British Army officer rank insignia some time to become familiar with them all. Those in the ranks of Captain, Lieutenant and Second Lieutenant are often referred to as subalterns. Those of Brigadier, Colonel, Lt. Colonel and Major are considered to be of field officers. All above these are considered to be of general officer rank. For a short period, the British Army used the rank of sub-lieutenant, before that was changed to second lieutenant. Before 1767, there were no definite badges for Field Marshals and General officers. In 1767, the British Army issued an order to distinguish Field Marshals (once the rank was established in
British Army officer rank insignia 1919, a new order was issued by the Horse Guards office—all Guards officers would wear special star badges. During World War I, some officers took to wearing tunics with the rank badges on the shoulder, as the cuff badges made them too conspicuous to snipers. This practice was frowned on outside the trenches but was given official sanction in 1917 as an optional alternative, being made permanent in 1920, when the cuff badges were abolished. British Army officer rank insignia Listed in the table below are the insignia—emblems of authority—of the British Army. Badges for field officers were first introduced