Before to 1909 responsibility for Trade Protection lay with the Trade Division that was then part of the Naval Intelligence Department until August 1909 when following restructuring within that department the division was abolished.

[3] In February 1913 discussions took place to enquire about the setting up of a Trade Branch as part of the Operations Division[4] of the Admiralty War Staff.

Despite recommendations put forward as to its name and remit the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill did not agree to its creation until April 1914; he referred to it at this point as the Trade Section [5] In August 1914 the division was formally established as part of the Admiralty War Staff when that department was abolished in May 1917 the division came under the responsibility of the Admiralty Naval Staff.

[6] The Trade Division developed rapidly from very small beginnings to one of the largest organisations within the Naval Staff under its own Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff it first operated until 1928 when it was abolished.

However the division was revived again with advent of World War II in May 1939 [6] and continued to operate through the Cold War period until 1961 when it was amalgamated with the Operations Division to form a new Trade and Operations Division (Royal Navy) in 1961.