Warrant Officer's Insignia during WWI

[StevieB]

Hi,

I am new to this forum and thought this the best place to get to the answer to a question that I can't find anywhere else on the web.

What were the badges of rank used for the Other Ranks above the rank of Sergeant during WWI and when were they introduced (and abolished)? Any help in clearing this up for me will be greatly appreciated I'm at a bit of a loss at the moment.

Thanks

[CROONAERT]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

There were a few variations but a rough guide is as follows:

Troop,Battery or Company Sgt.Major :Crown over 3 chevrons.

Q/master corporal major, QMS, Saddler Corporals : 4 chevrons

Warrant Officers and WO2 (from 1915) : Crown on lower sleeve.

QMS (from 1918): Crown within a wreath.

Staff Sgt.Major, Conductor AOC, WO1(from 1915) :crown within a wreath (from 1918 this changed to the Royal arms).

Dave.

[CROONAERT]

...just to illustrate (and add to the confusion!), here's a chart of some of the badges of rank and appointment that can be encountered...

Dave.

[Muerrisch]

I shall simplify matters, and deal only with infantry, being happy to clarify differences eg Foot Guards, Household Cavy, RA RE Scottish as anyone requires.

When war broke out the Regular Infantry and Special Reserve had been on the 4 company organisation for only a short time. There were only two Warrant Officers, the Sergeant Major, wearing a crown lower sleeve, and the Bandmaster

wearing the large lyre, wreath and crown lower sleeve.

The erstwhile Colour Sergeants of the old eight companies, [badge three inverted chevrons [ie point down, because a chevron in heraldry is point up] with crown above] were appointed Company Sergeant Major or Company Quartermaster Sergeant of the new double companies, strictly on seniority, and continued briefly to wear the same badges. The only other man in the hierarchy to consider is the Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, next in seniority to the Sergeant Major and Bandmaster. His badge was four chevrons [real ones, point up] lower sleeve with eight-pointed star above.

AO174 of 1915 introduced a second class of Warrant Officer, and the ensuing revisions were: WO I appointed Regimental SM a small size Royal Arms lower sleeve, Bandmaster no change, RQMS [now a WO II] a crown, CSM [now a WO II] similarly, and CQMS no change. The title RSM had never been needed before an extra sort of SM, the CSM, was invented, of course.

AO 309 of 1918 made further changes, primarily that an RQMS was to be distinguished from the CSMs by a wreath surrounding the crown. None of these badges described was new, having been used for other ranks/appointments in other arms of service etc.

The supreme authority on this most complicated topic was the late Major Nicholas P Dawnay, whose several works I hold and whom it was my privilege to know and quiz on some topics.

[StevieB]

Many thanks. I think I now understand who should be wearing what badge!!

No wonder I couldn't find anything on the web to make sense.

Steve