Help required finding service record of Lerwick Coastguard officer

[KizmeRD]

It’s a niche area of WW1 naval knowledge, and so I shouldn’t really be talking of the top of my head without researching all what I’m saying, but I understand perhaps as many as a thousand trained wireless operators were recruited into the services in Britain (at the start of the war), with another couple of thousand or more young men trained by Marconi to become wireless operators during the course of the war (for service in the navy and also in the army).

MB

Edited 19 March by KizmeRD

[horatio2]

46 minutes ago, KizmeRD said:

WTO(1)’s were equivalent to Warrant Officers

In that case we need an explanation  as to why and how WTO1s were promoted to Warrant Officer Telegraphist RNR. The answer is that WTO1's were not 'warrant equivalent' All my research indicates that WTO1 and WTO 2 were different pay grades at CPO rating.

There was a huge enrolment of WTOs as soon as the war started. About 300 of the 498 WTS ratings were enrolled in August and September 1914. Most were advanced to WTO 1st Class in a matter of days or weeks and many were quickly promoted to Warrant Telegraphist RNR. A fair number who were entered as WTO ratings had their enrolment immediately cancelled on being awarded warrant rank on the same date. As a quick benchmark, the first seventy WTS enrolments saw 70% of their number promoted to Warrant Telegraphist, the rest serving all their time as WTO 2nd/1st Class. The Warrant Telegraphists RNR dropped their WTS numbers om promotion.

[KizmeRD]

As I said, I shouldn’t be talking about such an extremely specialist niche without proper research.

I’m quite happy to concede that both classes of WTO were CPO equivalent rates and that above this sat Warrant Telegraphist.

At the start of the war, such well qualified men were in extremely high demand, and the Admiralty came under pressure to commission them, however they balked at the very notion!

MB