WW2 rates

[sigsaye]

 

MoMM2c. first WW2 crow I aquired

[sigsaye]

back of Momm2c

[sigsaye]

RM2c gray

[sigsaye]

back of RM2c gray

[sigsaye]

 

 

Recruit Petty Officer crows WW2

[PaulR]

That is a great collection! I did not know that a majority of these chevrons had dates embroidered onto the backs. What time span was this done?

 

What is a Recruit Petty Officer?

[sigsaye]

That is a great collection! I did not know that a majority of these chevrons had dates embroidered onto the backs. What time span was this done?

 

What is a Recruit Petty Officer?

The dating was from the '30s to '45 or '46. It was a contract date.

 

Recruit Petty Officers were recruits who were selected to fill "Leadership/Administrative" positions within the recruit company (still are, they now just wear pin on collar devices). There were about 20 positions in a company that were filled with Recruits. The top was the RPOC who marched the company down the streed and was considered the senior recruit and was in charge in the absence of the company commander. There was a assistant (RPO2), and a Master at Arms (RPO1) who was incharge of the compartment. There were also Platoon Leaders (RPO1), Squad Leaders (RPO2) and a few others. To me the most important was the Yeoman/Clerk (RPO1) who insured the daily paperwork got done (muster reports, chow chits, things like that). There were assorted RPO2s and PRO3s who had assorted duties. In the mid '70s, the wearing of the sew on crows stopped and in the 80s, many ot the positions changed names to more "Navy" soundung (Watch Section Leader vise Platood Leader).

 

I think that the other services do the samething but call them temporary squad leaders and such. Same thing. They have no real meaning outside of the recruit environment and are not worn after graduation from Boot Camp.

 

I think in the regs they are refered to as "Apprentice Petty Officer badges". This term gets confusing with the emphsis being put on the Petty Officer" apart and not Apprentice. "Apprentice" is a traditional/Original Navy term for "Recruit". These badges were adopted in the late "Teens?early'20s when that was the "Rate/Rank Title" for entry level Sailors (recruits).

 

Basically, it was a way to ID Sailors with temporary responsibility/authority in training commands.

 

Steve Hesson