Royal Naval Reserve

To ameliorate the shortage of watch officers, in 1895 provision was made for one hundred officers of the Mercantile Marine to enter the Royal Navy on a Supplementary List of Lieutenants and Sub-Lieutenants. In 1898 provision was made for fifty more officers of the Mercantile Marine to join the Supplementary List. In 1913 another one hundred officers were provided for on the Supplementary List. The only officer whose career prospered under this scheme appears to have been Guy Gaunt, who reached the rank of Rear-Admiral before being retired in 1918.