Bombardier (rank)
Encyclopedia
Bombardier is a rank used in artillery
units in the armies
of Commonwealth
countries instead of corporal
. Lance-bombardier is used instead of lance-corporal.
Bombardier (Bdr) and lance-bombardier (LBdr or L/Bdr) are used by the British Army
in the Royal Artillery
and Royal Horse Artillery
. The same applies to the Royal Australian Artillery, the Royal New Zealand Artillery, the South African Army Artillery
and the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM). In the Canadian Forces
, the Artillery Branch
uses the ranks of master bombardier and bombardier instead of master corporal
and corporal. In the Australian Army
the insignia is identical to that of a corporal, the only distinguishing featuring being the RAA badge worn on the cap by lance bombardiers and bombardiers.
Originally, the Royal Artillery had corporals (but not lance-corporals) and a bombardier was junior to a corporal and wore a single chevron. Unlike a lance-corporal, a bombardier held full non-commissioned rank and not an acting appointment. The rank was equivalent to second corporal
in the Royal Engineers
and Army Ordnance Corps
.
In 1920, corporals were abolished in the Royal Artillery and bombardiers became the equivalent and acquired the normal two chevrons.
The rank of lance bombardier originated as acting bombardier, an appointment similar to lance-corporal which was also indicated by a single chevron. The appointment was renamed lance-bombardier in February 1918 and became a full rank, as did lance-corporal, in 1961.
"Bomb" is widely used as an abbreviated form of address for both full bombardiers and lance-bombardiers. They may also be referred to as a "full screw" (bombardier) or a "lance jack" (lance-bombardier), in common with corporals and lance-corporals. As with other common military abbreviations, such as "sarge", these terms are not used on formal occasions.
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
units in the armies
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
of Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
countries instead of corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
. Lance-bombardier is used instead of lance-corporal.
Bombardier (Bdr) and lance-bombardier (LBdr or L/Bdr) are used by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
and Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
. The same applies to the Royal Australian Artillery, the Royal New Zealand Artillery, the South African Army Artillery
South African Army Artillery Formation
The South African Army Artillery Formation is the controlling entity of all South African Army artillery units.-Regular units:* Artillery Formation Headquarters* School of Artillery* 4 Artillery Regiment...
and the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM). In the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
, the Artillery Branch
Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery is the artillery personnel branch of the Canadian Forces .-History:...
uses the ranks of master bombardier and bombardier instead of master corporal
Master Corporal
Master Corporal , in the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Army Cadets is an appointment of the rank of Corporal in the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Airforce...
and corporal. In the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
the insignia is identical to that of a corporal, the only distinguishing featuring being the RAA badge worn on the cap by lance bombardiers and bombardiers.
Originally, the Royal Artillery had corporals (but not lance-corporals) and a bombardier was junior to a corporal and wore a single chevron. Unlike a lance-corporal, a bombardier held full non-commissioned rank and not an acting appointment. The rank was equivalent to second corporal
Second Corporal
Second Corporal was a rank in the Royal Engineers and Army Ordnance Corps of the British Army. Second Corporals wore one rank chevron, but unlike Lance-Corporals they held full non-commissioned officer rank. They were thus equivalent to Bombardiers in the Royal Artillery. The rank was abolished in...
in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
and Army Ordnance Corps
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
.
In 1920, corporals were abolished in the Royal Artillery and bombardiers became the equivalent and acquired the normal two chevrons.
The rank of lance bombardier originated as acting bombardier, an appointment similar to lance-corporal which was also indicated by a single chevron. The appointment was renamed lance-bombardier in February 1918 and became a full rank, as did lance-corporal, in 1961.
"Bomb" is widely used as an abbreviated form of address for both full bombardiers and lance-bombardiers. They may also be referred to as a "full screw" (bombardier) or a "lance jack" (lance-bombardier), in common with corporals and lance-corporals. As with other common military abbreviations, such as "sarge", these terms are not used on formal occasions.
See also
- British Army Other Ranks rank insignia
- Comparative military ranksComparative military ranksThis article is a list of various states' armed forces ranking designations. Comparisons are made between the different systems used by nations to categorize the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another. Several of these lists mention NATO reference codes. These are the NATO rank reference...
- Canadian Forces ranks and insigniaCanadian Forces ranks and insigniaThis is a table of the ranks and insignia of the Canadian Forces. As the Canadian Forces is officially bilingual, the French language ranks are presented following the English .-Commander-in-Chief:...