Colour Sergeant

A senior noncommissioned rank of British infantry, senior to sergeant and below warrant officer, created in 1813.

Overview

Colour Sergeant was instituted in 1813 to honor the sergeants who had defended the regimental colours in battle, and the rank retains its ceremonial role in colour parties today. The insignia is three chevrons with a crown, worn below the rank of warrant officer, senior to sergeant in the infantry. CSgts fill second in command appointments in platoons and company quartermaster sergeant roles. The rank exists only in the infantry and some Guards and rifles variants; elsewhere the staff sergeant performs the parallel function. In NATO terms it sits around OR-6 to OR-7 depending on the table applied, and Commonwealth forces preserve variants of it.