AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE GENESIS OF MILITARY RANKS, OR RATHER ARMY RANKS.

THE TABLE TALKS OF WARRANT OFFICERS BUT NOT JCOs. WONDER HOW THAT CAME ABOUT. WHAT IS THE EQUIVALENT OF SUBEDAR?

CARL

p.s. must look up the genesis of naval ranks too.

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Rank Insignia Comments Field Marshal The rank evolved from the title of marescalci (masters of the horse) of the early Frankish kings. The importance of cavalry in medieval warfare led to the marshalship being associated with a command position. The modern military title of field marshal was introduced into the British army in 1736 by King George II, who imported it from Germany. In Britain the rank came to be bestowed only upon a few senior army officers, notably the chief of Britain's Imperial General Staff. General The King would be the commander but he might appoint a Captain General to command in his name - the first being George Monck appointed by Charles II in 1660. Later, when the title of Colonel became popular some Kings called their commanders Colonel General. The British Army stopped using the Captain part of the title by the Eighteenth Century leaving just General as the top commander. Lat. generalis "something pertaining to a whole unit of anything rather than just to a part". Before the Sixteenth Century armies were usually formed only when needed for a war or campaign. Lieutenant General The king or his Captain General would often be away from the army since they had interests elsewhere so the job of actually running the army fell to the Captain General's assistant - his lieutenant - the Lieutenant General. This was not a permanent rank until the Seventeenth Century, before which one of the Colonels might be appointed Lieutenant General for a particular campaign or war but he would still command his own regiment. Major General The army's chief administrative officer was the Sergeant Major General. He would be an experienced soldier, possibly a commoner, who served as chief of staff. For much of his administrative work he dealt with the regimental Sergeant Majors, thus his title meant "overall" or "chief" Sergeant Major. His duties included such things as supply, organization, and forming the army for battle or march. As the General ranks became fixed during the Seventeenth Century the Sergeant portion fell away leaving the title as Major General. This happened in England in 1655 when its Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell organized the country into eleven military districts each commanded by a Major General. Brigadier Commander of a Brigade, in some armies later known as a Brigadier General. The Lieutenant General and Sergeant Major General dealt directly with the Colonels who lead the regiments making up the army. When there got to be too many regiments for the two generals to handle effectively they organized Brigades, usually composed of three or more Regiments. During the nineteenth century and before the "rank" of Brigadier was actually established, a local or temporary appointment granted (typically) to a full Colonel when commanding a Brigade. The Brigadier General was the lowest-ranking general officer but was abolished when the Brigade was abolished after World War I, being replaced by Colonels Commandant.. The rank of Brigadier appeared in 1928 Colonel The Spanish Army was organised into twenty units called colunelas or columns. These comprised1000 to 1250 men further organized into companies. The commander was the cabo de colunela, head of the column, or Colonel. Since the colunelas were royal or "crown" units they were also called coronelias and their commanders coronels. The French developed Regiments from the colunela, keeping the title of Colonel and pronounced it the way it looks. The British copied the French. They also borrowed the Colonel from the French but adopted the Spanish pronunciation of coronel. Lieutenant Colonel The Colonel's assistants - their Lieutenants - took over at such times and any other times the Colonels were gone. The Colonel's lieutenants, of course, soon became the Lieutenant Colonels. Major A Major was originally the Sergeant Major third in command to a Colonel in a traditional Regiment. Later, like a Lieutenant Colonel, a Major might command his own Battalion. Lat. maior is simply Latin for "greater". Captain Originally Captain-Lieutenant, becoming Captain in 1772. Lat. capitaneus "chieftain", from Lat. caput "head". Chieftain or head of a unit. As armies evolved his post came to be at the head of a company, which by the Sixteenth Century was usually 100 to 200 men. That seemed to be the number one man could manage in battle. Lieutenant French lieu (place) tenant (holder). The Lieutenant normally commands a small tactical unit such as a platoon. A Lieutenant often takes the place of a superior officer when that officer is absent. Second Lieutenant The lowest rank of commissioned officer. Note that a Subaltern is a term applied to any officer below the rank of captain, especially a second lieutenant. Derivation from Latin related to the word for alternate. Until 1871 the lowest commissioned rank was the Ensign in the Infantry and Cornet in the Cavalry - both names derived from French words signifying standard bearers. The Fusilier regiments, having no company colours, had First and Second Lieutenants anyway. The Fusiliers abolished the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1834. Between 1871-1877 the lowest was the Sub Lieutenant, after which today's Second Lieutenant rank was established. Warrant Officer Introduced into the British Army in 1879, the military grade of Warrant Officer dates back to the early years of the Royal Navy. These experienced soldiers, often have specialist appointments. They hold a Royal Warrant from Her Majesty The Queen. There are currently two classes of Warrant Officer, First Class and Second Class. Staff Sergeant A rank senior to sergeant. Sergeant Lat. serviens servant to a knight in medieval times. The English borrowed the word sergeant from the French in about the Thirteenth Century. Meaning "non-commissioned military officer" first recorded 1548. Originally a much more important rank than presently. Corporal Originally referred to a reliable veteran called the capo de'squadra or head of the square. The title changed to caporale by the Sixteenth Century and meant the leader of a small body of soldiers. The French picked up the term in about the Sixteenth Century and pronounced it in various ways, one of them being corporal, which indicates a mixing with the Latin word corpus or French corps (body). The British adopted corporal in the Seventeenth or Eighteenth Century and it has been a part of the army ever since. The British gave the Corporal his two stripes when they started using chevrons in 1803. Lance Corporal Appointment and not a rank. Junior to a Corporal. From lancepesade "officer of lowest rank, from obsolete French lancepessade, from Old Italian lancia spezzata, superior soldier, literally "broken lance". Originally referred to as a "chosen man" who would take control of the section if the Corporal was to be killed or wounded Private Lat. privus or privo "an individual person and later an individual without (deprived of) an office" i.e. a private gentleman. The term as a military rank seems to come from the Sixteenth Century when individuals had the privilege of enlisting or making private contracts to serve as private soldiers in military units.

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(SOURCE : VIA E-MAIL FROM CARL GOMES VET)
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A few days ago I posted an email on the origin of British Army ranks’. It was very disappointing that no Army veteran thought it necessary to comment or clarify the doubts expressed. I do not know if ignoring the post was was due to ignorance or indifference. Whatever the reason, I give below the origin (and existing practice) of naval ranks. I am sure it will evoke some interest. Cheers CHG. Admirals This rank title has its origins in the Arabic amir-al-bahr translated as “Admiral of the Seas”. This rank first appeared in England in 1297 when Edward I named William de Leyburn as ‘Admiral of the Sea of the King of England’. The first royal commission as Admiral to a naval officer was granted in 1303. By 1344 it was only used as a rank at sea for a captain in charge of a fleet or fleets. The rank of Vice-Admiral evolved from that of Lieutenant-Admiral, that being an officer who acted as secretary to the Admiral and lapsed in 1876 but was revived in 1901 by King Edward VII . The rank of Rear-Admiral is the rank subordinate to Vice-Admiral. The rank of Rear Admiral is denoted by a broad gold band and one stripe, and two stars on the shoulder board. A Vice-Admiral has a broad gold band and two stripes, and three stars on the shoulder board and the rank of Admiral has a broad gold band and three stripes and four stars on the shoulder board. Commodore The word ‘Commodore’ is of French origin and came into use by the English in the 17th century around the time of the Dutch Wars of 1652. It would appear that William III introduced the rank into the Royal Navy from the Dutch Navy. Other uses of the title are a senior captain of a fleet of merchant ships, a captain of pilots, and President of a yacht club. Officers are shown in the rank of Commodore in the navy list of 1795 but not officially until 1806. By the mid 19th century the rank was non-substantive although associated with certain shore posts and as a courtesy title for the senior officer of a group of three or more ships. In its modern form there were, until the 1980s two classes of Commodore, first and second, both of which were non-substantive. Commodores First Class wore the uniform of a Rear Admiral and was entitled to fly a broad pendent which was white with a red St. George’s Cross.  Commodores Second Class denoted their rank with the broad strip in use today and their broad pendant was distinguished from that of the Commodore First Class by the addition of a red ball in the upper left canton. The Royal Navy in the 1980s introduced the substantive rank of Commodore, although it was understood that not officers will be promoted through the rank, i.e. Captains may still be promoted direct to Rear Admiral. The rank of Commodore is denoted by a broad gold band Captain The origins of the word are from the Saxon word for chief caput. Prior to the 14th century the commander of a ship was known as a Batsuen (Boatswain) or another higher rank which was known as a Reçtor. In about 1380 the rank of Captain was established and entered use which was a higher rank that Master who was in charge of sailing the ship.  By the seventeenth century there were two types of Captain Rank; those who had advanced from junior ranks and those who were promoted directly to the rank. By 1748 it was deemed that any officer in command of the ship was entitled to the rank of captain while in command of the ship. The rank of Captain is denoted by four gold stripes. Commanders Prior to 1794 this rank was known as Master and Commander and was only for those commanding officers of warship with less than 24 guns, a sloop, or bomb vessels. It was simplified in 1794 to Commander. In 1827, the Royal Navy determined Commander as a rank for those who were in second-in-command of the largest warships in the Navy, a move that took some time to be popular.  Lieutenant Commander The rank of Lieutenant-Commander did not come into use until 1914 when the Royal Navy converted the rank of Senior Lieutenant. The rank of Lieutenant Commander is denoted by three gold stripes, with the middle stripe half as thick while the rank of Commander is denoted by three gold stripes. Lieutenant The word comes from the French word which translates as ‘one who replaces’. This rank was introduced in 1850 to provide the commanding officer of a ship with an executive assistance suitably qualified to command the vessel in his absence or if he was disabled. The rank of Lieutenant is denoted by two gold stripes. Sub-lieutenant This was introduced into the Royal Navy in c1811but was not adopted. It was not until 1861 that it was reintroduced in lieu of the previous rank of Mate. The rank of Sub Lieutenant is denoted by a single gold stripe. Ensign A rank adopted by the United States Navy in 1862 to denote a Midshipman who had passed out of the Annapolis Naval Academy.This rank is used in the RNZN to donate a Midshipman of two years standing. The rank of Ensign is denoted by a single thin gold stripe. Midshipman The term originally denoted men stationed amidships and was first mentioned in the seventeenth century. Until it was formalised in 1815 as a rank it was purely a ship’s rating.  Up until that time midshipmen were “young gentlemen, not under the age of eleven years who were intended for the sea service…” In order to advance to the rank of Lieutenant, the young gentleman had to spend six years at sea, including two years as a midshipman or mate. In 1837, with the creation of HMS Illustrious as a cadet training ship at Portsmouth, it appears that the rank of midshipman was transferred to officer cadets undergoing training. Since then that term has applied to all officer cadets in navies that have followed the Royal Navy tradition including the IN. Warrant Officer In the 11th century warships needed men who were skilled in seamanship to take the ships to sea with their complement of soldiers. The officers that led the soldiers were commissioned by the King while the seamen were given the equivalent of a commission – known as a Warrant.  These would be issued from whoever the naval authorities of the day were. This process continued down through time as the Royal Navy developed. For example, by the 16th Century, Warrants were issued to a ship’s master, purser, gunner, boatswain, carpenter etc. By the 17th century ship’s masters were very well paid when compared to other warrant officers. When a set of regulations were issued in 1806 there were three classes of WO in the Royal Navy of fourteen ranks First Class Masters, Second Masters, Surgeon, and Chaplain, Second Class Gunner, Boatswain, Carpenter, Purser, and School-Master and Third Master-at-Arms, Cook, Sail-maker, Rope-maker, and Caulker. In 1859, the Royal Commission into Manning of the Navy took evidence on the poor status of WO in the RN and made several recommendations about pay and conditions. Immediately WO were restored in rank after Second Masters and the RN would consider promotion to commissioned rank from WO. In 1872 WO’s names were first published in the Navy List. This was followed by abolishing of different classes of WO. Interestingly, Army WO were considered to be beneath in rank to Naval WO. As with officers, it seems the period 1860-1925 was one of continual change for the Warrant Officers of the Royal Navy. They were also very politically active, always lobbying senior commanders and MPs for improvements to their conditions of service. As a body, WO in this period felt overlooked and underappreciated. In smaller warships, they were still keeping the watch, acting as gunners and boatswains, tasks aboard ship that were beneath their skill level. One of the WO ‘friends’ was a Commander John Fisher who made a great impression on WO under his command aboard HMS Ocean in the 1880s. It would be as Admiral Fisher, Second Sea Lord in 1902 and responsible for personnel that he would make further changes and improve the lot of all ratings and officers. He clearly understood that it was the human element that won battles, not the ships themselves. He was to write that ‘the lower deck richly deserves all we [the Admiralty] can do…our warrant and petty officers are competent for higher positions… and for the good of the Service their status must be raised.” It had been the practice to promote WO with long service to Lieutenant as they came to end of their career. This was more a courtesy than good practice and again showed the ambivalence that the RN showed the position of WO in the fleet. In 1910, Writers, Stewards, MAA, and Cooks were allowed to become WO. Schemes to let PO to be promoted acting WO then undertake the courses as Sub-Lieutenants and get a commission as a Sub-Lieutenant. By the outbreak of the First World War, selected WO and PO went through as course of training then were given the position of Mate before being commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant. During the war many WO gained a commission and mainly served in small craft. Those with Warrants struggled in the interwar period. In the Second World War, most WO were given temporary wartime commissions. Post war the situation changed again. Warrants were given to senior ratings as a promotion and were treated as a key part of the command structure. In the In there are no WOs, but we have Master Chief Petty Officers (MCPO) First and Second Class who neither have a commission nor a warrant.These ranks were created in 1969, in the run-up to the 3rd CPC. (Why the IN did not adopt WO instead of MCPO will remain a mystery. It already existed in other navies).. Chief Petty Officer The rank of Chief Petty Officer (CPO) was instituted in 1853 by an Admiralty Committee report on manning. No arm badges were required to be worn but rather attached to the collar with some exceptions for artificer CPOs. This order in council was in part to address the manning crisis that the Royal Navy had to endure with the end of the press-gang system. The rate of CPO was introduced to replace the following ranks:     Chief Boatswain’s Mate     Chief Captain Of The Forecastle     Admiral’s Coxswain     Chief Quartermaster     Chief Carpenter’s Mate     Seamen’s Schoolmaster     Ship’s Steward     Ship’s Cook Pay and conditions were also improved along with this rank. Petty Officer ​T​he rate Petty Officer can trace the title back to the old French word, petit meaning something small. Over the years, the word also came to mean minor, secondary, and subordinate. In medieval and later England just about every village had several “petite”, “pety” or “petty” officials/officers who were subordinate to such major officials as the Steward of Sheriff. The petty officers were the assistants to the senior officials. The senior officers of the early British warships, such as the Boatswain, Gunner and Carpenter, also had assistants or “mates.” Since the early seamen knew petty officers in their home villages they used the term to describe the minor officials aboard their ships. A ship’s Captain or Master chose his own Petty Officers who served at his pleasure. At the end of a voyage or whenever the ship’s crew was paid off and released, the Petty Officers lost their positions and titles. There were Petty Officers in the British navy in the Seventeenth Century and perhaps earlier but the rank did not become official until 1808. Petty Officers were important members of the ship’s companies and were also appointed by their ship’s Captain. They did not have uniforms or rank insignia, and they usually held their appointments only while serving on a ship with the Captain had selected them. Until 1853, when Chief Petty Officer and leading rate rating were introduced, Petty Officer was the only rate above Able Rate.Master-at-arms used to have Ship’s Corporals that became known as Regulating Petty Officers from 1913-14 in the Royal Navy. Up until 1913 there were two classes of Petty Officer when the Royal Navy abolished Petty Officer Second Class as a rate. Boatswain Pronounced bo’sun, the origin for this name comes from the Saxon for servant swein, thus a boatswain meant a servant of the boat. A boatswain is charged with the responsibility for the anchors, cables, hawsers, rigging a __._,_.___ (Posted by: Cdr Chandra Shekhar (Retd)