer from the Royal Artillery, took over on February 19, 1916.
How the MID Worked
For an invention or idea to be used, it first had to be approved. The MID kept detailed records of all its work in monthly reports. As the war was ending, the 37th monthly report was released on November 1, 1918, by Sir Henry Norman.
This report stated that since it began in August 1915, the MID had received 47,112 inventions, ideas, and suggestions. Out of these, 46,104 were looked at, and 45,985 were carefully thought about. Only 4,026 ideas were considered good enough to be looked into further.
The MID's reports were specifically for the Minister of Munitions of War. The person who received the 37th report was Winston Churchill, who had been the Minister since July 17, 1917. The MID officially closed down on July 1, 1919.
