Cook Rate

[james_harvey]

Hi All

I have a service record that i am currently researching, He was a acting chief ships cook, the chief ships cook then CPO cook.


In WW1, what was the diffence between Cheif ships cook and CPO cook,


were both rates rated CPO?

Please help

Regards

James

[Scurs]

This is an "educated guess" mate so don't take it as "gospel".........."Chief Ship's Cook" probably indicates the senior cook onboard.............could be of Petty Officer ranking, or even Leading Rate ranking, depends on size of ship and number of cooks carried. CPO Cook, I presume means just that.......rank of Chief Petty Officer.

[Wafu]

Hi All

I have a service record that i am currently researching, He was a acting chief ships cook, the chief ships cook then CPO cook.


In WW1, what was the diffence between Cheif ships cook and CPO cook,


were both rates rated CPO?

Please help

Regards

James

Not a lot of difference James, it is a well known fact that the Navy cookery course is so hard that no one has passed it.
Steve

[james_harvey]

Many thanks,

he was a rated a chief ships cook on his NGSM persion Gulf medal and CPO Cook on his ww1 pair and long service, he was promoted to CPO cook during ww1.

Regards

James

[Fairlead]

Prior to WW1 there were civilian cooks in the RN and they wore a jacket and tie uniform (My grandfather was one 1907 - 1910) also there were 'ships' cooks and 'officers' cooks. My guess is that he started in the navy as a 'ships cook' and was either conscripted or volunteered to join the RN in 1914 and was (because of his previous service) given the CPO Rate...thus becoming a CPO Cook.
When my grandfather joined the Scots Guards in 1915 as an officers cook - he was promoted to Sergent the day he joined, because of his previous civilian service with the RN and Army units.

Fairlead

[james_harvey]

Hi Fairlead

He joined the navy in 7 may 1901 for 12 yrs. started 19th march 1901, he must have had his service backdated? resigned to pension 19th march 1913.

ranks were

acting 2nd cooks mate 19th march 1901- 6th may 1901
2nd cooks mate 7th may 1901-9th october 1901
cooks mate 10th october 1901-30 sep 1907
2nd ships cook 1 oct 1907-30 sep 1910
ships cook 1 oct 1910-14 april 1913
acting chief ships cook 15 april 1913-10 february 1914
chiefs ship cook 11 feb 1914-16 may 1919
cpo cook 17 may 1919-18 march 1923 when pensioned

sorry my mistake, ww1 pair and long service are named to chief ship cook.

Regards

james

[james_harvey]

i thought you were joking about most rn cooks could not cook, just reading trawlers go to war by paul lund and harry ludlam and they mention about a ships cook that could not cook.

How dod you survive at sea?

[Scurs]

James - must defend cooks! It is doubtful that a trawler would be large enough to have a proper cook, so anyone got the job. On a ship that had cooks from the Supply & Secretarial Branch, most were adequate, some were good, and some VERY good.

Take the ship in my Avatar, HMS KEPPEL........we had a Petty Officer Cook..........he was "magic"........considering the postage stamp sized galley, the fact a little Type 14 would roll on wet grass, the meals he produced were wonderful.
Mind you..........there were times......................he did some great fish dishes, whilst we were on Fishery Protection duties and got fresh cod from the Trawlers, only snag was/is that I do n't like fish of any shape, size or form...so existed on cans of Heinz Soup from Canteen!
But all in all, RN cooks were (are??) good, but it was (is?) tradition to pretend otherwise. :)

[james_harvey]

Hi scurs, i didn't mean to sound disrespectful to Navy cooks, I have looked a couple of ww2 ships and the room to cook wasn't very big.

Regards

James