Platoon sergeant major
Platoon sergeant major(PSM)[1]was an appointment in theBritish Armyin the short-lived rank ofwarrant officer class III(WOIII), created in 1938[2]byArmy CouncilInstruction 398.
The platoon sergeant major, and his cavalry counterpart, thetroop sergeant major,were part of a project giving experiencednon-commissioned officerscommand of units (platoonsandtroops) formerly reserved forcommissioned officers.With the outbreak ofWorld War II,National Servicesupplied the Army with enough young men suitable for commissioning, so the rank was placed in suspension in 1940 and no new appointments were made. Most existing WOIIIs were commissioned aslieutenants.[citation needed]
The WOIII wore a crown on his lower sleeve; WOIIs switched to a crown in a wreath during this period.
Notes
[edit]- ^Note that in the British Army, the plural was "platoon sergeant majors" and not "platoon sergeants major"."No. 48587".The London Gazette(Supplement). 16 April 1981. p. 5671."No. 25044".The London Gazette.2 December 1881. p. 6467.The earliest usage of "sergeant majors" inThe Timesis in 1822. The last of the (very occasional) usages of "sergeants major", except when referring to American NCOs, is in 1938.
- ^p. 272 Banham, TonyThe Sinking of the Lisbon Maru: Britain's Forgotten Wartime TragedyHong Kong University Press, 2006
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