In Commonwealth militaries, a lance corporal is usually the
second-in-command of a
section. Lance corporals are commonly addressed as "corporal", with "lance jack" or "half-screw" (with corporals being "full screws") being common colloquialisms for the rank. Much like the use of bombardier instead of corporal in
artillery units, lance corporals are known as
lance bombardiers in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The badge of rank is a single
chevron worn on both sleeves or on an epaulette.
Australia and New Zealand Lance corporal is the lowest of the non-commissioned officer ranks in the
Australian Army and
New Zealand Army, falling between
private and corporal. It is the only appointed rank, and thus demotion is easier than with other ranks. A commanding officer can demote a lance corporal, whereas other ranks require a
court martial for demotion. A lance corporal is usually the second in command of a section, and is in control of the gun group in an infantry section. There is no equivalent rank within the Royal Australian or New Zealand Air Force or Navy. Second corporal was also formerly used in Australia in the same way that it was used in the British Army.
Bangladesh In the
Bangladesh Army, the rank of lance corporal is above the rank of
sainik (সৈনিক) and below the rank of corporal.
Canada The
Canadian Armed Forces abolished the
Canadian Army rank of lance corporal on their
creation as a unified force in 1968.
United Kingdom British Army and Royal Marines Lance corporal (LCpl or formerly L/Cpl) is the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer in the
British Army and
Royal Marines, between private and corporal. The badge of rank is a single point-down chevron worn on both sleeves, or on an epaulette on the front of the Combat Soldier 95 dress standard. However, lance corporals in the
Foot Guards,
Honourable Artillery Company,
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards and
The Queen's Royal Hussars wear two chevrons and lance corporals in the
Household Cavalry wear two chevrons surmounted by a gilt crown. The
Royal Artillery uses the rank of
lance bombardier instead. equipped with a Thompson M1928 submachine gun (
drum magazine), 25 November 1940 The date of introduction of lance corporals to the British Army is unclear, but the rank is mentioned in late-18th century military essays such as Major William Young's "An essay on the Command of Small Detachments" (1766) and John Williamson's "The Elements of Military Arrangement" (1781): "When from sickness or other causes there are not in a company a sufficient number of non-commission officers to do the duty, the captain can appoint corporals to do the duty of serjeants, who are called lance serjeants, and private men to do the duty of corporals, who are called lance corporals." The designation "chosen man", used during the
Napoleonic Wars, was possibly a precursor to the rank. The first mention of a lance corporal in
The Times is in 1819, although the first mention in the
London Gazette is not until 1831. The first mention in the
London Gazette of a lance corporal in the Royal Marines is in 1838. Until 1 September 1961, lance corporal and lance bombardier were only appointments rather than substantive ranks, given to privates (or equivalent) who were acting NCOs, and could be taken away by the soldier's commanding officer (whereas a full corporal or bombardier could only be demoted by
court martial). Until 1920, the
Royal Engineers and
Army Ordnance Corps also used the similar rank of
second corporal, which was a substantive rank (also wearing one chevron). Until 1920,
bombardiers in the Royal Artillery were equivalent to second corporals and until 1918 (when the rank of lance bombardier replaced it), acting bombardiers were equivalent to lance corporals (both wearing one chevron). In the
infantry, a lance corporal usually serves as second-in-command of a section and commander of its delta
fire team. It is also a rank commonly held by specialists such as clerks, drivers, signallers, machine-gunners, and mortarmen. In the
Intelligence Corps and
Royal Military Police, all other ranks are promoted to lance corporal on completion of their training.
Royal Air Force On 1 April 2010, the rank of lance corporal was introduced into the
RAF Regiment, although it is not used by other branches of the
Royal Air Force. RAF Regiment lance corporals have powers of charge over
aircraftmen,
leading aircraftmen and
senior aircraftmen, but not
junior technicians or
senior aircraftmen technicians, who, despite being OR2s, require a corporal or above to charge if required.
Cadet forces The British cadet forces reflect the ranks of their parent services, so the
Army Cadet Force, the Army section of the
Combined Cadet Force (CCF), and the various
marine cadet organisations use cadet lance corporal as their lowest NCO rank. In the CCF (RAF), this rank is also used as the lowest NCO rank (it was formerly known as junior corporal before its introduction into the RAF Regiment). The
Air Training Corps and the naval cadet forces do not use the rank. ==Singapore==