Not sure where (or even whether) I should post this, but I'm hoping that someone can at least point me in the right direction.

I have several supervisors' confidential reports on RAN officers during WW2, and I'd like to be able to interpret some of the responses. In particular, Section II contains (c) Professional Ability, (d) Personal Qualities, (e) Leadership, (f) Intellectual Ability and (g) Administrative Ability. Responses are numeric scores (which range from 3 to 8) or, sometimes, "I.K."

I presume the scores were out of 10. Does anyone know what "I.K." means? Are there any instructions on what supervisors were expected to do when completing these reports?

There's also a small box headed "For use at the Admiralty" which usually has initials and dates in it. What does "Admiralty" mean in this context?

Thank you in anticipation.

I'd hit up the AWM or National Archive. Should have plenty of similar records and the people who look after them.

Admiralty would be Naval HQ.

Within a decade of Federation, Australia and Britain arranged that the RAN would serve under the British Admiralty during time of war. This occurred in both world wars.

So Admiralty in this context is the department/ministry that administers the Royal Navy and integrated forces, e.g. the RAN, Norwegian navy ships and crews that escaped to Britain after the German invasion.

Note that while "serving under the Admiralty" certainly covers administrative matters such as professional evaluation, as per your example, it doesn't necessarily mean operational control. In the Mediterranean and Atlantic RAN ships were under Admiralty operational control. From mid-March 1943 RAN ships in the SWPA usually operated as part of the US Seventh Fleet.

And my guess - purely a guess - at "I.K." is Incomplete Knowledge, which is why there is no rating number for the category.

Lindsay, I had a chat to the AWM Research Centre about your documents. The AWM keeps operational records rather than personnel ones. The Research Centre suggested, as frmby did, the National Archives for more info and also the RAN's Sea Power Centre - http://www.navy.gov.au/spc/

Among other things, SPC's role is to "preserve, develop and promote Australian naval history". The web site has a contact form and on the About page you can find details of the senior historians - all distinguished pussers.