Sergeant Major (rank)

A Sergeant Major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. In Commonwealth countries, the various degrees of Sergeant Major are appointments held by warrant officers. In the British Army and Royal Marines, company/battery/squadron sergeant major is an appointment for a Warrant Officer class 2 (WO2) and Regimental Sergeant Major is a Warrant Officer class 1 (WO1) appointment.

Due to differences in nomenclature between Regiments and Corps, Sergeant Majors' titles vary. For example, a Squadron Sergeant Major and Battery Sergeant Major would be found in the cavalry and Royal Artillery respectively, and in the REME there are the appointments of artificer sergeant major. Sergeant Major Instructor is an appointment held by Warrant Officer class 1 in the Small Arms School Corps and the Army Physical Training Corps and by some WO1s in the Royal Engineers. It is also an appointment held by some of the civilian adult instructors in the Army Cadet Force. A Machinist Sergeant Major is a specialist most often found in the Corps of Royal Engineers or the Royal Army Service Corps, and was the title of one of the major characters in the book and the film based on it, Ice Cold in Alex.

The posts of Regimental and Squadron Corporal Major are the Household Cavalry's equivalent of sergeant majors, as the Household Cavalry traditionally does not have ranks named sergeant. The Rifles use the spelling "Serjeant Major". There is a new 'Army Sergeant Major' of the British Army due to the reforms of the British Army.

References / notes

The above term is listed in our Compendium of the Great War.

This compendium forms the central hub of words, phrases, people, and places relative to the Great War period of 1914–1918. These also include battles, political events, ships, trench slang, British and American service terms and expressions in everyday use, nicknames, sobriquets, the titles of British and Commonwealth Regiments and their origins, and also warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary with the war, which is reflected in the language used, some of which may seem derogatory by today's standards. Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.

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