I think this is fairly significant in the GB eyes! They need to start to distance themselves from Russell and now they can claim that he was not part of the F&DS...
So all his wacky teachings could change without affecting the appointment of the F&DS...so let's throw 1914 out the window? No problem!
Of course, Rutherford was just as wacky and he was not dead in 1918/19 so....