Sergeant

History

With the the Middle Ages, the sergeants known as of weapons are permanent soldiers, who are at the beginning only auxiliary forces in shift. Simple the knight S, just like the cities, bishops, Abbey S or even the Corporation S have some with their service. When they are used to maintain the order, one employs the term of rather ministériaux ; at the time Philippe Auguste, before leaving in Crusade, creates two functions bearing this name:

royal sergeants: each provost lays out sergeants to carry out its legal decisions;
and of the sergeants of weapons, which are used to him as bodyguards.

The first established then the name of sergeants of the marshals until in 1501 and of the first regulated companies of constabulary, whose riders are called Archer S until 1760. They are the ancestors of the French national police.

The sergeant becomes, later, that which maintains the order tightened without which the battle could badly turn. This greenhouse-people carries a distinctive weapon then: a halberd . The sergeant of the foot soldiers names sergeant in the troops historically equipped with horses. Name sergeant comes owing to the fact that the soldier carrying this rank was responsible for the stables.

The armies of all the times multiplied the specialities of the sergeants; one finds:

sergeant recruiter;
drill sergeant;

The sergeant by country

Belgium

Sergeant of the Belgian armed forces. This rank is the first of the hierarchy of the warrant officers subordinates in the components terrestrial, air and medical (from left to right).

Canada

The sergeant is the fifth level of the ranks in the Canadian Armed forces.

One also finds with the Canada the function of quartermaster-sergeant (sergeant as a chief of a service or an unspecified division) who is not a rank is but a function which can be occupied by a higher warrant officer (often a Adjudant, a Adjudant-Master or a Adjudant-chef. This characteristic is more specific to the terrestrial forces.

France

First rank of Warrant officer of the French Army, the sergeant in section of combat is generally team leader (ten man) or of part (a tank or a part of Artillerie). In this case, it in general has three foremen, corporals or senior corporals under its orders.

The higher rank is: Staff sergeant. Sergeant and staff sergeants are Sous-officiers subordinates.

He carries two gilded rafters: on its sleeves of shoulder. In battle dress, the two rafters are related to one gallon of chest.

Within the weapons " montées" , the sergeant is called sergeant and carries silver plated rafters.

Nevertheless, in artillery, the sergeant carries gilded gallons but is called sergeant.

In the national police, the " gendarmes" of career warrant officers, a " are all; gendarme" is " marshal of the logis" (=sergent). (Just like in the National police force, the " guards of Paix" of career are all " under-officiers" first level at the beginning of career, therefore " sergent")

In the national marine, the sergeant is called second-Master .

At the time of the national service, called having followed formation within a group of pupil warrant officer (PESO) were named sergeant.

Nowadays, most of the sergeants of the Army result from ENSOA (National school of the Warrant officers of Active)) of Saint-Maixent the School.

Switzerland

The rank of sergeant (shortened sgt ) (in German Wachtmeister ) rank of the warrant officers of the Swiss army is the second. It is above the corporal and with the lower part the staff sergeant. Before the reform of Armed XXI (2004), the rank of sergeant was equivalent to that of the current staff sergeant. He could be the substitute of the section head (like currently the staff sergeant) or that of the quartermaster-sergeant of unit (the current quartermaster-sergeant chief). Since, the rank of sergeant corresponds to the function of team leader (held before by the rank of Caporal).

Famous sergeants in works of fiction

the Garcia sergeant in Zorro
the sergeant Pepper of the Beatles
the sergeant Chesterfield in blue Tunics
the Thénardier sergeant in the Poor wretches of Victor Hugo.

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