Recruitment in the British Army from families with a military tradition. (This contrasted with the Navy, whose officers were more often from a middle-class background.) The second son of King George III, Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, did much to improve the standard of officer recruitment from his position as Commander in Chief of the Army (from 1795 to 1809, then from 1811 to 1827). The sale of commissions, finally abolished in the Cardwell reforms in 1868–1874, and the further Childers Reforms. In spite of its abolition, the status of an officer being from a privileged background and that of another rank being
Structure of the British Armed Forces in 1989 Rear admiral). The post of Commander British Forces Falkland Islands rotated between British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force 2-star rank flag officers (Major General, Rear admiral and Air vice-marshal). The Commander British Forces Hong Kong was a British Army Major General. The two local auxiliary defence forces were administered by the Hong Kong Government, but when called out would have come under the command of Commander British Forces: Structure of the British Armed Forces in 1989 At the end of the Cold War in 1989 the British Armed Forces structure was as follows: In 1989 the British Armed