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Alternate Terminology: Rank and File
- Thread starter AndyC
- Start date
- Location
- North Solihull
- Pronouns
- she/her
Random UK Military rank-based fact I learned today: persons holding the military ranks of Major (Army), Lieutenant Commander (RN), Squadron Leader (RAF) (NATO OF-3), or higher can witness Statutory Declarations of Change of Name (i.e. where a person needs to change their name, like deed poll, but considered more "official" by some agencies).
This puts them on the level with Magistrates, Solicitors, Commissioners for Oath, Notaries of the Public, and Scottish Local Government Councillors (for documents dated after 10/12/2007).
It's be interesting to know why this provision exists/still exists - and why it's set at OF-3 and above rather than all officers or higher.
Can confirm this makes researching Russian stuff a sod - you basically have 4 systems of Tsarist, Revolution, Stalinist, and Post-Communist. Like you say there's the move to egalitarianism for some ranks, and sometimes the rank names remain but the seniority changes, and to add confusion a lot of the Post-Communist ranks restore Tsarist names and styles.
There was a defunct Kaiserlichmarine rank I was looking up the other day which brought up returns for the DDR (and not, I think, for the East German Navy at that). I suspect your scenario would have made German ranks even more confusing too.
On which note, did the Eastern Bloc have a rank equivalence system like the NATO codes? Or did they just defer to the officer with the Russian accent?
This puts them on the level with Magistrates, Solicitors, Commissioners for Oath, Notaries of the Public, and Scottish Local Government Councillors (for documents dated after 10/12/2007).
It's be interesting to know why this provision exists/still exists - and why it's set at OF-3 and above rather than all officers or higher.
One of the more out there rank systems I've ever seen was the Soviets'. The Soviets initially tried to abolish officer titles and replace them with purely descriptive ranks (so for instance you would use the term "Corps Commander" instead of "Lieutenant General"). This was thought to be more egalitarian, and officer titles (and even the word "officer" itself) were considered remnants of the Tsarist system. However in the 1930s officer titles were restored for everyone except generals, and in 1940 generals' titles were restored. If that hadn't happened though it's easy to imagine that the Eastern Bloc and other Communist countries would have copied the Soviet model.
Can confirm this makes researching Russian stuff a sod - you basically have 4 systems of Tsarist, Revolution, Stalinist, and Post-Communist. Like you say there's the move to egalitarianism for some ranks, and sometimes the rank names remain but the seniority changes, and to add confusion a lot of the Post-Communist ranks restore Tsarist names and styles.
There was a defunct Kaiserlichmarine rank I was looking up the other day which brought up returns for the DDR (and not, I think, for the East German Navy at that). I suspect your scenario would have made German ranks even more confusing too.
On which note, did the Eastern Bloc have a rank equivalence system like the NATO codes? Or did they just defer to the officer with the Russian accent?
This puts them on the level with Magistrates, Solicitors, Commissioners for Oath, Notaries of the Public, and Scottish Local Government Councillors (for documents dated after 10/12/2007).
It's be interesting to know why this provision exists/still exists - and why it's set at OF-3 and above rather than all officers or higher.
Considering O-3 generally equates to four years time in grade minimum, to six or eight on the long end, it's not particularly suprising to me that they hold a decent amount of administrative sway. As to why, the answer would likely be in keeping with making sure all the company level administrative functions could be met- that is, anything relating to one particular person. After that you're talking battalion stuff, and getting battalion involved in one person's life choices is like bringing white phosphorous to a backyard fireworks show.
Arthur_Phuxache
Ask yourself now — can you forgive her?
- Location
- Greater Doncastrian Empire
I tried using ensign, lieutenant, flight-leader, squadron-leader, wing-leader, leader, flight ardian, squadron ardian, wing ardian, ardian, air marshal. instead of Pilot Officer, Flying Officer, Flight Lieutenant et al, for my parallel universe RAF, but I bewildered myself and reverted to OTL ranks.
I promoted and demoted officers in successive updates.
Not sure if they still use Gunner, Sapper, Ranger, Fusilier, Signaller, Kingsman etc in the British Army, but they did in WW2
I promoted and demoted officers in successive updates.
The guy with a rifle and no responsibilities in the British Army/Royal Marines (as chaps who might be engaged in a duffy) might be a:
Private.
Rifleman.
Trooper.
Marine.
Guardsman.
Not sure if they still use Gunner, Sapper, Ranger, Fusilier, Signaller, Kingsman etc in the British Army, but they did in WW2
Last edited:
- Location
- Colwyn Bay/Manchester
- Pronouns
- He/him
While it's not quite the same, the Lord Darcy books use Coronel rather than Colonel (which I believe was an alternative spelling at some points).
I also recall someone complaining about LOTR fanfiction using generals, when the only senior rank more specific than Captain Tolkien uses is Marshal in Rohan.
Which makes sense, as I think it derives from someone in charge of horses.
I also recall someone complaining about LOTR fanfiction using generals, when the only senior rank more specific than Captain Tolkien uses is Marshal in Rohan.
Which makes sense, as I think it derives from someone in charge of horses.
The British Army very much still uses Trooper, Gunner, Rifleman, Guardsman - as well as some lesser known ones like Kingsman.
The Army Rumour Service has a reasonably complete list.
The Army Rumour Service has a reasonably complete list.