Lance Corporal
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Lance Corporal (LCpl, L/Cpl or LCP) is a rank used by some elements of the British, Commonwealth, and U.S. armed forces, the police, or other uniformed organizations. It ranks above privates and below corporal, although its specific status beyond that differs between the forces that use it. It is equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.
The origin of the rank of Lance Corporal derives from an amalgamation of corporal with the now-archaic lancepesade, formerly an NCO of the lowest rank. This in turn derives from the Italian lanzia spezzata, which literally means "broken lance" or "broken spear", but which was used to denote a seasoned soldier (the broken spear being a metaphor for combat experience, where such an occurrence was likely).
Another possible origin of Lance Corporal, although far less established and somewhat lost in history, is that the term may have originated in the Middle Ages as a title for corporals who had lost their horses on a battlefield and would join an infantry company for the duration of the conflict. Such persons were known as "Corporals of Lance" instead of "Corporals of Horse".
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British Army and Royal Marines
Image:UK-Army-OR3.gif Lance-Corporal is the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer in the British Army and Royal Marines, between Private and Corporal. The badge of rank is a single chevron worn on both sleeves (although Lance-Corporals in the Foot Guards wear two chevrons and in the Household Cavalry two chevrons under a crown). The Royal Artillery uses the term Lance-Bombardier instead. The designation "Chosen Man", used during the Napoleonic Wars, was a precursor to the rank. A common nickname for a Lance-Corporal is "lance jack".
Until 1961, Lance-Corporal was only an appointment rather than a rank, given to privates who were acting NCOs, and could be taken away by the soldier's commanding officer (whereas a full corporal could only be demoted by court martial). The Royal Engineers and Army Ordnance Corps also used the similar rank of Second Corporal, which was a substantive rank, until 1920. The equivalent in the British Indian Army was Lance-Naik or Acting Lance-Daffadar.
In the infantry, a Lance-Corporal usually serves as second-in-command of a section and commander of its delta fire team. It is also a rank commonly held by specialists such as clerks, drivers, signallers, machine-gunners, and mortarmen.
There is no equivalent Royal Air Force rank except in the RAF sections of Combined Cadet Forces seen in some British Schools. The CCF rank of Cadet Junior Corporal (also bearing one chevron) is used in order that NCOs can be ranked on parity with the Cadet Lance-Corporals in the Army Sections.
Canada
Image:CA-Army-OR3.gif The Canadian Armed Forces abolished the rank of Lance Corporal on their creation as a unified force in 1968, and now use the rank of Trained Private.
United States Marine Corps
In the U.S. Marine Corps, Lance Corporal is the third lowest enlisted rank, just above Private First Class and below Corporal. It is not a non-commissioned officer military rank. The Marines are the only component of the U.S. armed forces to have lance corporals.
Republic of Singapore
The rank of Lance-Corporal (LCP) in the Singapore Armed Forces ranks between Private First Class (PFC) and Corporal (CPL). Like the rank of Corporal in Singapore, it is not a non-commissioned officer rank. Conscript soldiers who are second-in-command of a section would usually be promoted to this rank somewhere in the middle of their national service term.
A Lance-Corporal wears rank insignia of a single point down chevron with an arc above it (similar to an upside down US Army PFC rank badge).
See also
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| E-1 | E-2 | E-3 | E-4 | E-5 | E-6 | E-7 | E-8 | E-9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force: | AB | Amn | A1C | SrA | SSgt | TSgt | MSgt | SMSgt | CMSgt - |
| Army: | PV1 | PV2 | PFC | SPC - | SGT | SSG | SFC | MSG - | SGM - |
| Marine Corps: | Pvt | PFC | LCpl | Cpl | Sgt | SSgt | GySgt | MSgt - | MGySgt - |
| Navy: | SR | SA | SN | PO3 | PO2 | PO1 | CPO | SCPO | MCPO - |
