BADGES OF RANK

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 October 1939, Page 12

BADGES OF RANK

PRIVATE TO GENERAL The appearance of military uniforms since the outbreak of war has revealed widespread ignorance amongst civilians on the subject of badges of rank —a kind of knowledge now necessary in social and other contacts between civilians and soldiers. At a. recent social gathering in Wellington a distinguished New Zealand officer with the rank of colonel was addressed by a wide variety of titles ranging from captain to general. The colonel has a sense of humour and his serenity was not disturbed but the embarrassed uncertainty fell by most of the people who spoke to him was obvious from the anxious way their eyes swept his uniform before they began conversation. In the hope of assisting civilians to avoid similar perplexities in the future the distinguishing marks of the various ranks from private upwards, together with a brief outline of the duties assigned to each grade of officer, are given below. The men in the ranks have three titles according to the units in which they serve. In the infantry they are known as privates, in the artillery as gunners, and in the engineers as sappers. The first rank above these is that of lance-corporal in the infantry, and its equivalent is lance-bombardier in the artillery. The rank is signified by one stripe on each arm, and the lance-corporal or lance-bombardier has charge of a section of six or seven men.

Next in seniority is the corporal (equivalent artillery rank, bombardier), who has two stripes on each arm. His duties are the same as those of the lance-corporal, to whom, of course, he is senior. He may in an emergency be called upon to perform the duties of sergeant. Next in order is the sergeant, distinguished by three stripes on each arm. There are • two grades of sergeant —lance-sergeants and sergeants —but the number of stripes worn in each case is the same. A lance-ser-geant has the duties of a corporal, hut has the privilege of being a member of the sergeants’ mess, an exclusive organisation from which civilians are rigidly barred, and which even a commissioned officer may not enter except by express invitation. A full sergeant usually has charge of a platoon, under the platoon commander, and as such has authority over all the men and other non-com-missioned officers in the platoon. Next in order of seniority is the company quartermaster-sergeant, whose rank is indicated by three stripes surmounted by a crown on both sleeves. His principal duty is to look after the welfare of all the men in his company, which consists of four platoons. He looks to mess conditions, cooking, pay, and so on. The next step is to the rank of company sergeant-major, who is a warrant officer, Class 11. A crown on the lower part of the sleeve indicates his rank. He is responsible to the company commander for all the matters pertaining to the company (three platoons) and forms a kind of buffer state between the men and the commissioned officers. The regimental quartermaster-ser-geant is the next rank in order. He wears a crown enclosed in a wreath of gold leaves on the lower part of each sleeve. He' is responsible with the company quartermaster-sergeants beneath him for everything pertaining to quartermastering in the battalion. He assists in the control of the messing of the men and every tiling of that nature pertaining to the men’s welfare. He is a senior Class II warrant officer.

HIGHEST N.C.O. RANK The limit in non-commissioned rank is reached with the regimental ser-geant-major,. who wears a badge consisting of the Royal Arms on each, lower sleeve. He is responsible with the adjutant for discipline and all similar matters. He is the principal connecting link between the non-com-missioned and commissioned officers. The well-being of the whole regiment, discipline and the smooth running of regimental life engage his interest almost to the exclusion of everything else. The man who holds this rank has usually had considerable service. Although the quarternraster is usually a lieutenant or a captain he may be mentioned next because of his close association with the regimental sergeant-major. He is responsible to the commanding officer for the wellbeing of the regiment —the food, clothing, living conditions, and so on. He obtains all equipment required and distributes it with the assistance of the regimental quartermaster-ser-geant, who may have clerks and other men under him. Another commissioned officer with general duties is the adjutant usually a lieutenant or a captain. He is responsible to the commanding officer for everything in the regiment and should know everything that goes on. He is also an adviser to the .commanding officer, especially in matters of military law. Commissioned ranks begin with the ; junior subaltern or 2nd lieutenant, who is distinguished by one star on each shoulder-strap. He is usually in charge of a platoon of 32 non-commis-sioned officers and men.

A lieutenant (two stars on each shoulder strap) is next in seniority. Ho usually has similar duties assigned to him. A Ist lieutenant may also be second in command of a company consisting of three platoons. The next highest rank is that of a captain. Me is distinguished by three stars on each shoulder strap. He may be either a company commander or second in command of a company.

The next step is to the rank of major indicated by a crown on each shoulder strap. The senior major in a battalion is usually second in command. A battalion consists of five companies. The senior major is also president of the regimental institutions, and has charge of the tailors, shoemakers, sporting organisations, and so on. When the battalion commander is away he automatically -takes his place.

The lieutenant-colonel comes next. His rank is shown by a crown and one star on each shoulder strap. Jn the language of the soldier he is “the one and all of the battalion’’ of which he is commanding officer. The battalion as a whole is his responsibility. A. full colonel is indicated by the wearing of two stars and a crown oa each shoulder. A colonel may have charge of a brigade. He is also Ute first of the class of senior officers popularly described as brass hats because'of the edging of gold leaves round the peak of his hat.

Next, in order is the major-general who commands a division, consisting of three or four infantry brigades with the artillery and other units. >ncidentally this is the highest rank of any serving officer in New Zealand. The distinguishing marks of this r.-mx are crossed batons and a crown on each shoulder.