WWII CPO Pay Clerk. What Rate Patch would be worn ?

[redone]

I have a medal group that belonged to a CPO. I found that he was Pay Clerk. I like to display his rate patch with the medals, but I’m not sure what rating a Pay clerk falls under.

 

 

[Justin B.]

Pay Clerk was a warrant officer rank.

http://uniform-reference.net/insignia/usn/usn_ww2_officer.html#wo

 

Justin B.

[29navy]

It would be a storekeeper.

[29navy]

Or between 1948 - 2005 Disbursing Clerk.

 

 

[Justin B.]

Unlike most warrant ranks, there were no defined source rates for Pay Clerk in the WW2 period. Storekeeper and Commissary Steward would be the most likely.

 

Justin B.

[Justin B.]

I had to look it up, but after the 1948 overhaul, the ratings leading to WO Pay Clerk were Storekeeper, Disbursing Clerk, Commissaryman, Ship's Serviceman, Aviation Storekeeper and Steward.

[redone]

Thanks to all for your responses.

[patches]

Storekeeper eh! I was thinking maybe it was a Yeoman.

[Salvage Sailor]

Yeoman (and Personelman) rates are basically administrative clerks, Pay clerks (or Disbursing) is a fiduciary function which falls under the Supply branch. Thus pay clerks are usually those which Justin listed above.

[patches]

Yeoman (and Personelman) rates are basically administrative clerks, Pay clerks (or Disbursing) is a fiduciary function which falls under the Supply branch. Thus pay clerks are usually those which Justin listed above.

Aye Aye!

[Justin B.]

Storekeeper eh! I was thinking maybe it was a Yeoman.

It goes back to the olden days when Navy supply officers were called paymasters. Paymaster's Clerk was shortened to Pay Clerk. In the WW2-KW period Pay Clerks, unlike other WOs, had to serve one year in an Acting appointment before being confirmed by a board of supply corps officers. I believe the extra scrutiny was to be sure they could be trusted with controlling funds.

 

Yeomen advanced to Ship's Clerks at the warrant level (starting in 1942). On a ship they would handle personnel records, official correspondence, mail, administrative, organizational and legal matters, and work under the XO. A Pay Clerk would be accounting of funds, purchase orders, requisitions, supplies and provisions, messes, ship's store and that sort of thing, and working under the Supply Officer.

 

Before 1954 when WO-1, CWO-2 etc. came in, Congress had to create all warrant ranks, which happened very slowly, so some rates had to go to a "nearest match" to become WOs. So in 1948 Ship's Clerk ended up catching Printers, Journalists, Machine Accountants and Musicians as well as Yeoman and Personnelman.

[MastersMate]

The current Coast Guard has a warrant officer specialty for just about every enlisted rating. There is one enlisted rating that just doesn't seem to have any connection to its warrant officer specialty. The Aviation Survival Technician (AST) rescue swimmer goes to either the material Maintenance Specialist ( Carpenter) or after they were created, one of the Marine Safety Specialists (MSS) catagories..

 

What then is the connection ?? A hint goes back to the late 1940s early 1950s. The USN rating of Parachute rigger was in the line for the Carpenter specialty. By that time the USN had numerical gual codes for many of the sub divisions in the warrant community. The USN PR became a warrant Carpenter, with a qual code as survival equipment specialist.. Had to give them something to advance to. The CG just followed along with the USN policy..