Frank Rimmer was the brother of Arnold Rimmer and a high flying officer in the Space Corps. There were four Rimmer brothers: John, Howard, Frank and Arnold. Their social father was obsessed with getting them into the space corps and continually tested and cajoled his sons to that end. To ensure they met the height requirements, Mr. Rimmer used a traction table to stretch his sons. By the time Frank was eleven, he was 6 ft 5 inches tall (RD: Better Than Life). Frank may have been named after his uncle, who was having a secret affair with Mrs. Rimmer (RD: The Last Day).