Selection and early career education of executive officers in the Royal Navy c1902-1939
This thesis is concerned with the selection and early career education of executive branch officers in the Royal Navy c1902-1939. The thesis attempts to place naval selection and educational policy in context by demonstrating how it was affected by changing naval requirements, external political interference and contemporary educational reform. It also explores the impact of the First World War and the Invergordon mutiny upon officer education. The thesis discusses the selection of potential executive officers, exploring what methods were used, why they were used and how they were developed over time. It discusses the increasing openness of the officer corps of the Royal Navy to boys of talent, irrespective of their background; and shows that this trend was driven by political demand, fuelled by the increasing number of well educated lower middle class boys, and welcomed by many in the Royal Navy. The thesis demonstrates that the Fisher-Selborne Scheme of officer education combined existing naval practice with recent educational developments to produce a unique and innovatory educational system. It shows how many of the assumptions on which the scheme was founded were subsequently proven to be wrong, and demonstrates
Romans, Elinor Frances
Royal Navy ; Officer training ; Education ; secondary education ; midshipmen ; cadets ; dartmouth ; democratisation ; officers ; Royal Naval College ; seamanship ; fisher ; selborne ; science teaching ; maths teaching
Selection and early career education of executive officers in the Royal Navy c1902-1939. This thesis is concerned with the selection and early career education of executive branch officers in the Royal Navy c1902-1939. The thesis attempts to place naval selection and educational policy in context by demonstrating how it was affected by changing naval requirements, external political interference and contemporary educational reform. It also explores the impact of the First World War and the Invergordon mutiny upon officer education. The thesis discusses the selection of potential executive officers, exploring what methods were used, why they were used and how they were developed over time. It discusses the increasing openness of the officer corps of the Royal Navy to boys of talent, irrespective of their background; and shows that this trend was driven by political demand, fuelled by the increasing number of well educated lower middle class boys, and welcomed by many in the Royal Navy. The thesis demonstrates that the Fisher-Selborne Scheme of officer education combined existing naval practice with recent educational developments to produce a unique and innovatory educational system. It shows how many of the assumptions on which the scheme was founded were subsequently proven to be wrong, and demonstrates
selection early_career education executive officer royal_navy concerned selection early_career education executive branch officer royal_navy attempt place naval selection educational_policy context demonstrate affect change naval requirement external political interference contemporary educational reform also_explore impact first world war mutiny upon officer education discus selection potential executive officer explore method_use use developed time discus increase openness officer_corp royal_navy boys talent irrespective background show trend driven political demand fuel increase_number well educate low middle_class boy welcome many royal_navy demonstrate fisher scheme officer education combine exist naval practice recent educational development produce unique innovatory educational_system show many assumption scheme found subsequently prove wrong demonstrates