RWF warrant officer?

[manchesters]

Mike,

Thats not correct.

Warrant Officers were not divided into Class 1 and 2 until after 1915.

Prior to that they were just Warrant Officers Class "A" and Class "B"

In 1915 Class "A" became WO Class1.

regards

[grumpy]

There was no official Class A and B as far as I know ...... that appears to be an invention by Dawnay.

The Army Order 70 creating Class II [Roman] was dated 29th January 1915. All pre-existing WOs became Class I [Roman]. The majority of the new Class II were at the Quartermaster Sergeant level, but many NCOs one level below that were also elevated, including almost half the Colour Sergeants of the infantry, those holding the CSM appointments in the 4-company structure. The complete list:

Master Gunner 3rd Class
Army Schoolmaster if not a warrant officer
Garrison Quartermaster Sergeant
Quartermaster Corporal-Major
Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (RQMS)
Squadron Corporal-Major
Squadron Sergeant-Major (SSM)
Battery Sergeant-Major
Troop Sergeant-Major
Company Sergeant-Major (CSM)

There were to be three badges for WO I: crown in wreath for the four most senior appointments of Conductor, First Class Staff Sergeant Major, Master Gunner First Class and School Master First Class; the Royal Arms for all the rest except the Bandmaster who retained his old badge. All the new badges including the crown badge for the WO IIs were not promulgated until AO 174 of May 1915. There was no distinctive badge separating RQMS from the others at WO II level ...... this had to wait until the next major revision in 1918.

Inevitably we might expect slight delay in implementing the badge changes: inertia and supply chain.

The subject WO might be an RSM until about June/July 1915, thereafter any one of the WO II appointments listed above except those with supplementary Corps badge such as RA, RAMC etc.

I think we should rule out TF. Their RSMs were Acting, and in fact regular "Permanent Staff" Colour Sergeants, with 4 chevrons point up and crown, until Army Orders 240 and 277 of 1915 which jumped them straight to WO I and the Royal Arms. If any TF RSMs wore the crown it would appear to be outside the regulations ....... but since when did the TF bother about the rules?

[grey_green_acorn]

Here is Army Order 174 of 1915

Tim

[grumpy]

May 1915.

[Toby Purcell]

My vote goes for Royal Munster Fusiliers, as I believe I can make out the Bengal Tiger and the shoulder title is a better fit. An older man, perhaps SR, or ER from the Depot at Tralee. Alternatively he might be a time served veteran taken back on to train a Service Battalion for Kitchener's New Armies.