Is there listed anywhere the definitions of ranks of Sergeant / Sergeant Major within the British Army? I am to say the least a little confused about the varying titles, ORQMS, Colour Serg., RSM, CSM, SSM, DSM, PSM., etc … what their responsibilities were and to whom they would have been answerable/for whom responsible? Something concise that even the stupid could understand would be great … Thanks d
DBF - you could try this link on google - it's fairly accurate - the psm and dsm are not known - those listed are the genuine ranks " Ranks of the British Army - Wikipedia "
Hi Tom, Thanks for answering, I found this, is it what you were looking at? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army_Other_Ranks_rank_insignia Drill Sergeant / Pipe Major are probably the least of my worries. Right now I am trying to work out the responsibilities within a bn. Whilst reading a History I keep coming across these ranks and it would be nice to know the background etc. to them. Thanks, Diane
PSM can be Platoon Sergeant Major (a WO III) in Foot Guards and Infantry of the line. The rank of Warrant Officer class III was introduced in October 1938 and put in "suspended animation" in 1940. other WOIII s are SSM (Section Sergeant Major) (not to be confused with the SSM who is a Squadron Sergeant Major and, therefore a WOII) and TSM (Troop Sergeant Major). Just thought I'd stir the mud up a little!:p Dave.
Cheers Dave, That you have:p:p. The one thing I thought I had sussed was SSM - Squadron SM! Which I am still holding to in the case of the armoured bn. And yes, we are talking Foot Guards - Micks in my case.
Sorry! (want another SSM? - Staff Sergeant Major (a WOI appointment). There you go - a SSM can be either WO1 , WO2 or WO3 !!!! (I'll shut up now!) Dave.
Croonaert - and you did that very well.... ! DBF - the other ranks link is the better of the lot as it shows the main other ranks - basically the RSM ran the battalion - in conjuction with the Colonel - although the C.O. invariably thought he ran it as he signed for everything - same with CSM/ SSM - (squadron sgt major of Armoured regiments ) there were other WO's and N.C.O's in title depending on the various tasks they performed i.e WO1 for REME - not necssarily an RSM - but head man of that group, and HE ran that group - all of thm reported to the top Officer in the Battalion/ Group etc....and HE must be obeyed with alacrity as in God like ! Cheers
Nooooooooooooooo! Don't shut up now, we're only getting started surely... Any others? What about QM Sergeant?
DBF - the Micks were always different - they would jump from lance corporal to lance sergeant just because Queen Victoria said so - then to Platoon sgt and on and upwards - many and varied are the non comm ranks depending on the regiment - and don't go anywhere near the cavalry...BUT the Officers were always in charge that means when things went wrong - it was all their fault ! Cheeers
Household Cavalry are even more awkward. They have Staff Corporals. Staff Corporal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hi Tom, I do know this: if velcro had been around then it would have saved my Dad a lot of sewing. His stripes were on and off, on and off and on again ... he must have got the blame for something. Can't think what ... Cheers, Diane
DBF - the QM or QMS - SQMS - were the "scroungers" - i.e. thieves and vagabonds whose main job was to keep enough supplies on hand the feed - clothe - and generally look after all the needs of the all of the troops in the battalion/ regiment - he then had a staff of storekeepers A.K.A - thieves mark 2's - who would then issue said supplies as if they had paid personaly for all things - QM's did miraculous things at times by somehow with or without exchanging cash for goods - came up with e.g. Turkey dinners for Christmas in the most unlikely venues - employing the well known "chitty' a form of a bill of sale to be redeemed at a later date on finally winning the war - and signed by no less a personage as Winston S Churchill who was invariably on the spot at the time. Many QM's are known to have been millionaires after the war......
Tom, That was very interesting. I have read and heard stories about these characters and their uncanny ability to find things when required. Funny you should say that last comment - look what I read this weekend.
They have have Regimental corporal majors! ...and Regimental Quarter Master Corporals (WOII). They're great aren't they? Dave.
Tom, thanks, I missed this one, sorry. I have a photo from my Dad's album showing 3 sergs. (from 2 armd and 3bn) whose names I have. I think I can work out now what they were all supposed to be doing. The 'mud' is finally beginning to settle. So this leaves me with one last question ... which one kissed them goodnight?
Yep, and I've found another one. Now that R.Q.M.S. is sorted, what on earth is a T.Q.M.S.? Please don't tell me this is a typo ...
DBF- the army has changed then - imagine a staff sgt admitting that he was ashamed to make a profit - whatever next - and then get aquitted - didn't used to bother our lot BUT they would have been breaking stones for 20 odd years - like the Salerno mutineers who objected to joining the 5th US army - three sgts were sentenced to death...glad the mud is settling - don't know who kissed them good night but sure a heck - it wasn't me - biggest shock was finally getting back to the U.K. after a while and being bossed around by an RSM at Dover - he couldn't have been more than 18/19.... cheers
DBF - TQMS - Technical QMS - they looked after all spares for tanks - vehicles of all sorts - Ron Goldstein was Technical Corporal for the 4th Queen Own Hussars in Trieste - he doesn't say so but he is loaded you should see his house in Cockfosters - shheeeesh -! here is an example of using a "chitty" to get out of trouble .... Malaria pits and poison parties Mosquitoes and malaria were a big problem in that area, and so very strict measures were taken to control them. We had already lost one driver, Albert Fairclough, from Yorkshire. He was sent back to England as incurable, having had constant malaria over some nine months. The main control was to mix up one shovel full of Paris Green arsenic with 50 shovels full of sand, mix well and spread over all the pools of water within half a mile of the camp. When the anopheles mosquito larvae finally came up for air, this poison was sucked in, and it was goodbye to yet another mosquito before it could take flight. A promissory note from Churchill One poison party was supervised by a corporal, not the brightest star in the firmament, who confused the instructions. Thus, when the villagers’ cattle came to drink, they keeled over ... dead! Naturally, the buzzards came to clean up the environment — they also keeled over ... dead. Now the North African vulture is a gourmet meal for many villagers, and so we had a local hospital full of very sick villagers. It was understood by many that a promissory note was handed over to the headman of the village. The note had been signed — on the spot — by one Winston S Churchill. It was just as well that we were on our way to the real war in Italy
Check out the other thread on a similar vein at, Read This http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/network-information/14703-read.html
