Serviceman's rank

[Scylax]

Daily Telegraph photo today of 6 soldiers bearing the coffin of a colleague killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The Staff Sergeants and the CSM badges of rank I recognise,
but one soldier has 3 stripes with a crown and 2 pips above them, all on his upper sleeve. What rank does this indicate ?

[Whickerman]

I thought that was a sergeant major - but that could just be a bad memory...

[Waaii]

Ditto

[Scylax]

A Sergeant Major wears a crown on his lower sleeve - this could be a Battery SM, a Company SM or perhaps a Squadron SM, depending upon which Corps or Regiment he serves.
A Regimental Sergeant Major wears such a crown, but surrounded by a circlet of leaves.
But what are 3 stripes summounted by 2 pips and a crown?

[johnlambert]

The RSM wears a badge that resembles a "scrambled egg" on his lower right arm, and he would be in charge of the bearer party and not helping carry the coffin, do you have a link to the photo? perhaps that would help. If it was the recent deaths in Iraq, it may be Royal Marine insignia

[johnizere]

a major general has 2 pips....that's all I can find.

[Kathyan]

I've just asked my husband, who is home on leave, and he says he's never seen this in his 28 years of being in the Army! Do you have a link to the photo?

[Scylax]

Thank you JL and Kathyan. The picture in the D. Telegraph
is in monochrome, so I can't make out the uniform colour, but it looks khaki.
There is no link supplied, unfortunately.
The coffin being carried was that of Sgt. Sharron Elliot, killed in the boat attack near Basra.
In the photograph are 2 Staff Sergeants, a CSM and a flag-bearer, together with this unknown rank.
It could be a Royal Marine rank with which I am not familiar- J.L., you might be right. It's all very puzzling, but somewhere, somebody has a simple answer.
Maybe I will need to contact the D. Telegraph direct ?

[johnizere]

Scylax...why not contact the army?....I'm sure they'll be able to answer the question if all else fails. It must be quite obscure if no one one here knows the rank!

[Toureman]

It could be a Colour Sergeant Royal Marines, they have the three stripes with a crown above but right on the top of the sleeve they have R M in brass letters perhaps the R M looks like two pips from a distance?

[Scylax]

Kathyan - your husband's 28 years in the army is proof enough for me that this is not an army rank. The suggestion that it could be a Colour Sergeant in the Royal Marines makes a lot of sense. A rarity in anyone's experience.
Tomorrow, a swift phone call to the Imperial War Museum in London will confirm, or otherwise. I'll keep you good folks posted....

[johnlambert]

Thanks scylax but can you do it ASAP please? im off to Singapore in the morning

[kempie]

In the hope of aiding the search for the rank, here is a link to the picture of the repatriation of Staff Sergeant Sharron Elliott (Intelligence Corps) at RAF Brize Norton...

http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2C2F6B2D-EF40-4 118-8354-2DA4A93E93E1/0/ssgtelliott.jpg

[Toureman]

Had a look at the picture, The bearers are all of Staff sergeant rank, The Sergeant major at the back is a Royal Marine wearing the Lovat uniform, the Brass R M I mentioned is only on the Royal Marines Best Blues uniform, the R M is on the Lovat uniform but it is black anodised.

[leah880]

Hi ,
just had a wee read of the questions and answers to this question.The man in question as a granade flash above is staff sgt's stripes.I can confirm this as i was presant on the day the photo was taken, and also a week later when he carried out the same job once again.
So may be this will shed more light on to what it stands for. There where two Royal marines in the party that carried the coffin from the plane at BN, one back left in the photo that you can not see and one right at the back.

[kempie]

The explanation of the arm badge by leah880 seems to tie-in nicely with my possible identification of the collar badge, namely the flaming grenade and scroll of the Royal Engineers...

http://www.kellybadge.co.uk/images/N1L624.jpg

The above site has a Bomb Disposal Insignia section in which it describes the arm flash as a "Royal Engineers SNCO's - Grenade"...

http://www.kellybadge.co.uk/images/D1A041.jpg