Talk:John Whistler

Colour Sergeant
Whistler is said to have been a Colour Sergeant during the ARW. Yet, the infantry rank of colour sergeant was created in 1813 as a reward for senior sergeants with one allowed per company. See:British Army other ranks rank insignia.

Creuzbourg (talk) 09:54, 17 December 2023 (UTC)


 * You raise an interesting question. The sources cited don't seem to question that Whistler quickly rose to a non-commissioned officer rank, nor that he was assigned to colours.  But a quick Google Scholar search verifies what you said about the actual "colour sergeant" rank being created in 1813.  My question, then, is whether "colour sergeant" in this context implies more of a duty than an actual rank.  Non-commissioned officers were assigned to protect the colours in camp or on the march; perhaps this was Whistler's assignment?
 * I found at least one other example of a sergeant carrying colours in the AWI. This is Sergeant Roger Lambs of the 23rd or Royal Welch Fuzileers.  This page has another interesting clue: that while Ensigns were typically supposed to carry the colours, some Ensigns were too young to properly carry them.  Furthermore, the British half of Burgoyne's army tended to keep their colours packed while they marched through the forest.  Canute (talk) 18:13, 18 December 2023 (UTC)