Royal Navy Branches For Ratings At The Time of Jutland

Go to: Service Record Abbreviations

These pages have leant heavily on
http://www.gwpda.org/naval/rn_ranks_and_rates_table_1918.pdf
and
https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/58322-sub-ratings/
Fine tuning and additions have been incorporated and reformatting has been undertaken to bring into the WiKi environment.

Military Branch	Engineer Branch	Artisan Branch	Police	Medical	Accountant	Service

Seaman	Signalman & Telegraphists	Sailmaker	Stokers	Mechanicians	Engine Room Artificers (ERA)	Electrical Artificers	Ordnance Artificers	Carpenter’s Crew Including Shipwrights, Blacksmiths, Plumbers, Coopers Painters, etc.	Armourer’s Crew	Ship’s Police	Medical	Writer	Supply	Cooks & Stewards
Boy 2nd class	Signal Boy or Boy Telegraphist			Mechanicians were promoted	Boy ERA 4 years training	Boy Electrical Artificer 4 years training	Boy Ordinance Artificer 4 years training					Boy Writer	Victualling Boy	Boy Stewards
Boy 1st class See NOTE 3	Signal Boy or Boy Telegraphist			from the Stoker Branch	Boy ERA 4 years training	Boy Electrical Artificer 4 years training	Boy Ordinance Artificer 4 years training					Boy Writer	Victualling Boy	Boy Stewards
Ordinary Seaman	Ordinary Signalman or Telegraphist		Stoker 2nd Class	at the Leading Stoker	Boy ERA 4 years training	Boy Electrical Artificer 4 years training	Boy Ordinance Artificer 4 years training				Sick Berth Attendant	Third Writer	Victualling Assistant	Second Cook's Mate
Able Seaman See NOTE 6	Signalman or Telegraphist		Stoker 1st Class	and Stoker Petty Officer level	Boy ERA 4 years training	Boy Electrical Artificer 4 years training	Boy Ordinance Artificer 4 years training				Sick Berth Attendant	Third Writer	Victualling Assistant	Cook's Mate
Leading Seaman	Leading Signalman or Leading Telegraphist	Sailmaker's Mate	Leading Stoker		ERA 5th Class	Electrical Artificer 5th Class	Ordinance Artificer 5th Class	Mate	Armourer's Crew		Second Sick Berth Steward	Second Writer	Leading Victualling Assistant	Leading Cook's Mate
Petty Officer	Yeoman of Signals or Petty Officer Telegraphist	Sailmaker	Stoker Petty Officer	Mechanician				Petty Officer Tradesman	Armourer	Ship's Corporal 1st and 2nd Class	Sick Berth Steward	First Writer	Victualling Petty Officer	Ship's Cook
Chief Petty Officer	Chief Yeoman of Signals or Chief Telegraphist	Chief Sailmaker	Chief Stoker	Chief Mechanician	4th Class 3rd Class 2nd Class 1st Class	4th Class 3rd Class 2nd Class 1st Class	4th Class 3rd Class 2nd Class 1st Class	Chief Petty Officer Tradesman	Chief Armourer	Master at Arms	Chief Sick Berth Steward	Chief Writer	Victualling Chief Petty Officer	Chief Ship's Cook
					Chief ERA 1st and 2nd Class	Chief Elect Art 1st and 2nd Class	Chief Ord Art 1st and 2nd Class
See NOTE 1	See NOTE 1	See NOTE 1			See NOTE 2	See NOTE 2	See NOTE 2	See NOTE 5	See NOTE 5	See NOTE 4

NOTE 1
For all Petty Officers and Chief Petty Officers there were increases in pay with time in rank seniority, generally at thee-yearly increments.

NOTE 2
All Artificers were considerably better paid than other trades. An ERA 1st class was paid about twice what a seaman CPO received. Most Engine Room Artificers entered as apprentices and joined a ship at the 5th class level to complete the sea-phase of their training. Electrical and Ordnance Artificers and some ERAs were hired as qualified Artificers and entered at the Artificer 3rd or 2nd Class level. They often had minimum naval background and were mostly valued for their technical expertise.

NOTE 3
Youths joined as Boys between 15 and 16 and a half. Boy seamen and signallers were trained in the pre-sea training establishments. Boys 1st class were carried in cruisers and above. Boys in the Supply and Secretariat Branches were trained on the job, usually in shore establishments. Boys time did not count for promotion or pension. Man’s time started on the boy’s 18th birthday. Direct entry men were only accepted from age 18 and up.

NOTE 4
The Ship’s Police were recruited from among the seamen and Royal Marines and were often men who stood little chance of advancement in their respective branches. In 1919 this branch was reorganized and renamed “Regulating Branch” at which time the Ship’s Corporal became Regulating Petty Officer. Despite efforts to improve the quality and practises, the branch remained little changed.

NOTE 5
All of the Artisan trades were in the process of being reorganized similarly to the Electrical and Ordnance branches. In the new system Boy Shipwrights would serve a 5-year apprenticeship in the Royal Dockyard shops. In the Old Scheme artificers were mostly hired on from civilian sources at a level commensurate with their training and experience, a practise that was continued even after the introduction of the revised system of training.

NOTE 6
Having attained the Rank of Able Seaman a rating could get extra qualifications and pay by qualifying for Gunlayer, Seaman Gunner or Torpedo Man. These were Non Substantive Rates, a Chief Petty Officer could wear the same badge as an Able Seaman. This is more to do with how capable a person was at his job than rank and structure. All shipboard electrical installations were the responsibility of the Torpedo Branch. Torpedomen with electrical training were identified as Leading Torpedo Operators, or LTOs. Ratings qualified as LTOs received an extra allowance depending on substantive rate. This was a trade qualification usually acquired at the Leading Seaman level. Electrical Artificers were only carried in large cruisers and above and dealt mainly with high power installations. Although recognized as being necessary before WW1, amalgamation of all the electrical tradesmen would not take place until 1949.