IO Specialisation Timeline (1946-1985) | |
| 1946: | Amalgamation of Instructors and Schoolmasters to form one single Instructor Branch occurred. All serving Schoolmasters, who were Warrant Officers at that time, now gained a commission. Meteorological training was moved from the Royal Naval College and the first RN Met School was opened at the Royal Naval Aircraft Direction Centre, Kete (HMS Harrier) in Pembrokeshire. |
| 1950: | Department of Naval Weather Service (DNWS) was established. |
| 1955: | Number of Instructor Officers was at its peak of 773. |
| 1956: | Instructor Officers retain ‘Instructor’ in their rank with the same uniform as General List Officers. The blue stripe between their gold rank lace ended. |
| 1960: | Officer Meteorological training moved from Kete to RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. Meteorological rating training had moved there a year earlier. |
| 1960s: | Instructor Officers employed in Management Services, Information Systems, Surveying, the Submarine Service and the Royal Marines. IOs were now able to apply for a full career on the Permanent List, a 16-year Pensionable Commission, or extend a five-year commission for five more years. New IOs under the age of 26 could undergo initial training at BRNC, Dartmouth. |
| 1963: | An Admiralty Fleet Order (AFO) introduced a new scheme for Chief Petty Officer Artificers with suitable Higher National Certificate (HNC) qualifications to join the IO Specialisation as Sub Lieutenants, conditional on passing an Admiralty Interview Board (AIB) and gaining a Certificate in Education (Cert Ed) at a civilian teacher training college. |
| 1971: | The Royal Naval School of Educational and Training Technology (RNSETT) was formed at HMS Nelson. |
| 1978: | The General List was expanded to include Instructor Officers. All Instructor Officers on the Permanent List were incorporated onto the General List, with the rest transferred to the Supplementary List. The post of Director Naval Education Service (DNEdS) ceased and the position of Chief Naval Instructor Officer (CNIO) was established. |
| 1985: | First WRNS officers recruited as IOs passed out of BRNC Dartmouth. |
