British Army Other Ranks Rank Insignia - Variants

Variants

Bombardier/Lance Bombardier are ranks of the Royal Artillery.

In the Foot Guards and Honourable Artillery Company:

• lance corporals wear two chevrons rather than one (allegedly because Queen Victoria did not like the look of one chevron, and thus decreed her personal troops would have at least two);
• corporals are automatically appointed Lance Sergeant, wearing three chevrons; in full dress, a lance sergeant's chevrons are white, whereas a full sergeant's are gold.

The Household Cavalry maintains the old cavalry tradition of having no rank of sergeant (allegedly because the word Sergeant is descended from Servant and such a title was considered inappropriate for Household troops), which was originally an infantry rank only. It has its own peculiar set of insignia and ranks with the following equivalents:

• Staff Corporal = Staff Sergeant: four chevrons, point up and worn on the lower sleeve, with metal crown above;
• Corporal of Horse = Sergeant: three chevrons, point down, with a metal crown above (confusingly similar to the insignia of a Staff Sergeant in other units);
• Lance Corporal of Horse = Lance Sergeant (Corporal): same as a Corporal of Horse, but with a cloth crown rather than a metal one;
• Lance Corporal: two chevrons, with a crown above.

Similarly, warrant officer appointments are different, with, for example, Regimental Corporal Major being used in place of Regimental Sergeant Major.

Uniquely, non-commissioned officers and warrant officers of the Household Cavalry do not wear any insignia on their full dress uniforms (although officers do). Rank is indicated by a system of aiguillettes.

In several cavalry regiments including the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards and the Queen's Royal Hussars, NCO's holding the rank of Lance Corporal wear two stripes. Full Corporals are distinguished by the addition of a cypher above their two stripes in dress uniforms.

Staff Sergeants in an appointment as Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant in the cavalry, sometimes wear four stripes with a crown and are referred to as "Sergeant Major". The term "mister" then being given to WO2's.