What is 'acting?'
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by
Stork
What does it mean when a soldier or officer is 'acting,' e.g. acting Corporal?
Posted
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by
ral104
moderator, scientist
Acting rank was held for short periods of time when a soldier was stepping up to fill a vacant role (for example, if a company commander had been wounded and a 2/Lt. took his place). If the man carried out this role for a certain length of time then the acting rank was made more permanent (although generally still described as 'temporary').
When you're tagging, it's best just to tag the rank given on the page, regardless of whether it's acting or not.
Hope that helps.
Posted
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by
David_Underdown
moderator
It's quite a complicated topic, especially for officers. In general the most senior of the next rank down would "act-up". For the more senior officer ranks to get the promotion on a more permanent basis you had to have been recommended for promotion. So it was possible for example that if the lieutenant colonel commanding a battalion became a casualty, or was promoted or whatever, the senior major would take command as acting lieutenant-colonel. If he had the sometimes elusive recommendation for promotion then in due course that acting rank would probably become temporary. If not they would be superseded by someone else, possibly even a more junior major from the same battalion (or at least regiment).
When casualties were particularly heavy you could end up acting several ranks higher in a pinch, but you still might well revert to your substantive (or at least temporary) rank when things calmed down and the battalion was brought back up to strength.
There are further complexities such as local and brevet rank, and for NCOs the subtle distinctions between acting unpaid, and acting.
Richard Holmes' book "Tommy" covers it in more detail.
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by
ral104
moderator, scientist
Thanks David - quite a tortuous set of rules!
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