Midshipman (Royal Navy)
Midshipman was the lowest officers' rank in the Royal Navy, being the rank belonging to cadets at H.M.S. Britannia when they went to sea.
Rating
Having been examined in their fourth and final term in Britannia, naval cadets were classified according to their merit in study and ability, and allowed time for their service in Britannia as follows:
| SUBJECT. | 1st Class. | 2nd Class. | 3rd Class. |
| Months' time. | Months' time. | Months' time. | |
| Mathematics. Seamanship. Extra subjects. |
4 3 2 |
2 1 1 |
No time. |
| Very good conduct. | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Total time allowed. | 12 | 7 | 3 |
Cadets who obtained 12 months' time were rated Midshipmen at once on passing out from Britannia.
Rank & Command
Midshipmen were outranked by Warrant Officers and Commissioned Warrant Officers in the chain of command. They also ranked junior to 1st Class Staff Sergeant-Majors in the British Army.
Pay
During the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries, the pay of Midshipmen remained remarkably static. The pay of 1s 9d a day, or £31 18s 9d a year, can be traced back at least as far as 1855.[1] This remained at the same level up until the Great War.[2]
By an Order in Council of 23 October, 1917, the Private Allowance was no longer charged to parents, but paid by the Navy, dated 1 July.[3] The measure had been announced in the House of Commons by the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty on 11 July.[4]
Sea Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Navy List (December, 1855). p. 211.
- ↑ Navy List (October, 1915). p. 775.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 30348. p. 10900. 23 October, 1917.
- ↑ Hansard. HC Deb 11 July 1917 vol 95 c1887.
Bibliography
