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Private
Private is the lowest rank in the British Army and the most important one. They have the potential to be enriched and developed into fighting men and women. They are the stem cells (or possibly more accurately ... bacteria) of the British Army.
Some examples are
- Distinctive equivalents for private include:
- Airtrooper (Atpr) - Army Air Corps
- Bugler (Bgr) - buglers in The Rifles and formerly also in other Rifle regiments
- Craftsman (Cfn) - Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (women as well as men use this rank)
- Drummer (Dmr) - drummers in infantry regiments
- Fusilier (Fus) - Fusilier regiments
- Gunner (Gnr) - Royal Artillery
- Guardsman (Gdsm) - Foot Guards
- Highlander (Hldr) - The Highlanders
- Kingsman (Kgn) - Duke of Lancaster's Regiment
- Musician (Mus) - military bands (formerly called bandsman)
- Piper (Ppr) - bagpipers in Scottish and Irish regiments
- Ranger (Rgr) - The Royal Irish Regiment and Royal Irish Rangers
- Rifleman (Rfn) - Rifle regiments
- Sapper (Spr) - Royal Engineers
- Signaller (Sig) - Royal Corps of Signals (formerly called signalman)
- Trooper (Tpr) - Household Cavalry Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, Special Air Service and Honourable Artillery Company
- Trumpeter (Tptr) - trumpeters in the Household Cavalry (and formerly in all cavalry regiments)
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioned Ranks | |||||
| Second Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Captain | Major | Lieutenant Colonel | Colonel | Brigadier | Major General | Lieutenant General | General | Field Marshal | |||||
| Non-commissioned Ranks | |||||
| Private | Lance Corporal | Corporal | Sergeant | Staff Sergeant | Warrant Officer Class 2 | Warrant Officer Class 1 | |||||
Rank Structure of the British Army 
