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Recruitment To The Waterguard |
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A 1965 guide to careers for men in Customs and Excise issued by the Civil Service Commission. Select the 'button' on the right to see a PDF of the guide. |
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Before about 1912, some officers of the Waterguard were appointed by the Patronage of Members of Parliament. This practice was stopped after questions were asked in Parliament. A copy of a 'note' answering such a question can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
In earlier times, obtaining a salaried position with a pension in HM Customs or HM Excise, or indeed any Government Department, relied on patronage or the ability to purchase such a position. This situation led to a certain amount of corruption and the quality of staff often left much to be desired. During the 18th and 19th centuries the problem was addressed and Examinations and the testing of qualifications were introduced. These measures were extended to the selection of candidates for promotion and were an accepted part of working life in the Waterguard.
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An 1856 Guide to Civil Service Examinations published by the Parliamentary Paper Depot, 12 Bridge Street, Westminster, gives examples of Customs and Excise examinations for Extra Clerks on page 1 & 2, Tidewaiters on page 3 & 4 and 'Expectants' of Excise on page 7. Examples of some of the questions faced by Customs candidates are given from page 80 of the Guide which is reproduced here in full as a PDF. |
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A 1898 Memorandum, No 12317/1898, on the duties, hours, pay and official prospects of men entering as Assistants of Customs by Open Competition, was issued by the Secretary, Customs office. The duties included Waterguard work. A PDF copy of the memorandum can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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In 1906 appointment to the grade of Preventive Man in Customs & Excise required that a candidate be examined by the Civil Service Commissioners in Reading, Writing from dictation, the first four rules of Arithmetic and a working knowledge of the various Weights and Measures. The age limits were 17 to 20 and the candidates were to be within the prescribed limits on the day of the examination by the Civil Service Commissioners. Candidates were also subjected to a rigid Medical examination as to health and constitution. No candidates were eligible for appointment if they were less than 5ft 4in in height, and any candidate whose measurement around the chest fell short of the normal standard corresponding to his height was liable to rejection. Defective vision was regarded as a disqualification, and a candidate who had not been satisfactorily vaccinated within the last seven years could not be appointed without re-vaccination. Some practical experience in the management of Boats was insisted on and candidates were subjected to practical tests.
In the 1950/60's Open Competitions to the Assistant Preventive Officer grade was held occasionally on behalf of HM Customs and Excise by the Civil Service Commission. These Competitions, which were for men only aged between 19 and 21, consisted of four examination papers covering written English, Arithmetic and two general papers covering General Knowledge and matters of Topical Interest, and powers of Reasoning and interpretation of statistics. This was followed by an interview with a panel of four senior serving Waterguard Officers and, if necessary, a medical examination.
Open Competitions were announced in the press and a 'prospectus' was issued by the Civil Service Commission to those who applied. Copies of various prospectuses are reproduced below as PDFs:
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Candidates were 'called' to the examination by letter and had to produce a 'paper' at the place of examination. Copies of these 'papers' are reproduced below as PDFs.
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The Examination Papers for these Open Competitions were published after the competition as pamphlets by the Civil Service Commission as examples and sold. Copies of some of these pamphlets are reproduced below as PDFs:
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The results of these Open Examination completions were published to the candidates in table form. Copies of various tables are reproduced below as PDFs:
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Several 'special' recruiting exercises were held in the 1960's to recruit ex servicemen and candidates from the general civil service. The age limits for these special exercises were from 22 to 26 in 1965.
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Recruitment to the Assistant Preventive Officer grade was also available to candidates who were exempted from Open Examination completions by holding suitable General Certificates of Education, or corresponding Certificates.
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Once accepted for employment, officers were subject to the Official Secrets Act and were required to sign a document that confirmed they understood that.
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A Waterguard officer was a Commissioned Officer of the Crown. He carried his Commission with him at all times, in its distinctive red case, as his authority in the performance of his duties. The document gave the Officer more powers than that of a policeman, within the limits of his authority. The seizure of goods, the entry of private property without a warrant and the right to search being only some of those powers. The Commission also enabled an Officer to demand the assistance of any Police Constable, any member of HM Armed Forces, any member of HM Coastguard or any other person to assist him if the circumstances required it. The Commission was updated from time to time to reflect the changing work of the Waterguard service. Coast & Land Preventive Men and Women Search Officers were also issued with 'Limited' Commissions. A separate Commission was also issued to officers who were appointed to serve as Superintendents of Mercantile Marine. The image on the left is of the Commission issued in 1966 to Trevor John Tomasin on his appointment as an Assistant Preventive Officer. Other examples of Commissions can be seen by selecting the 'buttons' below. |
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HM Customs Commission - Alexander Carson's - 12 October 1891 |
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HM Customs & Excise Commission - c1910 |
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Coastguard authority - c1910 |
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HM Customs & Excise Commission - William Richardson Cree's - 1944 |
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HM Customs & Excise Commission - Trevor J Tomasin's - 1966 |
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HM Customs & Excise Commission - Coast & Land Preventive Men and Women Search Officer - post 1952 |
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Superintendent of Mercantile Marine Commission - England, Wales & Northern Ireland - 1944 |
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Superintendent of Mercantile Marine Commission - England, Wales & Northern Ireland - post 1952 |
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Superintendent of Mercantile Marine Commission - Scotland - post 1952. |
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Coast Preventive Men were recruited under regulations set out in February 1923 entitled 'HM Customs & Excise - Regulations governing employment in the Coast Preventive Force' which is included on the page which can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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Preventive Men were recruited from amongst Sailors and Soldiers discharged from the armed forces. A 1919 prospectus for the scheme can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
There had been no recruitment to the Waterguard during the hostilities of WWI or WWII. To re-build the Service after both wars there were periods of Reconstruction. Some staff from the post WWI Reconstruction were still in service into the 1960's.
For the post WWII challenges of Exchange Control, new Import and Export Controls and Purchase Tax, there had to be a rapid growth in both staffing and staff training. To provide for these challenges a series of special recruitment exercises were implemented which took the form of :
Examinations for New Entrant Assistant Preventive Officers - the normal age restriction of 19 to 21 being waived.
Examinations for promotion to Preventive Officer of pre-war entrant Assistant Preventive Officers who had been away in the forces for the duration.
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A copy of the 1945 Reconstruction Prospectus for APO entrants can be selected by the 'button' on the right. |
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An Order for Admission to an APO Reconstruction Exam in 1946 can be selected by the 'button' on the right. |
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PDF copies of the 1947 Reconstruction APO Entrance Examination papers consisting of one General paper lasting 1.5 hours, and two English papers of 1 hour and 1.25 hours each can be selected by the 'button' on the right. |
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The results of these Reconstruction APO Examinations - as PDFs - can be seen by selecting the appropriate 'button' below:
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Seniority within the WWII Reconstruction groups was by age for everything except call-up for the Preventive Officer examination. For this, length of service was the deciding factor. Once successful at the PO exam, age seniority kicked in again, for promotion off the list and for all subsequent purposes, including call-up for Chief Preventive Officer.
Open Competitive Examinations recommenced in the early 1950's.
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At various times HM Customs and Excise required Assistant Preventive Officer candidates to undergo a medical examination as their work was often hard and physical. The letter to one candidate, Henry F Lacey dated 20 January 1928, signed by Arthur Lupton, is available in PDF format can be selected by the 'button' on the right. |
NB. Arthur Sinclair Lupton, who at the time was part of the Secretaries' Office, later gave his name to The Lupton Cup, a football trophy that was competed for by the various Waterguard Divisions between 1937 and 1972.
After success in the Examinations and the Medicals, Assistant Preventive Officers were appointed to a 'Home Port' as a supernumerary pending a period of probation and trial, following initial training, after which they were then re-appointed either to a permanent post at the same or another port, or to a temporary post elsewhere on Detached Duty terms.
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A list of Assistant Preventive Officers appointed between 1923 and 1939 - in alphabetical order - compiled by Eric Preedy, can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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A list of Assistant Preventive Officers appointed between 1941 and 1972 - in alphabetical order - compiled by Eric Preedy, can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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A copy of EC Davis APO's Initial Appointment letter can be selected by the 'button' on the right. |
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A copy of DJ McMann APO's Initial Appointment & statatement for new Entrants letter can be selected by the 'button' on the right.
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A copy of DA Bowman APO's Initial Appointment letter can be selected by the 'button' on the right. |
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A copy of Arthur Harold APO's completion of Probation/Trial report can be selected by the 'button' on the right. |
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A copy of DA Bowman APO's Confirmation of Appointment letter can be selected by the 'button' on the right. |
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On appointment an officer was issued with a staff number which was notified to him via the Collector at his 'home port' An example of this notification can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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