RSMs commissioned as Captains

[Granite-Yorkie]

Hi, I've noticed a number of New Army Regimental Sergeant Majors being commissioned as Temporary Captains- examples being Frederick McCabery (RSM 6/KOYLI) who was commissioned as a Captain in the 9th Battalion and Charles Parmee (RSM 8/DCLI) who was commissioned as a Captain into his own battalion. Was this a common thing to happen in the early days of Kitchener's Armies?

[auchonvillerssomme]

I was wondering what McCabery's substantative rank was but have found this -

Temp. Maj. F. W. McCabery relinquishes

his commission on account of ill-health contracted

on active service, and is granted the

hon. rank of Maj. 31 Mar. 1917

Mick

[27thBN]

In today's army in Australia ..a commission was usually to a Captain as to WW1 not that i am aware of .

I would be a insult for an RSM to be commissioned as a 2lt after 20 plus years service.

MC

[ForeignGong]

Hi

In the 1920 Australian Offrs List that I have, there is 4 pages at the rear which lists Warrant Officers. There are a couple with DSO , quite a lot of MC's, approx 3 with DSO & Bar. I take it their substantative rank is WO, Temp What ever.

Peter

[Granite-Yorkie]

Hi Mick,

I remember coming across McCabery and wondering why he was given a temporary commission as a Captain when I could not find any previous military service in the records of the London Gazette. It was only by chance that I later discovered that he'd joined the KOYLIs as a boy soldier in 1882 and served until 1905- retiring as a Colour Sergeant- having seen action in the Zhob Valley (1890). He served with the 9th KOYLIs at Loos, having been promoted to Temporary Major on June 28th 1915, and was sent home due to ill-health sometime before the Battle of the Somme. One of his fellow officers in the 9th KOYLIs was the future Colonel Harry Greenwood VC, who was also commissioned as a Temporary Captain, having previously served in the City Imperial Volunteers and subsequently as a Sergeant-Instructor in the Territorial Force.

I am guessing that Kitchener RSMs and Colour Sergeants who applied for commissions in the early days of the New Armies were probably granted the rank of Lieutenant (e.g. William T. Cowap) or Captain in recognition of their previous service as Colour Sergeants or Warrant Officers. As 27th BN suggests, it could have been seen as insulting to commission an 'old sweat' as a Temporary 2nd Lieutenant when they had served in the regulars or the Volunteers/Territorials for umpteen years. Of course, we have to remember that the Kitchener Battalions had to do a lot from scratch...

[alf mcm]

The promoting of R.S.M.'s to Captain was certainly not universal by 1918. The R.S.M. of the 16th Royal Scots {McRae's Battalion}, Annan Ness, was promoted in the fiels in 1918 to be Temporary 2nd Lieutenant. He had pre-war service, so it would seem that promoting direct to Captain was indeed a practical way of using the experience of R.S.M.'s in 1914, at a time when such experience was in short supply.

Regards,

Alf McM

[Granite-Yorkie]

Hi Alf McM,

I've read Alexander's McCrae's Battalion and it is an excellent read. As I say, I think in 1914-15 New Army RSMs were appointed to temporary commissions as Captain because of previous experience, and the need to complete the battalion's required number of Captains.

Frank

P.S. I live round the corner from Colonel George McCrae's birthplace in Aberdeen.

[Capt_Starlight]

Have just finished Leane's Battalion and then RSM is promoted 2nd Lt in AUG18 (book is home and cannot remember his name).

Promotion to Captain in the modern Army is for a couple of reasons - pay and posting.

An RSM's pay is not exceeded until you reach the rank of Captain (pay level 02 ie been a Captain over two years). To not disadvantage these people they are promoted to Captain to ensure that they get a pay raise after not more than 2 years (as they cannot "drop pay" on appointment to be an officer).

In regard to postings - most are posted as QMs or equivalent eg RAAOC or other non-arms Corps (ie not regarded as having training in "command of troops in tactical environment") This is also the common stream for those who take PSO (Prescribed Service Officer) commissions from WO2. There are exceptions to this - one friend was RSM of his battalion and took PSO to become 2ic of a rifle company and eventually to be battalion 2ic (but he was exception having done his junior time to SGT in SAS).

There are those that transition from non-arms to arms Corps with apparent ease. Another friend was a WO2 and decided to do OCTU (he was Army Reserve at the time). Topped the tactics subjects (not bad for RAAOC) was commissioned into RAInf and went to a regular battalion as a LT. Returned to the ARES after serving as a Major (Company Commander) to RAAOC to command a Field Supply Company and retired from there.

Have just finished Leane's Battalion and then RSM is promoted 2nd Lt in AUG18 (book is home and cannot remember his name).

Promotion to Captain in the modern Army is for a couple of reasons - pay and posting.

An RSM's pay is not exceeded until you reach the rank of Captain (pay level 02 ie been a Captain over two years). To not disadvantage these people they are promoted to Captain to ensure that they get a pay raise after not more than 2 years (as they cannot "drop pay" on appointment to be an officer).

In regard to postings - most are posted as QMs or equivalent eg RAAOC or other non-arms Corps (ie not regarded as having training in "command of troops in tactical environment") This is also the common stream for those who take PSO (Prescribed Service Officer) commissions from WO2. There are exceptions to this - one friend was RSM of his battalion and took PSO to become 2ic of a rifle company and eventually to be battalion 2ic (but he was exception having done his junior time to SGT in SAS).

There are those that transition from non-arms to arms Corps with apparent ease. Another friend was a WO2 and decided to do OCTU (he was Army Reserve at the time). Topped the tactics subjects (not bad for RAAOC) was commissioned into RAInf and went to a regular battalion as a LT. Returned to the ARES after serving as a Major (Company Commander) to RAAOC to command a Field Supply Company and retired from there.