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sergeant major was placed in charge of the care of the regiment’s animals, with one farrier sergeant assigned to each troop. These were highly specialized skills with each farrier sergeant in effect becoming a horse doctor. To recognize the specialized training required by the farriers, the appointment of farrier sergeant major was eventually given the rank of warrant officer. Prior to World War I, there was a single level of warrant officer. During World War I, the rank of warrant officer was divided into warrant officer, class I and warrant officer, class II. Former warrant officers were assigned the rank of warrant officer I and soldiers holding senior non-commissioned appointments such as regimental quartermaster sergeant (RQMS) and squadron sergeant major (SSM) were advanced to the rank of warrant officer II. During World War II, the rank of warrant officer, class III was created. Figure 5: The Afghanistan Medal and Army Meritorious Service Medal to Bandmaster J. J. Smith. The 1912 edition of the King’s Regulations listed the precedence of warrant officers as follows: the 15th (King’s) Hussars on November 3, 1865 when he was only 14 years 9 months old. He served as a (i) conductor in the Army Ordnance Corp, master- sergeant with the 15th Hussars in Afghanistan and in gunner, 1st class, schoolmaster (when a warrant South Africa in 1881 during the First Boer War before officer), and staff-sergeant-major, 1 st class transferring to the 1 st Dragoon Guards as Bandmaster on (ii) master-gunner, 2nd class December 20, 1882. Smith remained in England during garrison sergeant-major (iii) the Boer War, finally retiring on May 31, 1902. He was (iv) All other warrant officers, except those belonging recommended for the Long Service and Good Conduct to the special reserve (v) warrant officers belonging to the special reserve Medal (LSGC) on January 1, 1904 but his award was not sanctioned despite 36 years of service. Smith received the The King’s Regulations further clarify that the order of Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) with annuity in 1924 precedence within groups (i) and (iv) were to be based and died in 1929. on the date of promotion to warrant officer. However, within a regiment, the regimental sergeant major always Smith’s Afghanistan Medal, is engraved to 802 SERGT. J.J. SMITH 15TH HUSSRS while his MSM is impressed had precedence, regardless of seniority. BND.MSTR. J.J. SMITH 1-D.GDS. While a medal named Most medals to warrant officers were named using the to a sergeant is common, a medal named to a bandmaster soldier’s appointment. However, immediately after World is considerably less so. Abandmaster frequently remained War I, campaign medals were named using the soldier’s with the regiment’s depot when the regiment was rank. Thus, it is possible to find World War I groups of deployed on active service. Consequently, most medals medals where a soldier’s decoration was named using to bandmasters are some sort of long-service medal, as his appointment (e.g. squadron sergeant major) while is the case with Smith. When appointed Bandmaster in his campaign medals were named using his rank (e.g. 1882, Smith also was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer. Smith’s MSM (issued in 1924) is named using warrant officer II). his appointment, not his rank. EXAMPLES Garrison Sergeant Major William Carter Bandmaster J.J. Smith Medal entitlement: Army Long Service and Good Medal entitlement: Afghanistan Medal, no clasp; Army Conduct Medal (Figure 6). Meritorious Service Medal (Figure 5). William Carter was born in March 1858 in Brentwood, John James Smith was born in 1851 and enlisted in Essex, and enlisted in the 3rd Dragoon Guards on June, Vol. 62, No. 1 (January-February 2011) 17 Figure 7: The General Service Medal with IRAQ Figure 6: The Long Service and Good Conduct clasp and Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Medal to Garrison Sergeant William Carter. to Bandmaster Frederick Willis. 27, 1877. He was promoted Lance Corporal on March 10 is a "Boy F. W. Willis" listed on the QSA medal roll for 1879, Corporal on September 6, 1880, Lance Sergeant the 12th Lancers and this is believed to be Frederick on March 27, 1883, Sergeant on August 25, 1883, Troop Willis. Willis was appointed Bandmaster of the 7th Sergeant Major on January 1, 1877, Squadron Sergeant Dragoon Guards on June 1, 1915. He remained in Major on October 25, 1892, and Regimental Sergeant England throughout World War I. Willis served with the Major on June 19, 1894. Carter was appointed Garrison 7th Dragoon Guards in Iraq from December 1919 to May Sergeant Major to the British garrison at Cairo on May 1921 and retired in 1922. 11, 1897. He was recommended for the LSGC on July 1, 1902 and retired on June 27, 1904. Carter re-enlisted on Willis’s GSM is impressed to D-11516 W.O.CL.1 F. October 10, 1914 as Regimental Sergeant Major of the WILLIS. 7-D. GDS. while his LSGC is impressed to 3rd Reserve Regiment of Cavalry, an appointment he held D-11516 BNDMSTR. F. WILLIS 7/D.GDS. The location until discharged due to sickness on February 27, 1917. of his QSA is unknown. It is interesting to note that He remained in England throughout World War I and Willis’s GSM (sanctioned in 1923) was named using his his service papers confirm the LSGC as his only medal. rank while his LSGC (issued in 1919) was named using his appointment. Carter’s LSGC is impressed to GAR:-SERGT:-MAJ: W. CARTER. GARRISON STAFF. At the time of his OTHER RANKS appointment as RSM in 1894, Carter was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer. When he then was advanced to Perhaps the most complex ranks and appointments were Garrison Sergeant Major in 1897, this appointment still those for the NCOs and men or, more simply, "Other held the rank of Warrant Officer but was considered a Ranks." These were much more than sergeant, corporal, more senior appointment. Carter’s LSGC (issued in 1902) and private. The 1889 Queen’s Regulations and Orders is named using his appointment, not his rank. lists the following as ranks: Bandmaster Frederick Willis ¯ Master-gunner, 3rd class ¯ Quartermaster corporal-major Medal entitlement: Queen’s South Africa Medal, three ¯ Quartermaster-Sergeant clasps: Cape Colony, South Africa 1901, South Africa ¯ Staff armourer-sergeant 1902; General Service Medal, 1 clasp, Iraq; Army Long ¯ 1st class staff-sergeant, Medical Staff Service and Good Conduct Medal (Figure 7). Corps ¯ Troop, battery, or company sergeant- Frederick Willis was born on December 13, 1885 maj or and enlisted in the 12th Lancers on January 13, 1900. ¯ Troop, battery, or company quartermaster- Although definitive evidence could not be located, there sergeant 18 JOMSA ¯ Colour-sergeant In the mid Victorian era, a cavalry regiment contained a ¯ Staff-sergeant, Army Selwice Corps and wide array of soldiers. For example, when they deployed Ordnance Store Corps to India in 1856, the 6th Dragoon Guards establishment ¯ 1 st class annourer-sergeant consisted of the following: one colonel, two lieutenant ¯ 2nd class staff-sergeant, Medical Staff colonels, two majors, 10 captains, 20 lieutenants, Corps two cornets, one paymaster, one adjutant, one riding ¯ Corporal of horse master, one quartermaster, one surgeon, two assistant ¯ Sergeant surgeons, one veterinary surgeon, one sergeant major, ¯ 2nd class annourer-sergeant one quartermaster sergeant, nine troop sergeant majors, ¯ Corporal one paymaster sergeant, one trumpet major, one saddler ¯ Bombardier sergeant, one farrier sergeant, one schoolmaster sergeant, ¯ Second corporal one hospital sergeant, one armourer sergeant, one orderly ¯ Gunner room clerk, 50 sergeants, 40 corporals, 13 trumpeters, 8 ¯ Driver farriers, and 626 privates. For deployment to India, the ¯ Sapper total establishment had been increased by nearly 300 ¯ Private soldiers to 790, the largest a cavalry regiment might expect to grow. When deployed home in times of peace The list of appointments was considerably longer. The and with the government reducing expenses, a cavalry 1912 edition of the King’s Regulations and Orders lists regiment might be only half this size. three pages of appointments for non-commissioned officers and men, ranging from garrison quartermaster By the 1880s the number of specialists had proliferated sergeant to 2nd class air mechanic, with each appointment significantly. Added to the establishment were assigned a rank. appointments such as sergeant instructor in fencing, saddler sergeant, ta’oop sergeant major rough rider, farrier Throughout most of the Eighteenth Century, the most quartermaster sergeant, and eight sergeant farriers. The senior other rank appointment within a cavalry regiment number of specialist appointments continued to increase was the regimental sergeant major. In 1882, the RSM as the decades passed and the British many modernized. was reclassified as a warrant officer, meaning that the By World War I, a cavalry regiment contained additional senior other rank became the regimental quartermaster appointments such as machine gun specialists, regimental sergeant (RQMS). The typical order of precedence was postmen, saddletree makers, and shoeing smiths. RSM, bandmaster, schoolmaster, and RQMS. However, the bandmaster and schoolmaster were only allowed A campaign medal to an Other Rank might be named to command soldiers placed immediately under their with a soldier’s appointment or rank. The 1914 Star and supervision. Thus, from a practical perspective, the 1914-15 Star was named using a soldier’s appointment RQMS was the second most senior non-commissioned while the British War and Victory Medals always were officer in a cavalry regiment. named using a soldier’s rank. For example, 1914 Star trios are found with the 1914 Star named to a shoeing Each troop (50-to-60 soldiers) within a cavalry regiment smith while the same soldier’s British War and Victory had a senior NCO in charge of the ranks.

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