Draft:ROC Officer Ranks

The officer ranks of the Royal Observer Corps were used until its dissolution in 1995.

Commandants Royal Observer Corps
The Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps was a Royal Air Force officer with the rank of Air Commodore. With only three exceptions, (two Navigators and one General Duties (Ground) Supply Branch officer), all Commandants ROC were RAF pilots with extensive service records and previous command appointments. Had an ROC officer been appointed to the post of Commandant ROC they would have held the rank of Observer Commodore, although no such appointment was ever made.

Air Commodore
Full-time appointments = Commandant ROC (CROC)

Spare-time appointments = N/A

A serving RAF (General Duties) Officer.

Prior to 1978 the majority of the Air Commodores were in their final appointment prior to retirement from the RAF. Post 1978, several Commandants ROC proceeded to attain the rank of Air Vice Marshal, or indeed a more senior rank, following the conclusion of their tenure as Commandant ROC.

Observer Captain
Full-time appointments = Chief of Staff (CoS)

Spare-time appointments = Area Commandant (5)

The most senior rank held by an ROC officer. This full-time appointment was also known as Deputy Commandant ROC throughout the period between 1941 and 1983.

The volunteer spare-time Area Commandant, Observer Captain Joyce Shrubbs, MBE, was the only female officer in the history of the ROC to hold this rank.

ROC officer's rank braid was identical to RAF braid, but dyed midnight black post-manufacture in order to remove the pale blue centre lines.

Observer Commander
Full-time appointments = Senior Admin Officer HQROC Senior Ops Officer HQROC Deputy Area Commandant (5) Senior ROC Officer (SROCO) – 1992 to 1996

Spare-time appointments = Group Commandant (25)

Promotion to Group Commandant with the rank of Observer Commander was based purely upon merit. Normally, successful candidates were found within the ranks of a group's junior officers, however candidates from adjacent groups were also appointed. There were also several instances of Chief or Leading Observers being promoted directly to the rank of Observer Commander.

Observer Lieutenant Commander
Full-time appointments = Ops Comms HQROC Ops Training HQROC Pers Serv Officer HQROC Supply Officer HQROC Area Staff Officer (5) Deputy Group Commandant (25)

Spare-time appointments = N/A

This rank was held by full-time officers only

The rank was known as Observer Lieutenant (First Class) from 1941 until 1968. The issue of Squadron Leader not being equated with Observer Leader was due to Observer Leader resembling a term more likely to be associated with the Boy Scouts or Boys' Brigade movements.

Area Staff Officers were known as Area Training Officers from 1941 until 1975.

During operations the Deputy Group Commandant (DGC) became known as the Senior Duty Officer (SDO) until 1984, when the operational appointment became that of Executive Officer (Exec O or XO).

Until 1985 Ops Comms and Ops Trg were known as Ops 1 and Ops 2 respectively.

Observer Lieutenant
Full-time appointments = Ops Trg 2 HQROC Admin Officer HQROC Group Staff Officer (25)

Spare-time appointments = Crew Officers NRC Officers Group Officers

Group Staff Officers had been known as Group Training Officers until 1975. When the number of groups was reduced between 1962 and 1968, the full-time officers from those amalgamated groups were designated Mobile Training Officers until natural wastage reduced their numbers to the staffing levels required.

Volunteer spare-time officers received this promotion on merit. When on RAF stations and in shirt sleeve order, Observer Lieutenants were often mistaken for Air Commodores by RAF personnel, due to the two midnight bands separated by a band of pale blue on the composite braid rank slide.

Obs Lt was the entry level rank for full-time ROC officers who attended the four-week Specialist Entrant and Re-entrant (SERE) Officers Course at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell.

Until 1985 Ops Trg 2 was known as Ops 2A

During operations, the Group Staff Officer was known as Deputy Senior Duty Officer until 1984, when they were retitled group Logistics Officer (Log O)

Observer Officer
Full-time appointments = N/A

Spare-time appointments = Crew Officers NRC Officers Group Officers

Lowest rank for a spare-time officer. All officers wore small gold collar dogs bearing the letters "ROC" on both lapels of the raincoat, No.1 Dress jacket, No.2 Dress tunic and No.5 Mess Dress. The cap badge worn with the midnight blue beret or RAF style forage cap changed from silver to gold, with a woven gold wire badge used on the peaked cap.

As uniformed civilians, the rank of officer within the ROC was held under Royal Warrant, as in the case of RAF Warrant Officers, rather than a Queen's Commission, as in the case of RAF Commissioned Officers.

ROC officers were subject to a combination of RAF related Queen's Regulations, Civil Service Staff Regulations (MoD Manuals) and the RAF's own Regulations for the Royal Observer Corps.