§ Commander Bowerasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Board will recognise that the present system 182W of promotion to the flag list which, even as recently amended, allows no officer below the age of 46 years to become a rear-admiral, is detrimental to the interests of the Service, and that it should be open to the Board, when war services have shown outstanding abilities for high command, to promote younger officers to the flag list?
Mr. AlexanderWhilst the recent decision has very substantially reduced the age at which officers will be eligible for promotion to flag rank, this age will be automatically still further reduced in the next two or three promotion periods. In any case the Admiralty have obtained the power, by Order in Council dated 4th April, 1941, to promote any captain, regardless of seniority, to the active list of flag officers. The Board will exercise this power should a captain below the normal seniority for promotion prove to possess outstanding capability for high command.