Editing Master-General of the Ordnance (section)

==History==
The Office of Armoury split away from the Privy Wardrobe of the Tower (of London) in the early 15th century. The Master of the Ordnance came into being in 1415 with the appointment of [[Nicholas Merbury]] by Henry V. The Office of Ordnance was created by Henry VIII in 1544 and became the [[Board of Ordnance]] in 1597. Its head was the Master-General of the Ordnance; his subordinates included the [[Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance]] and the [[Surveyor-General of the Ordnance]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pepysdiary.com/p/5016.php |title=Board of Ordnance |access-date=2012-11-15}}</ref> Before the establishment of a standing army or navy, the Ordnance Office was the only permanent military department in England. In 1764 it established the [[British standard ordnance weights and measurements]] for the artillery, one of the earliest standards in the world.

The position of Master-General was frequently a [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]]-level one, especially in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when it was normally a political appointment. In 1855 the post was discontinued and certain of the ceremonial aspects of the post were subsequently vested in the [[Commander-in-Chief of the Forces]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=22509|page=2003|date=10 May 1861}}</ref> In 1904, the post was re-established, and until 1938 the Master-General of the Ordnance was the Fourth Military Member of the [[Army Board]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nLdW_vkYPQQC&dq=%22Master-General+of+the+Ordnance%22+Member+of+the+Army+Council&pg=RA5-PA481 ''The Army in 1906: A Policy and a Vindication'' By Hugh Oakeley Arnold-Forster, Page 481] Bibliobazaar, 2008, {{ISBN|978-0-559-66499-1}}</ref>

In 1913, the control of military aviation was separated from the responsibilities of the Master-General of the Ordnance. A new Department of Military Aeronautics was established and [[David Henderson (British Army officer)|Brigadier-General Henderson]] was appointed the first director.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Joubert de la Ferté |first=Philip |author-link=Philip Joubert de la Ferté |year=1955 |title=The Third Service |publisher=Thames and Hudson |location=London |page=15}}</ref>

In March 2013, the holder was titled as "Director Land Capability and Transformation" but still sat on the army board as Master-General of the Ordnance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/230872/hocs_senior_March_13.csv/preview|title=Head Office and Corporate Services senior, as of March 2013|access-date=30 December 2015}}</ref> In September 2013, the post was abolished.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/283136/20131114-hocs-senior-sept-2013.csv/preview|title=Head Office and Corporate Services senior, as of September 2013|access-date=30 December 2015}}</ref>