Last up-dated: 24/11/01
This list should not be considered definite nor an exhaustive study of ranks in
Britain, but rather as an aid to understanding what positions various people mentioned in
these pages may have held. Remember that the names and their meanings have changed over
the centuries and from place to place.
Modern ranks are basically:
Navy |
Royal Marines |
Army |
Royal Air Force |
| Admiral of the Fleet | Field Marshal | Marshal of the Royal Air Force | |
| Admiral | General | General | Air Chief Marshal |
| Vice-Admiral | Lieutenant general | Lieutenant-General | Air Marshal |
| Rear-Admiral | Major General | Major-General | Air Vice-Marshal |
| Commodore | Brigadier | Brigadier | Air Commodore |
Captain |
Colonel Lieutenant Colonel |
Colonel |
Group Captain |
| Commander | Major | Lieutenant-Colonel | Wing Commander |
| Lieutenant-Commander | Captain | Major | Squadron Leader |
| Lieutenant | Lieutenant |
Captain | Flight-Lieutenant |
| Lieutenant | Flying Officer | ||
Sub-Lieutenant |
Acting Lieutenant Second Lieutenant |
Second-Lieutenant |
Pilot Officer
|
| Midshipman | |||
| Cadet | Cadet | Officer cadet | Officer cadet |
| Warrant Officer, Class I | Warrant Officer, Class I | ||
| Warrant Officer | Warrant Officer | ||
| Warrant Officer, Class II | Warrant Officer, Class II | ||
Chief Petty Officer |
Colour Sergeant |
Staff Sergeant |
Flight Sergeant Master Technician |
| Petty Officer | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant |
| Leading Seaman | Corporal | Corporal | Corporal |
| Able Seaman | Marine 1st Class | Lance-Corporal | Junior Technician |
| Senior Aircraftman | |||
| Ordinary Rating | Marine 2nd Class | Private | Leading Aircraftman |
| Junior Seaman | Junior Marine | Aircraftman |
Sometimes there is a difference of rank within the same box, which I have tried to depict. I have not included any ranks for the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) or Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF), as there is now apparently no distinction. They are included in the table below
Other ranks exist and have existed at various times during the history of the British armed forces. I have included some of these below in alphabetical order:
| Able Rating | Equivalent to Ordinary Rating |
| Adjutant | Not a rank, but an appointment within a regiment, irrespective of rank, responsible for administration. |
| Air Chief Commander | Equivalent to Air Vice Marshall in WRAF |
| Air Commandant | Equivalent to Air Commodore in WRAF |
| Band master | Actual status depends on the unit. In some periods/units, perhaps a civilian. |
| Bandsman | Usually a private, although in some periods/units perhaps a civilian |
| Bombardier | Corporal, Royal Artillery |
| Brigadier General | Brigadier |
| Chief Officer | Equivalent to Commander in WRNS |
| Chief WREN | Equivalent to Chief Petty Officer in WRNS |
| Colour Sergeant | Originally an appointment for bravery, not a rank; later, a sergeant who accompanied the regiment's colours. |
| Commandant | Not a rank, but an appointment, irrespective of rank, responsible for an installation, such as a school, depot or camp. |
| Commander | Commodore in WRNS |
| Cornet | (17th century), 5th (and lowest) officer in a cavalry regiment, Responsible for the colours. Modern equivalent: 2nd Lieutenant |
| Corporal of Horse | Sergeant in cavalry regiment |
| Corporal Technician | RAF, Corporal |
| Craftsman | Private |
| Driver | Private |
| Drum Major | NCO in command of the drummers in the regiment. Actual status depends on the unit. |
| Ensign | Lowest commissioned officer in an infantry regiment, responsible for the colours. Modern equivalent: 2nd Lieutenant |
| First Officer | Equivalent to Navy Captain in WRNS |
| Flight Officer | Equivalent to Flight Lieutenant in WRAF |
| Fusilier | Private, Fusilier Regt. |
| Grenadier | In the 17th-19th centuries, a member of the elite company of a line infantry regiment. Usually a private unless otherwise stated. |
| Group Officer | Equivalent to GRoup Captain in WRAF |
| Guardsman | Private, Guards Regt. |
| Gunner | Private, Royal Artillery |
| Lance Bombardier | Lance-Corporal, Royal Artillery |
| Lance Sergeant | Acting sergeant. |
| Leading Rating | Similar to Able Seaman, between Corporal and Lance Corporal |
| Leading WREN | Leading seaman, WRNS |
| Master Aircrew | RAF - with RAF Warrant Officer |
| Master Engineer | RAF - member of Master Aircrew |
| Master Gunner | RAF - member of Master Aircrew |
| Master Navigator | RAF - member of Master Aircrew |
| Master Pilot | RAF - member of Master Aircrew |
| Master Signaller | RAF - member of Master Aircrew |
| Master Technician | RAF - member of Master Aircrew |
| Naik | Corporal in Indian army |
| Pipe major | NCO in charge of the pipes. Actual status depends on the unit. |
| Quartermaster Sergeant | Staff Sergeant, Warrant Officer Class II |
| Rifleman | Private, Rifle Regt. |
| Sapper | Private, Royal Engineers |
| Second Officer | Equivalent to Navy Lieutenant in WRNS |
| Schoolmaster | In some periods, perhaps a civilian |
| Sergeant Major | Originally (16th-17th centuries) a field officer, next in rank to the lieutenant-colonel, and thus the equivalent of a major, as well as having the duties of an adjutant. In theory, in the 20th century, the senior sergeant in a unit (company or regiment). Equivalent to Warrant Officer. |
| Serjeant | Old form of Sergeant (First World War) |
| Signalman | Private |
| Sowar | Cavalry trooper in Indian army |
| Squadron Officer | Equivalent to Squadron Leader in WRAF |
| Third Officer | Equivalent to Sub-Lieutenant in WRNS |
| Trooper | Private in a cavalry regiment |
| Trumpet major | NCO in charge of the trumpeters in a regiment. Actual status depended on the unit. |
| Wing Officer | Equivalent to Wing Commander in WRAF |
| WREN | Lowst rank, equivalent to Ordinary Rating, in WRNS |
It is also possible to hold a higher rank in the army than in the regiment or Corps, often as a reward for good service. In such cases the rank is known as brevet.
