Minister of Defence

Name 	Entered office 	Left office 	Party 	Notes 	
Winston Churchill 	10 May 1940 	26 July 1945 	Conservative	also Prime Minister	
Clement Attlee 	27 July 1945 	20 December 1946	Labour 	also Prime Minister	
Albert Victor Alexander 	20 December 1946	28 February 1950	Labour 	 	
Manny Shinwell 	28 February 1950	26 October 1951 	Labour 	 	
Winston Churchill 	28 October 1951 	1 March 1952 	Conservative	also Prime Minister	
The Earl Alexander of Tunis	1 March 1952 	18 October 1954 	Conservative	 	
Harold Macmillan 	18 October 1954 	7 April 1955 	Conservative	 	
Selwyn Lloyd 	7 April 1955 	20 December 1955	Conservative	 	
Sir Walter Monckton 	20 December 1955	18 October 1956 	Conservative	 	
Anthony Head 	18 October 1956 	13 January 1957 	Conservative	 	
Duncan Sandys 	13 January 1957 	14 October 1959 	Conservative	 	
Harold Watkinson 	14 October 1959 	13 July 1962 	Conservative	 	
Peter Thorneycroft 	13 July 1962 	1 April 1964 	Conservative	 	
The office was succeeded by the of Secretary of State for Defence.