Gunnery branch

[RCN]

The Gunnery branch goes back to Victorian times when the first rate badges appeared, circa 1860. Many advancements in Gunnery took place in the latter part of the Victorian era, & during the Naval race with Germany during the Edwardian era, each of the Royal Navy & Kaiser's Navy trying to outdo each other in both shipbuilding, technical & & gunnery advancements.

In 1890 the then 'modern' Seaman Gunner rate badge had appeared. This rate badge was to last throughout the Great war, interwar yrs, WWII, & was finally phased out in the late '40's. This rate badge was the referred to a Seaman Gunner 1st class & a seaman qualifed for it by attending a course at HMS Excellent, located on Whale Island in Porstmouth Harbour & known by Victorian sailors as: "the House that Jack Built". Seaman Gunners had to requalify on a regular basis to be able to keep up with the advances being made in gunnery.

When the RCN came into existance in 1910, many RN regulars were either loaned to, or transfered to the RCN, many of them trained SG's. Those Canadian seaman subsequently trained as Seaman Gunners wore this rate badge as well.



to be continued......................

[RCN]

A SG(Seaman Gunner) could advance to the rate of Captain of Gun (CG)as he took further qualification courses. On larger ships (cruisers & battleships) each large calibre gun would have at least one or two Gun Captains, usually a Petty Officer 2nd or 1st class, & basically a CG was just that - he was the top rating for that gun crew. He was responsible for the crew & he ran the crew. A large calibre gun required a well trained gun crew to operate the gun, thus a CG had to know his business & know it well.

The CG2nd class wore a star below his SG rate, this badge appearing at the same time as the SG1 rate badge. The CG1st class (2 stars below the SG rate) made its apearance near end of WWI. Both of these rates were allowed to die out in the mid '30's, being replaced by Gunlayers rates which I will get into next.


to be continued...............

[RCN]

Due to the rapid advancements in naval gunnery during the Edwardian era & period immediately prior to WWI, a new rate of Gunlayer was introduced, circa 1903. These ratings were trained in the methods brought about by Admiral Percy Scott (the father of Naval Gunnery), primarily, operation of the Director System of laying & training the mid & large calibre guns. To try to keep an long complicated explanation fairly simple, basically the Director system worked by electronic methods & concentrated the laying, training, sighting, & firing of the guns form one central location within the ship. No longer were individual gun crews laying, training, sighting, & firing their guns independantly. The Director system was very important for the larger calibre (10 to 13") guns as the ranges were, by the time WWI arrived, at such great distance, that no longer could a gun's crew see the opposing target ship(s).

The new rates were called Gunlayers (GL) 3rd, 2nd & 1st class. Many of these gunnery ratings started out as SG's & took addition training to advance to GL's. Training for GL's was much more technical than that of the SG's.

Illustrated below are GL3 (no star), GL2 (one star) badges. These rates lasted into the 1030's period, prior to WWII.

[RCN]

The GL1 (Gunlayer 1st class) rate badge was worn by more senior Gunnery ratings (Leading Seaman, PO2, & PO1) & represented several gunnnery desigations depending upon the time frame. ie: Captain of Gun Turret,
Turret Gunlayer; & for the interwar period, Light Director Layer; & for WWII & post war period, Director Layer. These ratings would be skilled in the use of the Director & the electrical apparatus necessary to sight, train & lay the guns.

[RCN]

& The Gunner's Mate rate badge is now illustrated.
The Gunner's mate was a PO or a CPO & was the most senior rate in the gunnery branch, & responsible to the Warranted Gunner of the ship.

This rate badge also had several designations, depending upon the time frame, ie:Captain of Turret, Gunners Mate, & Gunnery Instructor.
The GM rate badge also existed with a star below the crown designating a higher rate of pay, but was being phased out prior to WWII. The Gunner's Mate rate badge was in use right up to the new RCN rates in 1950.