Atroop sergeant major (TSM)[1] is the seniornon-commissioned officer in aRoyal Artillerytroop of theBritish Army, usually holding the rank ofwarrant officer class 2. This differs from acavalry troop orinfantryplatoon, in which the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer (NCO) is usually asergeant.
The rank was formerly used in British cavalry units. It was introduced in 1813 to replace thequartermaster as the senior NCO of a troop, and was roughly equivalent to acolour sergeant in the infantry. As thesquadron replaced the troop as the main tactical and administrative division of theregiment, so thesquadron sergeant major superseded the troop sergeant major.
It was revived in 1938 as an appointment of the short-lived rank of warrant officer class III (WOIII). The new troop sergeant major, and his infantry counterpart, theplatoon sergeant major, were part of an experiment in giving experienced NCOs command of units (troops and platoons) formerly reserved forcommissioned officers. The experiment was not considered a success, and no promotions were made to the rank after 1940; most existing WOIIIs were commissioned as lieutenants.
The old appointment is presumably whystaff sergeants are referred to and addressed as "Sergeant Major" in British cavalryregiments.[citation needed] A staff sergeant can command a cavalry troop, in the same way as the old WOIII troop sergeant majors.