Rank

Rank in the military forces of the British empire is not confined to the commissioned classes; the various grades of non-commissioned officers, and even the titles gunner, driver, sapper, or private are officially styled ranks. Lance or acting rank is a temporary advancement. Thus, a private or sapper is first made a lance-corporal, and a gunner or driver an acting-bombardier, before being permanently promoted. Until so promoted they rank only as private soldiers. Similarly a lance-sergeant is a corporal acting as sergeant, and holds only the lower rank.

Officers of the army and royal marines may hold either regimental or army rank or both. Up to captain inclusive, rank is purely regimental. Afterwards a captain may be promoted in his regiment to the successive ranks of major and lieutenant-colonel, or while still remaining a captain in his regiment he may become a major or lieutenant-colonel in the army by Brevet (q.v.). The rank of colonel is purely an army rank, obtainable only by brevet or on receiving an appointment, such as assistant-adjutant-general, which carries that rank.

The several grades of General (q.v.) are also army ranks only. Local rank is sometimes conferred on an officer to enable him to exercise command over others senior to him in a certain locality (South Africa, Egypt, &c.). Temporary rank is often similarly granted, and some appointments carry such rank; for instance, a colonel appointed quartermaster-general in India becomes a temporary major-general while so employed, and reverts to the lower rank at the end of his five years' term of office unless promoted in the meantime. Honorary rank is held by officers of the ordnance-store and army-pay departments and by Quartermasters (q.v.) and riding-masters. Officers of the militia, yeomanry, and volunteers also, after a certain number of years' service, receive a step of honorary rank. Substantive rank includes all rank other than army, brevet, honorary, local, and temporary rank, held by officers unless they are on the unemployed half-pay list. Half-pay rank as lieutenant-colonel (£200 a year) may be taken by an officer after seven years' service as major. Relative rank is held by army chaplains and veterinary surgeons. It carries with it all precedence and advantages attaching to the military rank with which it corresponds, and regulates rates of lodging-money, number of servants and horses, rations of fuel and light (or allowances in their stead), detention and prize-money. It does not entitle the holder to salutes from ships or fortresses, nor to the turning out of guards, and, of course, it does not confer any right to command. The corresponding ranks in the army and navy are shown in the following table, where the asterisks denote 'according to date of commission,' and the dagger 'junior of the rank.'