Hi I'd be very grateful if anyone can clarify, terminology wise, which ranks, whether acting, temporary, or war substantial, you were 'appointed', 'promoted' to, or commissioned into? I want to make sure I'm using the right vocab. Cheers Skip
These simple questions never have simple answers. If we are talking about wartime then officers were commissioned in various ways. Normally in 'arms' officer candidates were selected, sent on a training course and then commissioned as a second lieutenant (unless he had more than four years service in which case he was commissioned as a lieutenant). An exception might be the Quartermaster who was commissioned after serving as a Warrant Officer and was commissioned as a lieutenant. In the services and staffs some civilian specialists could be commissioned without training or service and at a rank to suit their responsibility. Appointments were separate. Officers could be appointed to staff roles as Adjutant, Aide de Camp, General Staff Officer etc. while retaining their rank. Promotion was the normal progression after one was commissioned. Mike.
Skip, As far as I am Aware Regiments also had unpaid acting ranks, which was a kind of Promotion within the Regiment. A Person then transferred would then lose the acting Status in the new Regiment. Regards Tom
Skip Usually - the unpaid route was the start of any promotion and was a means of finding out if the man was capable of accepting responsibility and able to "man" manage thus we have "unpaid" up to and including Sarjeants before being paid and made "War Substantive ." On transfer it depended on whether or not the new outfit needed that rank.... Think of it like the Catholic Church - a Priest is Ordained - a Canon appointed - a Bishop consecrated - a Pope elected - but a Monseignor is created ( from nothing ) Cheers
Mike and both Toms - cheers for your help. This certainly clarifies the officer situation. Withe the ORs I'd forgotten about the 'unpaid' ranks in the confusion of it all!
My dad's cousin in 3RTR North Africa was commissioned in the field. One day a squadron sergeant major, the next a Lt. By the end of the war he was a Major with two MCs. Accepted for a regular commission on the close of hostilities, he started off as a 2 Lt and when he retired in the sixties he was a Major again.
