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| General | |
|---|---|
_OF-9_(rounded).svg)  Army and Royal Marines insignia | |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Service branch | |
| Abbreviation | Gen |
| Rank group | General officer |
| Rank | Four-star rank |
| NATOrank code | OF-9 |
| Next higher rank |
|
| Next lower rank | Lieutenant-general |
| Equivalent ranks | |
General (orfull general to distinguish it from the lowergeneral officer ranks) is the highest rank achievable by serving officers of theBritish Army and theRoyal Marines. The rank can also be held byRoyal Marines officers in tri-service posts, for example, GeneralsSir Gordon Messenger andSir Gwyn Jenkins, formerVice-Chiefs of the Defence Staff. It ranks abovelieutenant-general and, in the Army, is subordinate to the rank offield marshal, which is now awarded as an honorary rank only. The rank of general has a NATO-code ofOF-9, and is afour-star rank.[1] It is equivalent to afull admiral in theRoyal Navy or anair chief marshal in theRoyal Air Force.
Officers holding the ranks of general,lieutenant-general andmajor-general are 'general officers' and may be addressed as 'general'.[2]
A general officer's insignia is a crossed sword and baton.[3] This appeared on its own for the now obsolete rank ofbrigadier-general. Amajor-general has apip over this emblem; alieutenant-general a crown instead of a pip; and a fullgeneral both a pip and a crown. The insignia for the highest rank, that ofField Marshal, consists of crossed batons within a wreath and surmounted by a crown.
