Secretary of State for War

Name 	Entered office 	Left office 	Party 	Notes
Henry Dundas 	11 July 1794 	17 March 1801 	Tory 	
see Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	17 March 1801 	12 June 1854 	 	
The Duke of Newcastle 	12 June 1854 	30 January 1855 	Peelite 	
The Lord Panmure 	8 February 1855 	21 February 1858	Whig 	
Jonathan Peel 	26 February 1858	11 June 1859 	Conservative 	
Sidney Herbert 	11 June 1859 	22 July 1861 	Liberal 	
Sir George Lewis 	23 July 1861 	13 April 1863 	Liberal 	
The Earl de Grey 	28 April 1863 	16 February 1866	Liberal 	
Marquess of Hartington 	16 February 1866	26 June 1866 	Liberal 	
Jonathan Peel 	6 July 1866 	8 March 1867 	Conservative 	
Sir John Pakington 	8 March 1867 	1 December 1868 	Conservative 	
Edward Cardwell 	9 December 1868 	17 February 1874	Liberal 	
Gathorne Hardy 	21 February 1874	2 April 1878 	Conservative 	
Frederick Stanley 	2 April 1878 	21 April 1880 	Conservative 	
Hugh Childers 	28 April 1880 	16 December 1882	Liberal 	
Marquess of Hartington 	16 December 1882	9 June 1885 	Liberal 	
William Henry Smith 	24 June 1885 	21 January 1886 	Conservative 	
The Viscount Cranbrook 	21 January 1886 	6 February 1886 	Conservative 	
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman 	6 February 1886 	20 July 1886 	Liberal 	
William Henry Smith 	3 August 1886 	14 January 1887 	Conservative 	
Edward Stanhope 	14 January 1887 	11 August 1892 	Conservative 	
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman 	18 August 1892 	21 June 1895 	Liberal 	
The Marquess of Lansdowne 	4 July 1895 	12 November 1900	Liberal Unionist	
St John Brodrick 	12 November 1900	6 October 1903 	Conservative 	
Hugh Arnold-Forster 	6 October 1903 	4 December 1905 	Liberal Unionist	
Richard Haldanefrom 1911, the Viscount Haldane 	10 December 1905	12 June 1912 	Liberal 	
John Seely 	12 June 1912 	30 March 1914 	Liberal 	
Herbert Henry Asquith 	30 March 1914 	5 August 1914 	Liberal 	
The Earl Kitchener 	5 August 1914 	5 July 1916 	Non-party 	
David Lloyd George 	6 July 1916 	5 December 1916 	Liberal 	
The Earl of Derby 	10 December 1916	18 April 1918 	Unionist 	
The Viscount Milner 	18 April 1918 	10 January 1919 	Unionist 	
Winston Churchill 	10 January 1919 	13 February 1921	Liberal 	
Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, Bt. 	13 February 1921	19 October 1922 	Unionist 	
The Earl of Derby 	24 October 1922 	22 January 1924 	Conservative 	
Stephen Walsh 	22 January 1924 	3 November 1924 	Labour 	
Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, Bt. 	6 November 1924 	4 June 1929 	Conservative 	
Thomas Shaw 	7 June 1929 	24 August 1931 	Labour 	
The Marquess of Crewe 	25 August 1931 	5 November 1931 	Liberal 	
The Viscount Hailsham 	5 November 1931 	7 June 1935 	Conservative 	
The Viscount Halifax 	7 June 1935 	22 November 1935	Conservative 	
Duff Cooper 	22 November 1935	28 May 1937 	Conservative 	
Leslie Hore-Belisha 	28 May 1937 	5 January 1940 	National Liberal	
Oliver Stanley 	5 January 1940 	11 May 1940 	Conservative 	
Anthony Eden 	11 May 1940 	22 December 1940	Conservative 	
David Margesson 	22 December 1940	22 February 1942	Conservative 	
Sir P. J. Grigg 	22 February 1942	26 July 1945 	Non-party 	
Jack Lawson 	3 August 1945 	4 October 1946 	Labour 	
Frederick Bellenger 	4 October 1946 	7 October 1947 	Labour 	
Emanuel Shinwell 	7 October 1947 	28 February 1950	Labour 	
John Strachey 	28 February 1950	26 October 1951 	Labour 	
Anthony Head 	31 October 1951 	18 October 1956 	Conservative 	
John Hare 	18 October 1956 	6 January 1958 	Conservative 	
Christopher Soames 	6 January 1958 	27 July 1960 	Conservative 	
John Profumo 	27 July 1960 	5 June 1963 	Conservative 	
Joseph Godber 	27 June 1963 	21 October 1963 	Conservative 	
James Ramsden 	21 October 1963 	1 April 1964 	Conservative