Colonel (abbreviated as Col. , Col , or COL ) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
53-734: Colonel David de Crespigny Smiley , LVO , OBE , MC & Bar (11 April 1916 – 9 January 2009) was a British special forces and intelligence officer. He fought in the Second World War in Palestine , Iraq , Persia , Syria , the Western Desert and with Special Operations Executive (SOE) in Albania and Thailand . Smiley was the 4th and youngest son of Sir John Smiley, 2nd Baronet and Valerie Champion de Crespigny, youngest daughter of Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny , who
106-470: A cabo de colunela or column head. Because they were crown units who are directly under the control of the monarch or sovereign of a country, the units were also confusingly called coronelas , and their commanders coronels . Evidence of this can be seen when Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba , nicknamed "the Great Captain", divided his armies in coronelías , each led by a coronel , in 1508. Later, in
159-469: A blue ring bearing the motto of the order – victoria (victory) – and surmounted by a Tudor crown . However, there are variations on the badge for each grade of the order: Knights and Dames Grand Cross on certain formal occasions (see below) wear the badge suspended from the Order's collar (chain), but otherwise on a sash passing from the right shoulder to the left hip; Knight Commanders and male Commanders wear
212-485: A military contract with a sovereign. The colonel purchased the regimental contract—the right to hold the regiment—from the previous holder of that right or directly from the sovereign when a new regiment was formed or an incumbent was killed . As the office of colonel became an established practice, the colonel became the senior captain in a group of companies that were all sworn to observe his personal authority—to be ruled or regimented by him. This regiment, or governance,
265-404: A professional military rank that was still held typically by an officer in command of a regiment or equivalent unit. Along with other ranks, it has become progressively more a matter of ranked duties, qualifications, and experience, as well as of corresponding titles and pay scale, than of functional office in a particular organization. As European military influence expanded throughout the world,
318-529: A stepson and a stepdaughter. Colonel In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of a regiment in an army. Modern usage varies greatly, and in some cases, the term is used as an honorific title that may have no direct relationship to military. In some smaller military forces, such as those of Monaco or the Vatican , colonel is the highest rank . Equivalent naval ranks may be called captain or ship-of-the-line captain . In
371-536: Is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria . It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the monarch. The present monarch, King Charles III , is the sovereign of the order. The order's motto is Victoria. The order's official day is 20 June. The order's chapel is the Savoy Chapel in London . There
424-416: Is in silver. Further, the size of the badge varies by rank, that for the higher classes being larger, and Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights and Dames Commander have their crosses surrounded by a star: for the former, an eight-pointed silver star, and for the latter, an eight-pointed silver Maltese cross with silver rays between each arm. The medal bears the effigy and name of the reigning sovereign at
477-489: Is linked to the word column (from Latin : columna ; Italian: colonna ; French: colonne ) in a similar way that brigadier is linked to brigade , although in English this relationship is not immediately obvious. With the shift from primarily mercenary to primarily national armies in the course of the 17th century, a colonel (normally a member of the aristocracy) became a holder (German Inhaber ) or proprietor of
530-415: Is no limit on the number of individuals honoured at any grade. Admission is at the sole discretion of the monarch. Each of the order's five grades represent different levels of service, as does the medal, which has three levels of service. While all those honoured may use the prescribed styles of the order – the top two grades grant titles of knighthood, and all grades accord distinct post-nominal letters –
583-513: The Commonwealth 's air force ranking system, the equivalent rank is group captain . By the end of the late medieval period, a group of "companies" was referred to as a "column" of an army. According to Raymond Oliver, c. 1500 , the Spanish began explicitly reorganizing part of their army into 20 colunelas or columns of approximately 1,000–1,250 soldiers. Each colunela was commanded by
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#1732868981085636-797: The Dominions and colonies (appointments to the then most senior orders of chivalry, the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Thistle , had been made on ministerial advice since the 18th century and were not restored to the personal gift of the sovereign until 1946 and 1947, respectively ). Queen Victoria thus established on 21 April 1896 the Royal Victorian Order as a junior and personal order of knighthood that allowed her to bestow directly to an empire-wide community honours for personal services. The organisation
689-725: The Grand Master ; the latter position was created in 1937 and was occupied by Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) from that date until her death in 2002. Queen Elizabeth II then appointed her daughter, Anne, Princess Royal , to the position in 2007. Below the Grand Master are five officials of the organisation: the Chancellor , held by the Lord Chamberlain ; the Secretary , held by
742-517: The Royal Peculiars of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey are customarily inducted as Knights Commander; clergymen appointed to the higher levels of the Royal Victorian Order do not use the associated styles, however, and honorary members are not permitted to hold them at all. Prior to 1984, the grades of Lieutenant and Member were classified as Members (fourth class) and Members (fifth class) , respectively, but both with
795-623: The Somaliland Camel Corps , but was to arrive at Berbera the same day it was decided to evacuate British Somaliland . He returned frustrated to Egypt where he persuaded family friend General Wavell to recommend him for the newly formed commandos. Smiley was appointed a company commander (with the rank of captain) with 52 Commando and his first mission was sneaking from Sudan into Abyssinia. He fought against Vichy French forces in Syria . For his reconnaissance work in ruins near Palmyra he
848-605: The lieutenant governors . The practice of notifying the Prime Minister of Canada of nominees ended in 1982, to distance the order as far from politics as possible. It was reported in 2008 that some in the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall wished to eliminate the Royal Victorian Order from the Canadian honours system and sometimes contested when a Canadian was appointed; however, no formal changes were ever planned. In Canada,
901-511: The 16th century, the French army adopted this organizational structure, renaming colunelas regiments. Even so, they simply Gallicized colunela to the French colonel and pronounced it as written. The English then copied the unit and rank from the French. However, for reasons unknown, the English adopted the Spanish pronunciation of coronel , and after several decades of use shortened it to its current two-syllable pronunciation "kernel". Colonel
954-483: The Blues, he was seen as a "man-about-town", owning a Bentley car and a Miles Whitney Straight aircraft. He was also an amateur jockey and won seven races under National Hunt rules. After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Smiley's regiment sailed for Palestine , where one of his first jobs was to shoot his troop of forty horses when it became clear they were of no use in modern combat. In 1940 Smiley joined
1007-557: The Commonwealth of Kentucky bestows the honor of a colonel's Commission, by issuance of letters patent. Perhaps the best known Kentucky colonel is Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. The rank of colonel is also used by some police forces and paramilitary organizations. Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order ( French : Ordre royal de Victoria )
1060-450: The Faith), and Ind. Imp. ( Empress of India ). The chain supports a larger octagonal medallion with a blue enamel surface edged in red and charged with a saltire , over which is an effigy of Queen Victoria; members of the order suspend from this medallion their insignia as a badge apendant . Though after the death of a Knight or Dame Grand Cross their insignia may be retained by their family,
1113-1057: The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King; the Registrar, held by the Secretary to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood ; the Chaplain , held by the Chaplain of the King's Chapel of the Savoy ; and the Genealogist . Thereafter follow those honoured with different grades of the order, divided into five levels: the highest two conferring accolades of knighthood and all having post-nominal letters and, lastly,
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#17328689810851166-400: The King's Chapel of the Savoy is ex officio the Chaplain to the Royal Victorian Order. The current incumbent is Canon Thomas Woodhouse. Membership in the Royal Victorian Order is conferred by the monarch without ministerial advice on those who have performed personal service for the sovereign. Foreign members will generally be admitted as honorary members of the Royal Victorian Order when
1219-530: The Regiment (to distinguish it from the military rank of colonel) continues to be used in the modern British Army. The ceremonial position is often conferred on retired general officers , brigadiers or colonels who have a close link to a particular regiment. Non-military personnel, usually for positions within the Army Reserve may also be appointed to the ceremonial position. When attending functions as "Colonel of
1272-494: The Regiment", the titleholder wears the regimental uniform with rank insignia of (full) colonel, regardless of their official rank. A member of the Royal Family is known as a Royal Colonel . A Colonel of the Regiment is expected to work closely with a regiment and its Regimental Association . Some military forces have a colonel as their highest-ranking officer, with no 'general' ranks, and no superior authority (except, perhaps,
1325-713: The Royal Victorian Order in 1952 and received the Coronation Medal. He was British Military Attaché to Stockholm between 1955 and 1958. After the war, he held the record for the most falls in one season on the Cresta Run in St Moritz; bizarrely, he represented Kenya (where he owned a farm) in the Commonwealth Winter Games of 1960. He was Commander of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman's Armed Forces between 1958 and 1961. He
1378-515: The Royal Victorian Order's precedence amongst other honours differs from realm to realm and admission to some grades may be barred to citizens of those realms by government policy. Prior to the close of the 19th century, most general honours within the British Empire were bestowed by the sovereign on the advice of her British ministers , who sometimes forwarded advice from ministers of the Crown in
1431-409: The Savoy chapel can no longer accommodate the gathering of members held every four years, and St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle is now employed for the event. The Sovereign and Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the order are allotted stalls in the Savoy chapel's choir, and on the back of each stall is affixed a brass plate displaying the occupant's name, coat of arms , and date of admission into
1484-478: The badge on a ribbon at the neck; male Lieutenants and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; and women in all grades below Dame Grand Cross wear the badge on a bow pinned at the left shoulder. For Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Commanders, and Lieutenants, the Maltese cross is rendered in white enamel with gold edging, while that for Knights and Dames Commander (on the star) and Members (the badge itself)
1537-404: The collar must be returned. Knights and Dames Grand Cross also wear a mantle of dark blue satin edged with red satin and lined with white satin, bearing a representation of the order's star on the left side. Since 1938, the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order has been the King's Chapel of the Savoy , in central London , England . However, the population of the order has grown to the point that
1590-464: The colonel of the division. Kentucky colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky . Commissions for Kentucky colonels are given by the Governor and the Secretary of State to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to a community, state or the nation. This is the equivalent to a full colonel in the militia. The sitting governor of
1643-562: The gift of the monarch, the appointment of Canadians to the order resumed in 1972 and eligibility was extended to those who render services to the monarch's representatives in the country; officials within the provincial spheres being included after 1984. Originally, the sovereign chose inductees personally, though the Governor General of Canada and the Canadian Secretary to the King could provide suggestions, some passed to them by
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1696-644: The group has, since 2008, gathered biennially. As the Royal Victorian Order is open to the citizens of fifteen countries, each with their own system of orders, decorations, and medals, the RVO's place of precedence varies from country to country. Some are as follows: In the United Kingdom, the wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders; relatives of Dames, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As
1749-567: The head of state as a titular commander-in-chief) other than the respective national government. Examples include the following (arranged alphabetically by country name): The term colonel is also used as a title for auctioneers in the United States; there are a variety of theories or folk etymologies to explain the use of the term. One of these is the claim that during the American Civil War goods seized by armies were sold at auction by
1802-479: The holders of the Royal Victorian Medal in gold, silver or bronze. Foreigners may be admitted as honorary members. There are no limits to the number of any grade, and promotion is possible. The styles of knighthood are not used by princes, princesses, or peers in the uppermost ranks of the society, save for when their names are written in their fullest forms for the most official occasions. Retiring Deans of
1855-539: The new insignia. The order's ribbon is blue with red-white-red stripe edging, the only difference being that for foreigners appointed into the society, their ribbon bears an additional central white stripe. For Knights Grand Cross, the ribbon is 82.5 millimetres (3.25 in) wide, for Dames Grand Cross 57.1 millimetres (2.25 in), for Knights and Dames Commander 44.4 millimetres (1.75 in), and for all other members 31.7 millimetres (1.25 in). At formal events, or collar days , of which there are 34 throughout
1908-416: The order has come to be colloquially dubbed as the "Royal Visit Order", as the majority of appointments had been made by the then sovereign during her tours of the country . The Royal Victorian Order Association of Canada exists for all Canadians appointed to the order or who have received the Royal Victorian Medal; it is the only such organisation in the Commonwealth realms . Founded by Michael Jackson,
1961-583: The organisation. Upon the occupant's death, the plate is retained, leaving the stalls festooned with a record of the order's Knights and Dames Grand Cross since 1938. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Royal Victorian Order and of the Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order as there is insufficient space in the chapel for more knights' and dames' banners or other heraldic devices. The Chaplain of
2014-421: The position of the colonel as the figurehead of a regiment is maintained in the honorary role of "colonel-in-chief", usually held by a member of the royal family , the nobility, or a retired senior military officer. The colonel-in-chief wears a colonel's uniform and encourages the members of the regiment, but takes no active part in the actual command structure or in any operational duties. The title Colonel of
2067-502: The post-nominals MVO . On 31 December of that year, Queen Elizabeth II declared that those in the grade of Member (fourth class) would henceforth be Lieutenants with the post-nominals LVO . Upon admission into the Royal Victorian Order, members are given various insignia. Common for all members is the badge, which is a Maltese cross with a central medallion depicting on a red background the Royal Cypher of Queen Victoria surrounded by
2120-410: The rank of colonel became adopted by nearly every nation (albeit under a variety of names). During the 20th century, with the rise of communism , some of the large communist militaries saw fit to expand the colonel rank into several grades, resulting, for example, in the unique senior colonel rank, which was found and is still used in such nations as China and North Korea . In many modern armies,
2173-407: The regiment has more importance as a ceremonial unit or a focus of members' loyalty than as an actual battle formation. Troops tend to be deployed in battalions (commanded by a lieutenant colonel ) as a more convenient size of military unit and, as such, colonels have tended to have a higher profile in specialist and command roles than as actual commanders of regiments. However, in Commonwealth armies,
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2226-550: The sovereign is making a state visit to the individual's country or a head of state is paying a state visit to the United Kingdom. As admission to the top two levels of the organisation provides for an honorary prefix, Canadians are not normally appointed to these levels as long as the monarch's Canadian ministry adheres to the Nickle Resolution of 1919. As it was deemed by the Canadian Cabinet to be an honour within
2279-574: The time of its awarding, as well as the phrase DEI • GRATIA • REX (or REGINA) • F.D. (by the grace of God, King (or Queen), Defender of the Faith ), and on the reverse is the Royal Cypher upon an ornamental shield within a laurel wreath . Bars may be awarded to each class of medal for further services, and should recipients be awarded a higher level of medal or be appointed to a grade of the order itself, they may continue to wear their original medal along with
2332-460: The year, such as New Year's Day and royal anniversaries, Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear the Royal Victorian Order's livery collar , consisting of an alternating string of octagonal gold pieces depicting a gold rose on a blue field and gold oblong frames within which are one of four inscriptions: Victoria , Britt. Reg. (Queen of the Britons), Def. Fid. ( fidei defensor , or Defender of
2385-614: Was mentioned in despatches (Middle-East, 1941). Smiley was recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) 1943 and undertook his first operation with them in Palestine in the same year. Later 1943 he parachuted into Albania where he co-ordinated partisan operations for eight months, and was awarded an immediate Military Cross . In April 1944 Smiley and Lieutenant Colonel Neil " Billy" McLean again parachuted into Albania, carrying out guerrilla operations, for which Smiley
2438-560: Was Military Advisor to Yemen between 1962 and 1967. Smiley was the author of three books based on his experiences, Arabian Assignment , Albanian Assignment and Irregular Regular . Smiley died on 9 January 2009, survived by his wife, Moyra (daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Lord Francis George Montagu Douglas Scott, KCMG, DSO, the 6th Duke of Buccleuch's youngest son; and Lady Eileen Nina Evelyn Sibell Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound – married 28 April 1947) two sons, Xan de Crespigny Smiley (born 1 May 1949) and Philip David Smiley (born 26 Aug 1951),
2491-682: Was a noted jockey, balloonist, sportsman and adventurer. His father fought in the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1900 with 4th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders before joining the North of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry (redesignated the North Irish Horse in 1908). He gained the rank of major in the service of the Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) and fought in the First World War . David Smiley
2544-857: Was awarded a Bar to the Military Cross in 1944. He was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1946 for his service with the SOE in Thailand. He was Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards between December 1951 to December 1954. He rode behind The Queen in the Gold State Coach in the Coronation Procession on 2 June 1953. He was appointed as a Member of the Fourth Class of
2597-584: Was educated at the Nautical College , Pangbourne , Berkshire, England, where he was a noted sportsman. Some have suggested that John le Carré consciously or unconsciously took David Smiley's surname for that of his hero George Smiley . Smiley attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst , in 1934, and was commissioned into the Royal Horse Guards in 1936. While based in Windsor, Berkshire , with
2650-515: Was founded a year before Victoria's Diamond Jubilee , so as to give the Queen time to complete a list of first inductees. The order's official day was made 20 June of each year, marking the anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne. In 1902, King Edward VII created the Royal Victorian Chain "as a personal decoration for royal personages and a few eminent British subjects" and it
2703-494: Was the colonel general , and, in the absence of the sovereign or his designate, the colonel general might serve as the commander of a force. The position, however, was primarily contractual and it became progressively more of a functionless sinecure . The head of a single regiment or demi-brigade would be called a ' mestre de camp ' or, after the Revolution , a ' chef de brigade '. By the late 19th century, colonel had evolved to
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#17328689810852756-542: Was the highest class of the Royal Victorian Order. It is today distinct from the order, though it is officially issued by the chancery of the Royal Victorian Order. The order was open to foreigners from its inception, with the Prefect of Alpes-Maritimes and the Mayor of Nice being the first foreigners to receive the honour in 1896. The reigning monarch is at the apex of the Royal Victorian Order as its Sovereign, followed by
2809-423: Was to some extent embodied in a contract and set of written rules, also referred to as the colonel's regiment or standing regulation(s). By extension, the group of companies subject to a colonel's regiment (in the foregoing sense) came to be referred to as his regiment (in the modern sense) as well. In French usage of this period, the senior colonel in the army or, in a field force, the senior military contractor,
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