| Archive for The Royal Marines Band Service On-line Community Bringing the serving and ex serving communities together |
| mrbassbone |
Rank Struccture <for a confused & retired USN type>One thing always puzzled me when meeting RN or RM types while I was still on active duty. That was the enlisted rank structures for the British Military. I guess ours were or are equally confusing <perhaps> to you.Our enlisted ranks went from <at least in the Navy> E1=Seaman Reqruit all the way up to E9=Master Chief Petty Officer. We broke them up into groups of 3's. The lower 3rd: E1 E2 E3 being NonDesignated or SEaman Recruit Seaman Apprentice and Seaman. Middle 3rd: Petty Officers E4 PO 3rd Class, E5 PO 2nd Class, EE6 PO 1st Class <which is what both my wife and I retired as>. Top 3rs being Chiefs: E7 just plain Chief, E8 Senior Chief and then E9 Master Chief. They were confusing to me when I first enlisted many centuries ago. So, how are your ranks broken down. Oh yes...our first enlistment was for 4 years and we could reenlist after that for more. We now have "term limits" or what is called High Year Tenure meaning that you have to be promoted to a certain rank by x years or be forced out. Shell MU1 USN RET |
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| Hornblower |
Over to you then Deli! 
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| Co-admin |
Thanks Stu...
http://www.royalmarinesbands.co.uk/reference/FS_rank.htm The page above starts at the top and works down. At the bottom are 'Appointments'. A Corporal can be appointed as Drum Major... Drum Major is not rank, it is a badge of office. We also have Local rank i.e. you wear the badge but no money for it. We also have 'Acting' rank where you wear the rank and get paid for the rank but your real or 'substantive' rank is one rank below. It is possible, if the individual is qualified, to be a Corporal, Acting Sergeant, Local Colour Sergeant i.e. you wear the rank of a colour sergeant, the pay of a sergeant but your actual rank is Corporal... not that anyone would know. |
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| mrbassbone |
I understand about what we call frocking...wearing the stripes but not getting paid for it at the moment. I was the Drum Major for most of the bands I was in. Much easier to lead the group with a Mace than march with a Trombone/Euphonium <or Bass Drum as I have done in several parades>. So your "basic" out of school musician/bugler/drummer/whatever is just called a musician and then you go up the rank ladder to Lance Corporal...Sargeant and so forth? I guess that would be similar to ours coming out of our SOM as an E3 or Musician Seaman or perhaps even advanced meritoriously to E4 or Musician 3rd Class. For us to be promoted, we have to take fleetwide exams twice a year for the next higher rank. Are your promotions based on exams/evaluations and length of service as well? Shell |
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| Aaron Aardvark |
Hello Shell
There is the other way of getting promotion......Just talk a cart load of guano like I do and, hey presto, Bugle Major.  
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| mrbassbone |
For us...it seemed the only way for someone to GET promoted was to have someone die off above you. Bugle Major must be the same a Chief Petty Officer...walks around with either a swagger stick or coffee cup? |
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| Aaron Aardvark |
I sort of swagger, being an aardvark. I also walk around with shiny ball tops and car manuals.
I have no idea what a bugle major does. I think its one of those made up ranks to get duff 'Bulgers' off the ranks.
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| mrbassbone |
Sadly...we have all seen those types all around the military....  
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| RAB |
Hi Mr Bassbone..nice handle..sort of like a valved trombone... 
Surely some of our "Friends across the Pond" Regiments or Corps must have an aardvark as their mascot..  ...They are so handy in the battlefield as forward mine detectors and bomb diposal experts....And if they don't quite get it right every time, they're absoloutely delicious in a sandwich .... 
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| mrbassbone |
Don't know about them having an Aardvark as a mascot. Usually it is a bulldog <quite slobbery> and is usually a Corporal in rank. Bass Trombone as a "walved" instrument....nay I say. I play on a Yamaha that I picked up in 1998 and has dual independant triggers. I really like this instrument. I took it with me on my first Japan road tour with the Mantovani Orchestra. |
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| Aaron Aardvark |
[quote="mrbassbone"][quote="RAB(Jock)THOMSON"]
I slobber...and grunt and snuffle. And Deli polishes my butt every week with aardarse polish. They are all very nice to me.....well almost all. Botty hates me but who cares?
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| mrbassbone |
[quote="Aaron Aardvark"][quote="mrbassbone"]
Isn't it true that they don't have to like you...they just have to WORK for you....LOL. |
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| RAB |
Now you're making me jealous.. The closest I got to that was an old Yamaha motorcycle that I took on the road to ruin with my Aunty Fanny's Orchestra... 
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| mrbassbone |
We WERE supposed to go to mainland China in January, but got word late in November that they had not signed the contract agreements. Needless to say...after a year and a half of negotiating...we were slightly po'ed. |
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| bootybandy |
Mantovani? Cool, apart from the excellent string orchestration his arrangements always featured the Bass Bone and Piccolo. I would also like to say that there must be something about Bass Bone players and hospitality. In 1975 when the Ark Royal visited Florida, myself and the solo cornet player of the Band got invited "Up Homers" with a Bass Trombone player of the Showband of the CinC Atlantic Fleet Band. His name was Paul and he looked after both John Dunn and myself. Of course we reciprocated and got him absolutely legless in the Band Mess on board. We couldn't offer him the same standard of cusine that was offered to us, but the liquid hospitality flowed plentiful and freely. On that same trip we were invited to listen to a rehearsal of the Show Band and will always remember the solo trumpet player with his rendition of MacArthur Park (very topical at that time) He had to exit the rehearsal room during the playing of the piece, threw up, and came back in, in time for the next part of the piece. His nick name was Hoppy, and the other guys nickname was Mawler. Two superb musicians and top PiZZ Artists. Happy Days!!!!!! |
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| mrbassbone |
I believe you are talking about Lloyd Hopkins. He and I we in the US Navy Showband in 1973, In 75, I had gotten transferred down to Charleston, SC. Not sure about Mawler, tho. I think "Tex" Waldron still had the group in 75. Shell |
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| General Melchett |
Try this instead, loads of piccies and comparative OR (NATO) Grading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rank..._insignia_of_NATO_Armies_Enlisted |
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| mrbassbone |
Thankee Sor! Mighty fine visual aids. Interesting that their is not equivalent rank in the RM's for an E-6 <First Class Petty Officer> which I was. Yours splits from Sgt <E-5> to Colour Sgt <E-7>. |