The Paymaster Wars of the Royal Navy: Purser to Logistics Officer 1509 - 2024

A fleet and its ships are self-sufficient, independent vessels in which the crew provides all the necessary facilities for the ship to function. The captain is the highest authority on board, with the officers and men taking on various tasks to ensure the smooth operation of the vessel. One of these Officers is known as the ＂Pusser,＂ whose function historically was to be the ship’s shopkeeper, storekeeper, and paymaster. Today, the Royal Navy has Logistics Officers, but in earlier centuries, they were known as clerks, bursars, pursers, and paymasters. Many officers of paymaster rank lost their lives while serving on the ships. Some were extremely brave and awarded citations and medals, while others were unlucky. This is an examination of the battles, stories, bravery, and people who have contributed to making the Royal Navy what it is today through generations of fighting, actions, sieges, and expeditions. Since the early 16th century, the Pursers and all their subsequent ranks have been present on every ship and involved in every naval action and continue to do so.