Complex sentence: From 1951 he held junior ministerial office in successive Conservative administrations before, in 1960, he was promoted by Harold Macmillan to Secretary of State for War, a senior post outside the cabinet.
Split into simpler sentences: From 1951 he held junior ministerial office in successive Conservative administrations. In 1960 he was promoted by Harold Macmillan to Secretary of State for War, a senior post outside the cabinet.