Quote:
Originally Posted by 95th Rifleman
The Royal Navy was (and still is) a meritocracy. In the army of the time a comission could be bought and in the Navy a Midshipman's rank could be obtained through nepotism but it was never considered a comissioned rank but a training position.
To be comissioned a lieutenant in the Royal navy you had to pass an examination, normaly before a board of three serving captains. The system was in place to make nepotism and incompetence as hard as possible. Nelson achieved his rank and title through his own merit and actions.
It's to be noted that Britain has not fought a proper war since Korea and America has not fought a proper war since Vietnam. All conflicts have been short affairs in which one side has superior forces and the outcome was determined in months rather than years.
Even Afghanistan can not be considered a proper war in this sense, Britian has suffered less than 400 dead in TEN years of conflict. The kind of war that created men like Patton and Nelson, a war in which our very nation and way of life was in dire and direct threat has not yet (thank all that is holy) happened. If it where to arise you can guarantee all this health and safety bullsit, all this political correctness nonesense would be the first things to be forgotten.
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Indeed: From everything I read sitting for your lieutenant exams was more than a little difficult, those that passed without a doubt earned it. Don't mistake me, Nelson is very much in my opinion one of the best Naval commanders ever.
And as to PC-dom. Getting rid of it, and going back to an Army that is focused on what an Army is supposed to be is perhaps the only thing that makes war on that scale at least imaginable. not something I want mind, but..