The Electrical branch of the RAN had its beginnings as the Torpedo branch way back and has evolved into the current configuration.  Possibly the best way to picture this evolution is by the use of a type of timeline.  There will be many fill-ins to be added as this page evolves and the small portion shown here is only a beginning, so please if you are able, provide us with some constructive input  -  just remember that this page is, like the Electrical branch, EVOLVING.

Here is a drawing and explanation of most of the early navy right arm rates, before the advent of the Electrical Branch.  Note the Torpedo rates (Nos 11 & 12) and the Wireless Telegraphist rates (Nos 19 & 20).  Click on the small picture to see an enlarged version.  This drawing sent in by Keith Bailey.

Why are/were we called "Greenies"?  During WWII, Naval Officers in the RAN and RN wore a coloured stripe between the gold braid rings on their sleeve.  This practice was abandoned around 1957.  The colours for each branch were:

*     Special Branch Officers during WWII were Officers dealing with a number of specialist activities - eg Radar Officers, Intelligence, Metrology, Cypher Officers, Operations and other specialist duties.  Some even found themselves operating behind enemy lines.  The Special Branch wore "Wavy Navy" gold braid.

Doctors and Dentists were still wearing their colours until at least the late 60's, and some of the Schoolies at the CERBERUS "L" School were still wearing their colours in the early 60's - often mistaken by some for green of Electrical Officers.  Electrical branch personnel became known as "Greenies" because of the green stripe of Electrical Officers and the name has stuck ever since - indeed the whole Electrical Branch, or Weapons Electrical Engineering Division as it is now, is often called "The Green Empire".

Of course the term "Greenie" today, has a totally different meaning and connotation to the general public, and that is precisely why we called this web site "Pussers Greenies".  Engineering branch personnel were sometimes known as "Purplies" but this has not been commonly used, the term "Steamies" or "Stokers" being used far more often.  No other branch of the RAN has been generally known by its colour.

The above expanded chart - courtesy of an article in the RAN Radio Mechanics Newsletter No 53.  Many thanks to John Saywell.

Recruit intakes at CERBERUS were into four Divisions:
MORAN division was for Electrical branch and Communicator recruits (R/LB's, direct entry Tiffies, RO's & TO's)
RANKIN division was for Engineering branch & Naval Airman recruits (Stokers, direct entry ERA's, Chippies & Naval Airmen)
WALLER division was for Executive branch recruits (Dibbies)
GETTING division was for  Supply & Secretariat recruits (Cooks, Stewards, SBA's, Writers etc)

Recruits were initially housed in four wooden blocks, each with four (or six) "dongas" where hammocks were slung each night.  The dongas had dividing bulkheads which did not go all the way to the deckhead and thus often led to "FLYING F***S" (condoms filled with water - or worse) being thrown over the bulkheads in the dead of night.  These four blocks were G, H, I and J blocks with I block being used by MORAN division and H for WALLER division, J for RANKIN division and G for GETTING division.  These four old wooden blocks have since been demolished.  There were no female Greenies in those days.

Today, there are still four blocks to house recruits, but they are brick with four man cabins, built to a typical ADF design (you can see very similar design accommodation blocks at NIRIMBA, MOOREBANK Army depot and probably most other ADF bases).  The first block to be occupied was MORAN block, in 1959 with the others coming online later.  The other three are obviously called RANKIN, WALLER and GETTING blocks.  These "new" blocks, together with an administration block are now the Recruit School, which came online in 1962.

    MORAN division is named after CMDR William Thomas Alldis MORAN
Commanding Officer,  HMAS VAMPIRE(1),  who died on 9 April 1942, aged 38
Cemetery: PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL Devon, UK
Grave or Reference Panel Number: Panel 72, Column 2

    WALLER division is named after CAPT Hector WALLER
Commanding Officer,  HMAS PERTH(1),  who went down with his ship on 1 March 1942, when PERTH was sunk along with USS HOUSTON, in Sunda Strait,  by the Japanese during the Battle of Sunda Strait

    RANKIN division is named after LCDR Robert William RANKIN
Commanding Officer,  HMAS YARRA(2),  who died on 4 March 1942, when YARRA was sunk by the Japanese south of Java

    GETTING division is named after CAPT Frank E GETTING
Commanding Officer,  HMAS CANBERRA(1),  who died on 9 August 1942, after being mortally wounded in the action not long before CANBERRA was scuttled by torpedo, after she was disabled by the Japanese in the Battle of Savo Island during the Guadalcanal campaign

1881    Electrical and Torpedo training for Australian sailors began at Williamstown Naval Depot, the main shore facility for the Victorian Navy.  This depot was also known as the Williamstown Torpedo Depot.

1901    The rating of Electrician was established

1912    Electricians became Electrical Artificers

1916-17    The first buildings of the Torpedo school at CERBERUS were constructed

1920    Flinders Naval Depot (HMAS CERBERUS) was officially opened and the Torpedo school commenced operation with OA's training commencing the following year.  The Torpedo branch was also responsible for general electrical maintenance, except for Wireless Telegraphy equipment which was maintained by the Telegraphists.

WWII:    We are looking for more information on the branch during this era.

1947/48    The Electrical branch was officially formed in the RAN on 1 January 1948 just one year after the branch formation in the Royal Navy, and the original Torpedo school at CERBERUS became the new Electrical school under the Command of LCDR GFE Knox RAN.   Read some historical Navy Orders on the branch formation by clicking here, courtesy of Dave Ledger.

1950's    The Electrical branch consisted of general service ratings (P, E and R) as well as Artificers (EAP, EAR, OA) with a Petty Officer being POEP, POE(E), PORE and the other ranks were similar.

1956    The Apprentice intakes were commenced in July of this year and initial Apprentice training for all Electrical and Engineering Apprentices was done at NIRIMBA.  Apprentices were also known as MOBI's (Most Objectionable Bastards Imaginable) and they were rightly very proud of being called MOBI's.  They were also later known as MUPPET's - possibly around the time of the TV show, which stood for "Most Useless Pricks Pussers Ever Trained".  The Apprentice training scheme continued at NIRIMBA with some electrical Apprentices undertaking formal TAFE courses at North Sydney and Granville TAFE Colleges, until the last class passed out in November 1993.  These names for Naval Apprentices were used in a light-hearted fashion and had no spiteful meaning.

1959    The 50th intake of Electrical branch recruits at CERBERUS was around late March / early April.  In 1959, Moran 49 class, were the last Electrical branch intake to be housed in "I" block (one of the old wooden blocks with hammocks) and were thus among the first electrical recruits to be relocated to the new brick "Moran" block.  The 50th intake would have been the first intake to totally bypass "I" block and be housed directly into MORAN block.

1962    The Navy introduced the recommendations of the "RATSTRUC" study which ended up with the splitting of the "R" category into WR & C and the renaming of the "E" category to WE early 1964.  The recategorisation of the Artificers to Systems Artificers also resulted from RATSTRUC.  The Electrical branch also at this time became the Weapons Electrical Engineering Division (WEE division).  New rates of SAAC and SAAW (Air Comms & Air Weapons) were introduced.  At this point, the RAN began to differ from its previously parallel development with the RN.

1964    In January, some of the electrical rates were split and others renamed, resulting from RATSTRUC:
    The REM rate was split into WR (Weapons Radar) & C (Communications) - approximately 50-50
    The E (Electronics) rate was renamed to WE (Weapons Electronics)
    EA's and OA's were recategorised to SA's around this time as well.  OA's became SAP and EA's became SAW (Weapons) or SAC (Communications)

1972    The Navy restructured once again, this time as a result of "SAILSTRUC" - and the WEE Division, along with most other branches, was just about totally reorganised and the rates were all changed.  Official numbers for new intake recruits became "S012345" in lieu of the previous "R012345".  Currently serving sailors with an Official number beginning with "R" were given the option of changing to "S" provided training could accommodate the progress of that individual throughout their career.  We have no idea how many opted to change from the "RATSTRUC" conditions to "SAILSTRUC".
    All sailors, both junior and senior rates as well as artificers, became AB, LS, PO, CPO, WO etc.,  (Warrant Officers were reintroduced into the RAN in December 1971 after a long absence), followed by their branch & rate.  ABETS, LSETS etc., for S rates and similar for W and C rates.  There was no longer a separation in rating between general service sailors and artificers (eg POEC and SAC)
    The P rate was transferred to the Engineering branch and thus electricians became MTL.  This transfer upset quite a lot of branch members and did not last more than about 3 years, with P rates reverting to the WEE Division and becoming ETP (ABETP, LSETP etc)  -  see below.
    The WR and WE rates were combined and became S
    Weapons maintainers, such as SAW, SAP and WM became the new W rate

Definitely information on WWII days
More information on "P" and "C" equipment please

WEAPONS ELECTRICAL DIVISION EQUIPMENT

Input for this section from other Greenies will be most welcome and will balance out the equipment part of this page, especially with regard to the newer equipment on the FFG's and FFH's.  The equipment is not listed in any particular order.

ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION AND GENERATION  -  "P" rates

RADAR SETS & DISPLAYS  -  "R" rates, later "WR" and "S" rates

Please note that the frequency bands mentioned in the table above, are today's more modern ECM frequency bands and not the original (now outdated) WWII-derived military radar frequency bands as some of us knew them.

WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS  -  "R" rates and later "C" rates

ELECTRONICS AND WEAPONS  -  "E" rates, later "WE" & "S" rates

WEAPONS AND LAUNCHERS  -  OA's, SAP's and later, "W" rates

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS PAGE:

Darrell Hegarty, Don (Tug) Wilson, Gary Mewett, Peter (Darkie) Dower, John Osborne, Shina Wright, Joe Ciemcioch, Anthony Smith, Kerry Jones, Mal Hughes, John Owens, Chris Rowland, Keith Bailey, Ian Benier, Ken White, Dave Duffy, John Saywell, Allan (Tug) Wilson, Graham (Doc) Watson, Ray Lawrence, Don Hilary-Taylor, Andrew Hancock, Paul Mackay, Les Figg, with the original idea from Gary Thorburn