 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Brigadier" United Kingdom – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Brigadier | |
|---|---|
_OF-6_(rounded).svg)  Brigadier rank insignia | |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Service branch |  British Army Royal Marines |
| Abbreviation | Brig |
| Rank group | Field officer |
| Rank | One-star |
| NATOrank code | OF-6 |
| Formation | c. 1685–1688 |
| Next higher rank | Major-general |
| Next lower rank | Colonel |
| Equivalent ranks | |
Brigadier (Brig) is a senior rank in theBritish Army and theRoyal Marines. Brigadier is the superior rank tocolonel, and subordinate tomajor-general. It corresponds to the rank ofbrigadier general in many other nations.
The rank has aNATO rank code ofOF-6, placing it equivalent to theRoyal Navycommodore and theRoyal Air Forceair commodore ranks and the brigadier general (1-star general) rank of the United States military andnumerous other NATO nations.
The rank insignia for a brigadier is aTudor Crown over three "pips" ("Bath" stars).
Brigadier was originally an appointment conferred on colonels (as commodore was an appointment conferred on naval captains) rather than asubstantive rank.[1] However, from 1 November 1947 it became a substantive rank in the British Army.[2] The Royal Marines, however, retained it as an acting rank until 1997, when both commodore and brigadier became substantive ranks.[3]
_OF-6.svg)
Brigadier-general was formerly a rank or appointment in theBritish Army andRoyal Marines, and briefly in theRoyal Air Force. It first appeared in the army in the reign ofJames II,[4] but did not exist in the Royal Marines until 1913.[5] In the 1740s, the substantive rank of brigadier-general was suppressed,[6] and thereafter brigadier-general was a temporary appointment only, bestowed on a colonel or lieutenant-colonel (or on a colonel commandant in the Royal Marines) for the duration of a specific command (similar to acommodore).
The appointment was abolished in both the Army and the Marines in 1921, being replaced in the Army by the appointments ofcolonel-commandant (which already existed as a rank in the Marines) andcolonel on the staff. These appointments, although reflecting its modern role in the British Army as asenior colonel rather than a junior general, were not well received and were both replaced with brigadier in both the Army and the Marines (although not replacing the substantive rank of colonel commandant in the latter) in 1928.[1][7][8] From the formation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918 until 31 July 1919, it used the appointment of brigadier-general. This was superseded by the rank ofair commodore on the following day.
The rank insignia for appointment of the brigadier-general was a crossed sword and baton. The rank insignia for colonel-commandant and colonel on the staff was that later adopted for brigadiers.
Brigadier is the highestfield officer rank (hence the absence of the word "general"), whereas brigadier-general was the lowestgeneral officer "rank". However, the two ranks are considered equal.
Historically, brigadier and sub-brigadier were the junior officer ranks in theTroops of Horse Guards. This corresponded to French practice, where abrigadier was the cavalry equivalent of acorporal. To reflect the status of the Horse Guards asHousehold Troops, brigadiers ranked withlieutenants and sub-brigadiers withcornets in other cavalry regiments. When the Horse Guards were disbanded in 1788, the brigadiers and sub-brigadiers of the1st and2nd Troops became lieutenants and cornets in the1st and2nd Regiments of Life Guards, respectively.[9]
Brigadier remains the lowest officer rank in theRoyal Company of Archers, the King's Bodyguard for Scotland. There are twelve brigadiers on the establishment, ranking afterensigns.[10]
