(1) Sailors shall be assessed for character by the Commanding Officer under one of the following terms on the occasions prescribed in Regulation 326: - Very Good, to be written ... V.G.
Very Good(Star) to be written ... V.G.Star) Good, to be written ... Good Fair, to be written ... Fair Indifferent, to be written ... Indifferent Bad, to be written ... Bad.
(2) In assessing the character of a sailor, the Commanding Officer shall consult the Executive Officer and the officer of the sailor’s division as well as any other officer who may have special knowledge of the sailor. He shall fully consider all the entries against the sailor on his Record of Offences Sheet since the date of the last character assessment on his service certificate and his general character and efficiency, so that this duty, so important both to the sailor and to the Service, may be performed justly and with proper deliberation.
(3) Where a sailor has been transferred from another ship, or has been embarked, since the immediately preceding 31st December, the Commanding Officer shall take into consideration the assessment made on the sailor’s Recommendation for Advancement and Conduct Record Sheet since that date.
(4) Where a sailor has been temporarily transferred for any course and is to return to the parent ship, the assessment shall be made by the parent ship.
(5) The actual character assessment to be given to any sailor shall be at the discretion of the Commanding Officer subject to the maximum assessments prescribed in Regulation 320 to 325 and to any inferior assessment already approved following conviction by the civil power. Any assessment which is below the maximum allowable for example. “Good” when “V. G.” or “V.
G.*” is permissible of “Fair” when “Good” is permissible, shall be underlined by the Commanding Officer in order that there may be no question that the assessment has been made advisedly. When considering such discretionary assessments the Commanding Officer shall bear in mind that-
(a) any discretionary assessment involves a break in the continuity of the sailor’s “Very Good” conduct and therefore has an adverse effect on the award or restoration of badges, and on advancement;
(b) a “Good” assessment unless awarded within the first three years of pensionable service shall render the sailor ineligible to be considered, on completion of time for minimum pension, for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal with or without gratuity.
© a “fair” or lower assessment shall render a sailor ineligible to be considered, for all time, for the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal with or without gratuity.
(6) When assessing the character of a sailor who is in the second class for conduct on the immediately preceding 31st December and may be restored to the first class at the end of the first or second months, the Commanding Officer may award the highest character permissible, for example, “V.G.*” if appropriate or “Good”, but if restoration is deferred beyond the first or second months, the assessment must be altered to “Good” or “Fair” as the case may be. Such alterations shall be reported to the Captain, Naval Barracks.
(7) If a sentence be quashed, the sentence originally awarded shall not affect the maximum character assessment for which the sailor is otherwise eligible.
(8) If a sentence be reduced, the sailor shall be eligible for the maximum character assessment applicable to the reduced sentence.
(9) If a sentence be suspended before a committal order is issued, the effect upon character entailed by the inflection of the suspended sentence shall also be regarded as suspended.
(10) With this exceptions in sub-regulations (7) to (9) the maximum character assessment shall be governed by the sentence as awarded shall not be affected by remission earned by the offender or granted by the Government, or by discharge of the offender from prison or detention under section 154.
(11) A conviction by the civil power shall not be taken into consideration in the assessment of character, unless an inferior character was either specially approved or was entailed by any other consequential naval penalty following conviction by the civil power.