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'{{for|the butterfly|Athyma nefte{{!}}''Athyma nefte''}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} [[File:OR7 RM Colour Sergeant.svg|thumb|Service dress insignia for a colour sergeant of the [[Royal Marines]].]] '''Colour sergeant''' or '''color sergeant''' ('''CSgt''' or '''C/Sgt''') is a rank of [[non-commissioned officer]] found in several armies and marine corps.<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Colour-sergeant|volume=6|page=731}}</ref> == Australia == In the [[Australian Army]], the rank of colour sergeant has only existed in the [[Corps of Staff Cadets]] at the [[Royal Military College, Duntroon]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The rank of Colour Sergeant in the Australian Army |url=http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/colour-sgt.htm |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=www.diggerhistory.info}}</ref> ==Canada== [[File:Canadian Army OR-7.svg|thumb|110px|The insignia of a colour sergeant used by Canadian [[Foot Guards]] regiments on all uniforms except for [[full dress uniform|ceremonial dress]].]] Colour sergeant is a rank in the [[Foot Guards]] [[regiment]]s of the [[Canadian Army]], specifically in the [[Governor General's Foot Guards]] and the [[Canadian Grenadier Guards]] and also previously in [[The Canadian Guards]]. It is the equivalent to [[warrant officer]]; a colour sergeant wears the rank insignia of a warrant officer (a royal crown) on all uniforms except No. 1 Ceremonial Dress, on which a special rank badge is worn: three chevrons, point down, surmounted by an image of regimental colours. Canadian colour sergeants are addressed in the same manner as their British counterparts. ==United Kingdom== Colour sergeant (CSgt or C/Sgt) is a non-commissioned title in the [[Royal Marines]] and [[Infantry of the British Army|infantry]] regiments of the [[British Army]], ranking above [[sergeant]] and below [[warrant officer]] class 2. It has a [[NATO ranks|NATO ranking code]] of OR-7 and is equivalent to the rank of [[staff sergeant]] in other branches of the Army, [[flight sergeant]] or [[chief technician]] in the [[Royal Air Force]], and [[chief petty officer]] in the [[Royal Navy]]. The insignia is the monarch's crown above three downward pointing chevrons. [[File:Face to face.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A colour sergeant of the [[Coldstream Guards]] (right) speaking to a [[lance-sergeant|lance sergeant]] (left).]] [[File:Colour party of the Royal Bermuda Regiment at Queen's Birthday Parade in 2017.jpg|thumb|Colour party of the [[Royal Bermuda Regiment]], with a colour sergeant to the left of the colours]] The rank was introduced into British Army infantry regiments in 1813<ref name=EB1911/> during the [[Napoleonic Wars]] to reward long-serving sergeants; a single colour sergeant was appointed to each company as the senior NCO. From 1 October 1913, British infantry battalions were reorganised from eight companies to four, leaving two colour sergeants in each new company. The senior of the pair was appointed to the new rank of [[company sergeant major]] and the junior to that of [[company quartermaster sergeant]].<ref>"Four-Company Battalions", ''[[The Times]]'', 17 September 1913</ref><ref>"New Rates of Pay in the Army", ''[[The Times]]'', 14 October 1913</ref> Although the rank of colour sergeant was then abolished, the CQMS of an infantry company continued to be generally addressed as "Colour Sergeant" and the rank was later reintroduced, probably during the [[Second World War]], with CQMS becoming an appointment of it. The Royal Marines retained the rank throughout. Historically, colour sergeants of British line regiments protected [[Ensign (rank)|ensigns]], the most junior officers who were responsible for carrying their [[battalion]]s' [[regimental colours|colours]] to rally troops in battles. For this reason, to reach the rank of colour sergeant was considered a prestigious attainment, granted normally to those sergeants who had displayed courage on the field of battle. This tradition continues today as colour sergeants form part of a colour party in military parades. During ceremonial events, it is from a colour sergeant that the ensign collects the colour of the battalion or regiment. Colour sergeants are referred to and addressed as "Colour Sergeant" or "Colour" ("Colour Sergeant Hewitt" or "Colour Hewitt", for instance) in the Army, or as "Colour Sergeant" or "Colours" in the Royal Marines, and never by the more junior rank of "Sergeant". Unusually, NCOs with the rank of colour sergeant who hold the appointment of company quartermaster sergeant are still addressed and referred to by their rank, not their appointment. In Foot Guards regiments, colour sergeants are addressed as "Sir" and afforded the respect and privileges normally accorded to warrant officers. In [[The Rifles]], the spelling "colour serjeant" is used, in common with other Rifles ranks and appointments including the word ''serjeant''.<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/fatalities/colour-serjeant-kevin-charles-fortuna-killed-in-afghanistan "Colour Serjeant Kevin Charles Fortuna killed in Afghanistan", Ministry of Defence, 25 May 2011]</ref> In the [[Royal Marines Band Service]], the [[bandmaster]]s of the seven [[Royal Navy]] Volunteer Bands usually hold the rank of band colour sergeant.<ref>[https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2018/april/20/180420-hms-collingwood-volunteer-band-support-raf100-event "HMS Collingwood Volunteer Band support RAF100 event", Royal Navy, 20 April 2018]</ref><ref>[https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/11357951.plymouth-royal-navy-volunteer-band-success/ "Plymouth Royal Navy volunteer band success", ''Somerset County Gazette'', 22 July 2014]</ref> The senior playing musician in a Royal Marines band also holds this rank, which replaced the rank of bandmaster in 1969.<ref>[https://rmhistorical.com/files/content/DCI%28RN%29%20273%2028-2-1969.pdf "Royal Marines - Band Services - Introduction of the Rank of Band Colour Sergeant", 28 February 1969]</ref> Colour sergeants and [[warrant officer]]s form an important part of the instructor cadre at the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9678006/New-model-army-Sandhursts-officers-of-the-future.html |title=New model army: Sandhurst's officers of the future |last=Blackhurst |first=Rob |date=2012-11-20 |access-date=2018-01-29 |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> ==United States== [[File:WW1-ColorSgt.jpg|thumb|right|110px|Color sergeant [[United States Army enlisted rank insignia of World War I|insignia]] used by the [[United States Army]] during [[World War I]]]] Color sergeant is an NCO rank that was used historically in the [[United States Army]], lastly during World War I.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} Within the [[United States Military Academy]] at West Point, the term is used to distinguish second class cadets who are assigned to a colour party (one bearer per colour plus two guards).{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}. In the [[Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets]], the rank is given to all junior members of the Regimental Color Guard, with the exception of the guard's commanding officer, who holds the rank of cadet command color sergeant. All color sergeants in the VTCC must go through the guard's joining process again, even if they served as cadet color corporals on the guard as sophomores. The term is used in the [[US Marine Corps]] as a billet for [[Flag of the United States Marine Corps#Color Sergeant|sergeants who carry the colours]]. Additionally, there is a billet of [[Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps]], a sergeant (E5) who is the Commandant of the Marine Corps' ceremonial representative and the platoon sergeant of the Marine Corps Battle Colors Detachment.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} ==See also== * [[Comparative military ranks]] ==References== {{Reflist}} <!--spacing, please do not remove--> {{UK enlisted ranks}} [[Category:Military ranks of the British Army]] [[Category:Military ranks of Canada]] [[Category:Military ranks of the Royal Marines]]'