GENERAL REGULATIONS

1. The entry of boys as junior ratings in the Royal Navy is for Long Service.

Present age limits 15 years to 16 � years.

The entry covers Seamen (who may be selected after entry for Signalman or Telegraphist) and the Engineering Electrical and Naval Air Mechanic branches.

2. Candidates are provisionally entered by Recruiting Staff Officers, Royal Navy and Royal Marines, at London, Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, and Southampton. They are then sent on to H.M.S. Ganges or H.M.S. St. Vincent for final entry.

3. Every candidate must satisfy the following conditions:

(a) he must be of good character.

(b) he must be of robust frame, intelligent, of perfectly sound and healthy constitution, free from any physical defects or malformation, and not subject to fits.

(c) he must present himself for a simple entrance examination consisting of (i) a test of general knowledge; (ii) a mathematics test, mainly on elementary arithmetic; (iii) Spelling; and (iv) an Intelligence test.

(d) he must be within the prescribed age limits in force at the time. (See paragraph 1).

This must be proved by the production of a certificate of birth.

(e) his height must reach the standard laid down from time to time.

(f) every boy who is a candidate for the Seaman branch must obtain the written consent of his parent or guardian or nearest relative (on the form which can be obtained from a Recruiting Officer) to his entering the Navy and engaging to serve as a Seaman, Signalman, or Telegraphist, as may be required. until he shall have completed nine years' continuous service from the age of 18.

(g) every candidate for entry in a technical branch must obtain similar consent to his entering the Royal Navy and engaging to serve until he shall have completed nine years' service from the age of 18.

4. Particulars can be obtained on application by letter or otherwise to the Officers referred to in paragraph 2.

5. Candidates must be British subjects, British protected persons or citizens of the Republic of Ireland and normally the sons of persons who are (or, if deceased, were at the time of death) British subjects, British protected persons or citizens of the Republic of Ireland.

ENTRY AND TRAINING OF ARTIFICER APPRENTICES.

METHOD OF SELECTION. Artificer Apprentices are selected by interview and aptitude test from candidates

(a) who have obtained passes at the ordinary level in mathematics (i.e., not arithmetic only) and in a science subject in a General Certificate of Education examination.

(b) who have obtained passes on the lower grade in mathematics (i.e., not arithmetic only and in a science subject in the Scottish Leaving Certificate examination,

(e) who have obtained passes at the ordinary level in mathematics (i.e., not arithmetic only) and in a science subject in the Grammar School Senior Certificate examination of the Ministry of Education for Northern Ireland,

(d) who can submit a certificate as evidence of having passed an examination which is of equivalent or higher standard,

(e) who qualify in a special examination set by the Admiralty.

Admiralty Examination. Normally held locally on the second Tuesday in February, June and October. The question papers will be set by the Admiralty, will be the same for all candidates and will be supplied to the Education Authorities, Governing Body or Superintendent of the School or Establishment by whom all arrangements for holding the examination will be made.

The examination is completed in one day and consists of five papers as shown below :

The mathematics and science papers are taken in the morning, and the remaining papers in the afternoon.

The worked papers are forwarded for marking to the Secretary of the Admiralty (for D.N.E.S.), immediately after the examination.

Failure in any particular examination will not render a candidate ineligible to compete again if otherwise eligible ; nor will it render him ineligible for direct entry, should he subsequently obtain the General Certificate of Education qualification.

RECOMMENDATIONS. Boys who wish to try for an apprenticeship should apply for recommendation to one of the following authorities:

(1) Local Education Authorities in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

(2) Youth Employment Committees of Local Education Authorities or of the Ministry of Labour and National Service.

(3) The Governing Body of a Secondary School not provided by the local Education Authority, but recognised by the Ministry of Education, or the Ministry of Education (Northern Ireland), for purposes of grant, or conducted under the Schools (Scotland) Code, 1950 of the Scottish Education Department.

(4) The Superintendent Royal Hospital School, Holbrook.

(5) The Superintendents of the Training Ship, Arethusa and Mercury, the Superintendent of the Indefatigable and National Sea Training School, or the Superintendent, Parkstone Sea Training School.

NOTE.-Boys who are not entitled to a recommendation from one of the above authorities may be allowed to take the examination at the discretion of the Admiralty.

A candidate should in the first place consult the Headmaster of his school or, if no longer attending school, the local Youth Employment Office.

Recommendations should be made on the appropriate form, which will be supplied only to the authority concerned, on application to the Secretary of the Admiralty, and must reach the Admiralty not later than the fifteenth day of the month previous to that in which the examination is to be held.

NOTE.- Recommendations of Direct Entry candidates should also be submitted by the above-mentioned date.

AGE.- Candidates must be between the ages of 15 years and 17 years on the 1st day of the month of entry, i.e., either January, May or September.

A rating already serving in the Royal Navy, who is within the prescribed age limits may become a candidate for an apprenticeship at the discretion of his Commanding Officer who, for the purposes of the foregoing instructions, will be regarded as a recommending authority.

NATIONALITY. Candidates must be British subjects or British-protected persons or citizens of the Irish Republic and normally the sons of parents both of whom are (or, if deceased, were at the time of death) British subjects or British-protected persons or citizens of the Irish Republic.

INTERVIEW, APTITUDE TEST AND MEDICAL EXAMINATION. Candidates will have to satisfy the Selection Board that they will make good Artificer Apprentices. There will be practical tests designed to show the candidates' aptitude for craftsmanship.

Any candidate who qualifies educationally but fails the interview and aptitude test may be permitted to attend the immediately subsequent interview and aptitude test without requalifying educationally, subject to being eligible by age. The candidate should apply by letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty, before the end of the month in which the subsequent educational examination is held (October, February or June), for permission to attend for the second time.

Candidates will be examined by a Naval medical officer to ensure that they are in good health and, as far as can be ascertained, free from any defect that would render them unfit for the duties of Artificer. Details of the medical standard are set out below.

MEDICAL STANDARD.

Candidates must be in good health and of sound constitution, and be free, as far as can be ascertained, from any disease or defect that would unfit them for the duties of Artificer in the Royal Navy.

HEARING must be unimpaired.

VISION Candidates must possess distant vision, Snellen 6/9 and near vision, Snellen D = 0.5 (Jaeger 1) in each eye tested separately without glasses. Colour vision must approximate to normal.

TEETH must be in good condition and afford an efficient masticating area, including sound functionally opposed molars and incisors on both sides of the mouth. The loss of seven or more teeth will generally disqualify a candidate.

HEIGHT. Candidates must be at least 5 feet 1 inch in height.

All candidates must be willing to be vaccinated, re-vaccinated, and inoculated if necessary and to undergo such dental treatment as may be necessary. Parental consent to this must be produced.

PRELIMINARY MEDICAL AL EXAMINATION. To lessen the chances I subsequent disappointment, candidates are advised to present themselves for preliminary medical and dental examination at the nearest headquarters recruiting office and at some time before sitting for the Admiralty educational examination. The preliminary medical examination would be free of charge, but intending candidates would be required to pay their own travelling expenses. It must be clearly understood that the preliminary medical examination is suggested as a guide to candidates and would not influence the final examination mentioned above. Application may, if necessary, be made to the Director of Naval Recruiting, Admiralty, London, S.W.1 for guidance as to the most convenient recruiting office.

CONSENT OF PARENT ON ENTRY. A successful candidate must produce the consent, in writing, of his parent, guardian or nearest relative, to his entering the Navy and engaging to serve for 12 years (Continuous Service) from the age of 18 in addition to whatever period may be served before he attains that age.

A serving rating who is a successful candidate must similarly produce written consent to his transfer to Artificer Apprentice and to the change of engagement entailed.

CANDIDATES WITH SERVICE CLAIMS.

Candidates with Service claims who reach the necessary qualifying standard in the educational examination may in certain cases be panted preferential entry, but application for a Service Nomination does not of itself constitute an application for admission to the educational examination. Every candidate should ensure that a recommendation to compete is forwarded on his behalf by the local educational or other appropriate authority. Candidates are recommended by Commanders-in-Chief at home and abroad, the Admiral Commanding Reserves, Flag Officers Commanding in Home Waters, the Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet and the Commandant General Royal Marines.

Candidates must be sons of Commissioned Officers, Chief Petty Officers or Petty Officers of the Royal Navy; Commissioned Officers or Non-commissioned Officers, of or above the rank of Sergeant, of Royal Marines; Clerks, Draughtsmen, Inspectors and Foremen of the Artisan branches, or skilled Artisans not below the grade of Chargeman, of H.M. Dockyards. Service Nominations are restricted to:

(a) boys whose fathers are dead ;

(b) boys whose fathers have been invalided or who have, for some similar reason, strong claims to special consideration on compassionate grounds;

(c) boys whose fathers can show long and faithful service, or other sound reasons for consideration.

In allotting Service Nominations under subheading (a), Their Lordships' preference will be given to boys whose fathers have been killed in action, lost at sea on active service, or killed on duty or have died of wounds in action or injuries receive on duty, within six months from the date of such action or injuries. Boys who are ineligible solely because their fathers were below the rank or grade specified in the paragraph above may be included in the recommendations for nomination if considered deserving and suitable candidates. Their names will, however, be considered after those of candidates whose fathers were of the necessary rank or grade.

Parents, if serving, should apply for a recommendation through the Commanding Officer of the ship or establishment in which they are serving, who will transmit the request to the appropriate authority. If not serving, parents should apply to the Commander-in-Chief at the nearest Home Port. Royal Marines, if not serving afloat, should apply to the Director of lay and Records, Royal Marines, Melvllle Barracks, Chatham.

Recommendations by one of the authorities quoted above can be accepted at the Admiralty at any time after the boy has attained the age of 14 years 9 months. The latest date for the receipt of recommendations 1s the closing date for the receipt of applications for the last examination for which the boy is eligible by age.

Candidates will be eligible for nomination to an Apprenticeship in connection with any Admiralty examination held after the receipt of the recommendation at the Admiralty. If a candidate fails to qualify at the first attempt and sits for the examination on one or more further occasions the original recommendation for a Service Nomination holds good.

A brief note of the father's services and of the family circumstances must be given.

In exceptional circumstances officers and men holding the ranks or rates mentioned above may apply for a recommendation for boys to whom they stand in the position of guardian. Independent evidence that the boy has been brought up by his guardian for five years or more should be forwarded with the recommendation.

THE TRAINING OF AN ARTIFICER.

On entering the Navy the Artificer Apprentice joins H.M.S. Fisgard, the Royal Naval Artificers' Training Establishment at Torpoint Cornwall. Here he lives and is educated free of charge in an establishment run on the lines of a good training college. He is appointed to one of the Houses, each of which is named after a famous Admiral, and his work and recreational activities are directed by the House Tutor and House Officer.

The Apprentice spends four terms, which last 18 months, in H.M.S. FISGARD. During the first three terms, he is trained in general craftsmanship Including wood-work, fitting, metal working and machining. He is also taught the rudimentary principles of all types of machinery to be encountered n the Service. In addition to technical training, he receives a general education and is examined in all the subjects studied.

BRANCH AND TRADE SELECTION. At the end of two terms at H.M.S. FISGARD the Apprentice is asked which branch he would like to join-Aviation, Engine Room, Electrical, Ordnance or Shipwright. It cannot be guaranteed that he will enter any particular branch, but his wishes and his aptitude are carefully considered. During his last four months at H.M.S. FISGARD he starts on the specialised work of the branch to which he has been allocated.

Within the Engine Room Branch, Apprentices specialise in various trades, namely, boiler making, copper smithing and fitting and turning. Here again, consideration is given to the Apprentice's preference but his aptitude and the demands of the Service will determine the final choice.

SPECIALIST COURSES. After leaving H.M.S. FISGARD, Aircraft Artificer Apprentices join H.M.S. CONDOR, the Royal Naval Artificers' Training Establishment at Arbroath, Scotland, Electrical Artificer Apprentices join H.M.S. COLLINGWOOD, the Royal Naval Electrical School near Fareham, Hants., and from there Electrical and Radio Electrical Artificer Apprentices (Air) go on to H.M.S. ARIEL, the Royal Naval Air Electrical School near Winchester, Hants. All other Apprentices go to H.M.S. CALEDONIA, the Royal Naval Artificers' Training Establishment at Rosyth on the Firth of Forth.

At these training establishments, Apprentices devote two years and eight months to advanced training in their own particular trade. They receive both theoretical and practical instruction in the operation and upkeep of the machinery and other equipment of the kind for which they will later be responsible. There will, for instance, be lathe work, the taking to pieces and assembling of engines and pumps, aircraft and electrical components, in addition to lectures in which the function of these machines is explained.

PASSING-OUT EXAMINATION. Naval Artificer Apprentices of each branch, have to pass an examination and a practical test set for their branch, and provided they are successful, they are rated Artificer 5th Class, and go to sea. Aircraft Artificers 6th Class, however, are sent to a Naval Air Station for practical training on the servicing and maintaining of aircraft.

Further details are published in the pamphlet " Artificer Apprentices in the Royal Navy " which may be obtained on application to the Secretary of the Admiralty, London, S.W.1, or at any Recruiting Staff Office, R.N. and R.M.

^ back to top ^