Maurice Hankey was born in Biarritz in 1877. After being educated at Rugby School he was commissioned in the Royal Marine Artillery (1895-1901). In 1902 he was recruited by naval intelligence and over the next few years he rose to the post as Secretary of the Navy.
In 1914 Hankey and his friend, Colonel Ernest Swinton, became convinced that it was necessary to developed an armoured vehicle to counteract the development of machine-guns. When Swinton's proposals were rejected by General Sir John French and his scientific advisers, Hankey took them to Winston Churchill, the navy minister. This action resulted in the development of the tank.
Sankey was appointed as secretary of the Imperial War Cabinet and held the post until the Armistice in 1918. This was followed by other government appointments: secretary of the cabinet (1919), secretary of the Committee of Imperial Defence (1920) and clerk of the privy council (1923).
Sankey retired in 1938 bit on the outbreak of the Second World War he was recalled as minister without portfolio in the war cabinet. He also served Winston Churchill as Paymaster General (1941-1942).
