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Listed in the table below are therank insignia of theBritish Army. Badges forfield officers were introduced in 1810 and the insignia was moved to theepaulettes in 1880. On ceremonial or parade uniforms these ranks continue to be worn on the epaulettes, either as cloth slides or as metal clips, although on the modern 'working dress' (daily uniform) they are usually worn as a cloth slide on the chest. Although these insignia apply across the British Army there is variation in the precise design and colours used and it can take some time to become familiar with them all.
Officers in the ranks of lieutenant and second lieutenant are often referred to assubalterns and these and captains are also referred to as company officers. Brigadiers, colonels, lieutenant colonels and majors arefield officers. All above these are considered to be ofgeneral officer rank.
| Rank group | Field marshals | General officers | Field officers | Junior officers | Officer cadets | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NATO code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | N/A | |
| Insignia | _OF-10_(rounded).svg) | _OF-9_(rounded).svg) | _OF-8_(rounded).svg) | _OF-7_(rounded).svg) | _OF-6_(rounded).svg) | _OF-5.svg) | _OF-4.svg) | _OF-3.svg) | _OF-2.svg) | _OF-1b.svg) | _OF-1a.svg) | _OF_(D).svg) |
| Rank | Field marshal | General | Lieutenant-general | Major-general | Brigadier | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major | Captain | Lieutenant | Second lieutenant | Officer cadet |
| Abbreviation | FM | Gen | Lt Gen | Maj Gen | Brig | Col | Lt Col | Maj | Capt | Lt | 2Lt | OCdt |
The standard star design (colloquially known as a 'pip') is theBath star, based on thestar of a Knight Grand Cross Military Division of the Order of the Bath but with two of the star's three small crowns uppermost and without the motto of the Prince of Wales,Ich dien, underneath. Officers of thePrincess of Wales's Royal Regiment and theRoyal Welsh wear a slightly different design known as the Eversleigh star which includes the motto. Officers of theHousehold Division and theHonourable Artillery Company wear stars based on those of the orders ofthe Garter,the Thistle andSt Patrick. Buttons shown for all except field marshals and general officers vary by regiment.[2]
The sword points to the general officer's front whenworn on the shoulders and to the officer's right shoulder (to the viewer's left, as shown) when worn as a front rank slide.[2]
The rank of field marshal has become an honorary rank; the last active officer to be promoted to the rank was in 1994.[citation needed]
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| Officer rank | Typical command size[3] | Typical command appointment | Typical time taken for a promotion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Officer cadet | No command | N/A | |
| Second lieutenant | 35 soldiers | Platoon/troop | After completing officer training |
| Lieutenant | Up to 2 years after reaching second lieutenant rank | ||
| Captain | Between 50 and 120 soldiers | Company/battery/squadron | After 3 years of commissioned service |
| Major | Up to 120 soldiers and officers | After being in the army for between 8 and 10 years | |
| Lieutenant colonel | Up to 650 soldiers and officers | Battalion/regiment/battlegroup | N/A |
| Colonel | Field command in theRoyal Army Medical Corps | Staff officers | |
| Brigadier | Brigade or director ofstaff | ||
| Major general | Division | ||
| Lieutenant-general | Corps | ||
| General | Most senior rank | ||
| Field marshal | Currently an honorary rank | ||
Before 1767, there were no definite badges for Field Marshals andgeneral officers. In 1767, the British Army issued an order to distinguish Field Marshals (once the rank was established in 1813) and different graded General officers by the combination ofchevron-shaped ess pattern laces on the sleeve.[citation needed]
During theNapoleonic Wars, field marshals wore oak-leaf embroidered collar and cuff; and shoulder cord instead of previous pattern. It was continued until the end of 1830.[citation needed]
At the beginning of 1831, new rank distinction was ordered for field marshals and general officers.[4]
After theCrimean War (30 January 1855), theWar Office ordered different rank badges for British general,staff officers andregimental officers.[4] It was the first complete set of rank badges to be used by the British Army.
In 1868, brigadier-generals were ordered to wear the same collar as other General officers, but no device in the collar.[citation needed]
In 1880, the War Office ordered to move rank badges from collar to shoulder.[4][5]
Due to the expansion of the Army during World War I, there were a very large number of general officers, whose numbers were very disproportionate to the other Allied Armies, and reduced the status of all British Generals.[6] There were talks and proposal to address the number of general officers without abolishing the rank, but it was found that this would produce a number of issues and was considered impracticable. In 1920 it was promulgated in Army Order 545 of 1920 to abolish the rank of Brigadier General and substitute in its place the ranksColonel Commandant (commander of a brigade or training school) andColonel-on-the-Staff (staff officer, usually appointed Directors, Deputy Director etc. at the War Officer and in India), effective from 1 January 1921.[7][5] The rank badges of Colonel Commandant and Colonel on the staff were identical to each other, consisting of a crown and three stars. After difficulties arose for those who previously held the rank of brigadier-general;Earl Curzon stated that: "…British Military Attaches at foreign capitals who at present hold the rank of Brigadier-General…will lose precedence and prestige and will have to yield in both respects to foreign officers…". The Secretary of State refused to make an exception for Military Attaches, on the advice of the Army Council. However, following this, difficulties arose in India, as in the minds of the Indian personnel commanders of brigades had lost prestige, as the term Colonel conveys the command of battalions.[8] In 1926 Formal consent by the King to substitute Colonel Commandant with Brigadier was given, however after further issues were raised, the matter was reopened and on reconsideration it was decided to abolish the title of Colonel-on-the-Staff also. Accordingly, on 1 June 1928, the temporary rank of brigadier was reinstated, and the titles of Colonel Commandant and Colonel-on-the-Staff were abolished.[5] The Army Order stated,[9]
"Officers holding the temporary rank of brigadier will have precedence of, and command over all other colonels. Among them- selves they will take precedence according to their permanent rank. They will wear the same dress (including rank badges) as at present prescribed for colonels commandant and colonels on the staff."[9]
Brigadiers have held the same rank insignia, of the Colonel Commandant and Colonels-on-the-Staff since 1928.[citation needed]
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| In 1953, the crown was changed from theTudor Crown to theCrown of St Edward, when QueenElizabeth II adopted a stylised image of the crown for use in coats of arms, badges, logos and various other insignia.[10] KingCharles III reinstated the Tudor Crown in 2022[11] and it was rolled out onto British Army uniforms in time for his coronation in 2023.[12] |
Initially company and field rank insignia did not appear on officers' uniforms.[13] In 1791 the War Office ordered officers to wear different graded epaulettes and wings to distinguish regimental officer ranks (Colonel to Ensign/ Cornet). This was ordered only forline infantry officers.[citation needed] According to the Army Order,
In 1795, a special pattern of epaulettes was ordered forFusiliers andLight Infantry officers. Field officers of those regiments wore epaulettes over wings. Company officers wore wings.[citation needed]
A specific system of rank insignia for field officers probably existed beginning from the 1790s. This is suggested by a General Order of theHEIC dated 21 July 1796: It was ordered that lieutenant colonels had to wear one six-pointed star in the centre of the strap of both epaulettes, while colonels had two stars on the epaulettes' strap (majors had no insiagnia).[14] Presumably the HEIC followed one of the uniform regulations of the British Army, which it usually adopted very quickly after its publication.[citation needed]
In February 1810, an order was issued by the War Office to distinguish Field officer ranks.[citation needed] The following devices were introduced in the epaulettes:
These badges were issued for all infantry regiments except theFoot Guards. In 1815, badges for Foot Guards were ordered. In Foot Guards regiments, all Field Officers were equivalent to the Colonels of line infantry regiments. Captains were equivalent to Lieutenant Colonels, Lieutenants were equivalent to Majors and Ensigns were equivalent to Captains of Battalion companies.[citation needed]
In 1829, epaulettes and wings were standardised by maintaining the badges of rank issued in 1810 and 1815. According to the order, epaulettes of all regular infantry regiments and foot guards regiments would be in gold and other regiments were in silver. All officers including field and company officers wore epaulettes and wings on both shoulders. The epaulettes over wings system was abolished. Different graded officer wore different sized bullion to distinguish themselves from other.[citation needed]
In January 1855, at the end of the Crimean War, the War Office abolished all epaulette and wing rank badges. New rank badges were introduced in the collar. It was first time that a complete set of rank badges was used by the British Army.[citation needed]
In April 1880, rank badges were moved from collar to shoulder and officers of all regiments wore the following rank badges.[citation needed]
In May 1902, rank badges were moved to sleeve's cuff and company-grade officer badges were slightly modified:[15]
In 1919, a new order was issued by the Horse Guards office—all Guards officers would wear special star badges.[citation needed]
DuringWorld War I, some officers took to wearing tunics with the rank badges on the shoulder, as the cuff badges made them too conspicuous to snipers. This practice was frowned on outside the trenches but was given official sanction in 1917 as an optional alternative, being made permanent in 1920, when the cuff badges were abolished.[16]
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