"British Artillery NCO Rank in Zulu War?" Topic

Does anyone know how the British NCO rank was in the Royal Artillery during the Zulu War? Corporals, sergeants, etc., And was it on one or both sleeves. My figures are wearing the red edged artillery jacket and not the frock if that makes a difference.

Thanks,

Terry

FWIW and IIRC: a private is a "Gunner," then there was -- in C.19 -- a "Bombardier," then as per Infantry: Corporal, Sgt., etc. Stripes the same.

Gunner replaces Private and Bombardier replaces Corporal. Sergeant follows, and on up.

Jeff (good name!) is correct. Bombardier was a rank between gunner and corporal, equivalent to an infantry lance corporal.

After the Great War, the rank of corporal was abolished in the RA, and bombardiers became the equivalent rank to corporal – with two stripes. The rank of lance bombardier was introduced at the same time.

The R.A. had Corporals as well as Bombardiers in 1879, Don, as Jeff Ewing said.

Edit: And that other fella.

Oh, and both sleeves.

Thank you all, and I learned something here.

So a Gunner would have one stripe and a Bombardier two stripes. And the stripes were on both arms. I know they were in yellow, and edged red I believe.

But an additional question – were they on the upper arm or the lower arm? And were they with the points up or down? I ask these last bits because in Barthorp's book on the Zulu War he shows a group of artillerymen standing around some Gatling guns and one a Battery Sergeant Major seems to have his stripes on his lower arms, while there is a chap with 1 stripe (a Gunner I now know) on his right upper arm, his left arm is not visible.

I am wanting to do a Corporal/Bombardier or Sergeant as the gun commander for my Zulu War element, as there is a nice Essex figure of an artilleryman with his arm raised so will be prefect for the gun commander.

Thanks,

Terry

No, in 1879 a Gunner has no stripe, a Bombardier has one, a Corporal has two, and a Sergeant has three.

Upper arm for Bombardiers, Corporals and Sergeants, downward-pointing.

My knowledge of RA ranks is based on memories of It Ain't Half Hot Mum – "Mr La-di-da Gunner Graham" etc.

A Gunner had no stripes and a Bombardier had two. But that was WW2 so is of no real use here.

I'll get my coat.

Graham

As has already been pointed out several times, things were different in 1879.