Who was the youngest man to achieve the rank of colonel in the Army?

[ricochet1980]

On average, how long do you reckon it takes to get to colonel?

Are there any special circumstances that could speed up your promotion?

I know it's a lot of questions but I needed a bit of help regards the creation of a fictional character I'm working on.

Thanks.

-Rob

[Tatty Rollox]

....... and here at http://tinyurl.com/jygra is Colonel Harland Sanders. He is 116 years old this year .........

[ricochet1980]

Good ol' Col. Sanders!

[Cobra.]

So it wasnt Ward-Minter then?

[hugh_jarse]

My friends who are serving in the army tell me it took them about 10 - 12 years

[phaloides]

A bloody war is quite a good event to produce a quick promotion to any level beyond a persons competence.

[ricochet1980]

I estimated right then. I had my character at 30yrs old and a colonel. Could be done eh Hugh_jarse?

So that seems about average, i still wonder if anybody did it in 5 years. Maybe I'd need to be in contact with the MOD.

Cheers

-Rob

[Peter Pedant]

what speeds it up

the vacancy club celebrate whenever a vacancy occurs...

getting killed iin the trenches was agood way of getting promotion

My grandfather got to being an acting brigadier but then was not 'made up'

and went back to being a captain I think

1914 of course

[Zen]

Being a member of the Royal family would certainly help speed up the process.

[KebabMeister]

Although I dealt mostly with the RAF (most Group Captains got their rank 40+) the few Colonel's I knew off achieved it as early as mid/late 30s but I would guess that most were 40+ as well.

Remember you have 2nd Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel before Colonel. If they were public school boys, good university etc., then I think they could be looking at achieving Major by their late 20s/early 30s.