‘Schoolies’: Teachers of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines 1700-1914 The RN schoolmasters were divided into three classes in 1867: 3rd Class: Naval schoolmaster (CPO), with the same pay and pension. All future entrants were for continuous service. 2nd Class: Head schoolmaster, ranked above a master-at-arms (CPO), this rating served only on training, gunnery, and school ships, and later at the torpedo school, drawing the same pay as a naval schoolmaster, with an additional £20 a year (plus allowance for training pupil teachers). If appointed to harbour training ships, Normal School graduates could immediately be rated second class. 1st Class: Headmaster, believed to have been present only in shore-based naval schools, and ranked as a 3rd class warrant officer, with the same pay and pension. Apparently, after long and approved service, headmasters became eligible for further promotion through merit to second and first class warrant officers. More medallic confusion In spite of the title change of seamen’s schoolmaster to naval schoolmaster in 1862, ‘schoolmaster’ appears on the roll for the sole schoolie entitled to the Abyssinia Medal 1867-68. The same applies for the roll entries of ‘Actg. Schoolmaster’ (Pylades) and ‘Schoolmaster’ (Aurora), when the Canada General Service 1866-70 was retrospectively approved in 1899. In 1866, John Fowell was awarded a wide suspender LS&GC as a ‘Seaman’s Schoolmaster’ in Trafalgar (with 20 years of adult service). It would appear the use of the old title on Fowell’s medal was an anomaly, however his award is doubly confounding. The Order in Council dated 26 February 1867 states that naval schoolmasters were not entitled to good conduct pay or badges, yet several other examples of LS&GC Medals are known to have been issued well after this time. As previously shown with Acting Schoolmasters Strutt and Dellamore (‘Ava’ and ‘Navarino’ respectively), the acting status for Pylades’s schoolie is explained by the fact that the 21-gun screw frigate carried only 274 officers and men, well below the ‘350 Rule’. The same is true for the Khedive’s Sudan to Ernest Wilton, Third Writer and Acting Schoolmaster, Melita, as this vessel contained a mere 126 officers and men. Since some official records used the titles ‘naval schoolmaster’ and ‘schoolmaster’ interchangeably, this evidently caused confusion when inscribing rates on the edges of medals. In addition, since naval schoolmasters were not present in all vessels, the Admiralty made a provision for these circumstances, and men were granted ‘acting’ status: In ships where no Naval Schoolmaster is borne, and where the number of Men and Boys to be instructed is not on an average less than ten, the person performing that duty is entitled to the Pay of the Rating, but not to the Annual Gratuity; or, if a Petty Officer, to £5 a year, in addition to the pay of his proper Rating, at his option; provided the Commanding Officer shall certify that he has performed the duty by his authority, and to his satisfaction, without neglecting any other duty appertaining to his Rating in the Ship. (Navy List, 1870) Heading into port From 1 July 1889, all RN schoolmasters were officially withdrawn from all but training ships for boys, other harbour ships and naval establishments, and their numbers were considerably reduced. Head schoolmasters selected for the new establishment received improved pay and pension, and warrant rank. They also became the successors to the chaplain and naval instructors on training ships (Orders in Council, 5 July 1889). Naval schoolmasters remained CPOs, but were eligible for appointments as headmasters or marine schoolmasters. Those not selected for the new establishment in 1889, or subsequently advanced to the same, lost any opportunity of the improved pay or promotion. Boys no longer acted as pupil-teachers on training ships and instead, assistants to schoolmasters were selected from first and second class petty officers (seaman gunners or seaman gunner torpedo men). By this date the Admiralty possibly felt that nearly all ratings had passed through training ships on entry into the navy, consequently there was no need for naval schoolmasters afloat. At the same time, advancement in the service still required experience and educational qualification. Even though naval schoolmasters were officially withdrawn from all seagoing ships in 1889, it does not appear this was entirely the case, as the reader will see. In addition, their Lordships had not entirely closed the book on teaching at sea in respect of captains’ discretionary powers. A pay allowance existed for a ‘competent person’ to perform teaching duties on vessels not authorised for a schoolie rate, provided the conditions were met under Article 1333: (1) the number of men and boys instructed must not average fewer than ten, (2) it must be performed by the authority and to the satisfaction of the captain, and (3) the person so tasked must not neglect other duties required by his rating. A record of the names and ratings of the individuals under instruction, and their days and hours of attendance, was required to be kept aboard ship (Queen’s Regulations, 1879 and Orders in Council, 1888-92).

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