Company quartermaster sergeant is a military rank or appointment.

Canada

A company quartermaster sergeant (CQMS) in the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Forc ...

is the non-commissioned officer in a company who is in charge of supplies. The CQMS also serves as the deputy to the company sergeant major and is the second most senior NCO in the company. This appointment is held by a warrant officer. Historically, before the Unification of the three services, the rank of staff sergeant was generally reserved for CQMS appointees in the former Canadian Army. Squadron quartermaster sergeant is the equivalent in the

Royal Canadian Armoured Corps The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps (RCAC; french: links=no, Corps blindé royal canadien) is the armoured corps within the Canadian Army, including 3 Regular and 18 Reserve Force regimentsThe Regiments and Corps of the Canadian Army (Queen's Printe ...

Canadian Military Engineers The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; french: links=no, Génie militaire canadien) is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engi ...

, and in Communications Command. Battery quartermaster sergeant is the equivalent in the

Royal Canadian Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): "British Grenadiers/ The ...

Ireland

The rank of company quartermaster sergeant (CQMS) (''ceathrúsháirsint complacht'' in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

) is also used in the

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The A ...

. It is an actual rank and is subordinate to the company sergeant (equivalent to a company sergeant major). The CQMS is in charge of supplies, transport, stores, weapons, ammunition and accommodation. He or she answers to the company sergeant in matters regarding the physical welfare of the troops, including the issue of kit and the supply of food and water and other stores. The title of company quartermaster sergeant is used in the infantry and most corps units. However, in the artillery, the rank is known as battery quartermaster sergeant (BtyQMS), not to be confused with the higher rank of battalion quartermaster sergeant (BQMS), which is equivalent to a

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

, and in the cavalry it is known as squadron quartermaster sergeant (SQMS). The Air Corps uses the rank of flight quartermaster sergeant.

Myanmar

The rank of company quartermaster sergeant (CQMS) is also used in the

Myanmar Army The Myanmar Army ( my, တပ်မတော်(ကြည်း), ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, Armed Forces (''Tatmadaw'') of Myanmar (Burma) and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The My ...

. The CQMS is in charge of supplies, transport, stores, weapons, ammunition and accommodation. The CQMS is also the deputy to the company sergeant major and is the second most senior NCO in the company. Its equivalent rank in the

Myanmar Air Force The Myanmar Air Force ( my, တပ်မတော် (လေ), ), known until 1989 as the Burmese Air Force, is the aerial branch of Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception h ...

is squadron quartermaster sergeant and in the

Myanmar Navy The Myanmar Navy ( my, တပ်မတော် (ရေ); ) is the naval warfare branch of the armed forces of Myanmar. With 24,000 personnel on duty, the navy operates more than 150 vessels. Prior to 1988, the navy was small, and its role in c ...

is chief petty officer.

United Kingdom

The company quartermaster sergeant (CQMS) in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and Royal Marines is the non-commissioned officer in a company who is in charge of supplies. The CQMS also serves as the deputy to the company sergeant major and is the second most senior NCO in the company. By 1913, there were two colour sergeants in each army infantry company. On 1 October 1913, they were replaced by the two new ranks of company sergeant major and company quartermaster sergeant, with one of each in each company."New Rates of Pay in the Army", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', 14 October 1913 By the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, CQMS had become an appointment of the rank of staff sergeant ( colour sergeant in the Royal Marines and later also in army infantry regiments), and remains so today. In infantry companies, the CQMS continues to be addressed as "colour sergeant" (or "sir" by subordinates in a foot guards regiment) and not as "quartermaster sergeant", "CQMS", or just "Q", which is common in other corps. Quartermaster sergeants are never addressed by the more junior rank of "sergeant". They have always worn the rank badge of a crown over three chevrons. Squadron quartermaster sergeant (SQMS) is the equivalent in the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...

, Special Air Service, Royal Engineers, Royal Corps of Signals,

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

, Royal Army Medical Corps,

Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army. History The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on 5 April 1993, by the union of five British Army corps: * Royal Engine ...

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

, and formerly in the Royal Corps of Transport. Battery quartermaster sergeant (BQMS) is the equivalent in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. Squadron quartermaster corporal (SQMC) is the equivalent in the

Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment sta ...

(in which it is an appointment of

staff corporal Staff corporal (SCpl or S/Cpl) is the equivalent rank to staff sergeant in the Household Cavalry, ranking between corporal of horse and warrant officer class 2. They may hold an appointment such as squadron quartermaster corporal. A staff corpor ...

United States

US Company Quartermaster Sergeant Chevrons - Cavalry

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, beginning on 4 May 1861, each company of Union cavalry was authorised a company quartermaster sergeant. The company quartermaster sergeant was responsible for the company wagon and all the property it contained, including the tents, the company mess gear, the company desk, the company library, the ordnance, the subsistence provisions, and the company tools. He was further charged with overseeing the camp set-up of the tents and

picket line A picket line is a horizontal rope along which horses are tied at intervals. The rope can be on the ground, at chest height (above the knees, below the neck) or overhead. The overhead form is usually called a high line. A variant of a high l ...

s. He inspected the company horses and mules, and reported any problems to the veterinary surgeon of the regiment. He was also responsible for acquiring fuel,

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used ...

for the horses, and straw for bedding for the company. These were normally drawn from the supplies of the regimental

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

, along with replacements for uniforms and equipment. When they were not available from stores, the company quartermaster sergeant was responsible for forage parties to acquire them. The company quartermaster sergeant was required to sign for the uniforms and equipment that were in his custody and before disbursing these items to a soldier, he required a signature of receipt, countersigned by an officer. The rank of company quartermaster sergeant was not a command position, although he was required to know the drills, and the duties and responsibilities of the line NCOs. He was the second most senior NCO in the company after the first sergeant. During combat, his place was safeguarding the company wagon and its supplies. He was generally required to fight only in defence of the company property. In an extreme emergency, he could be used to replace a fallen line NCO, but this was extremely rare. The wagons were driven by teamsters, who were usually members of the company. Additionally, each cavalry company was authorized a wagoneer with the rank of

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

. The company quartermaster sergeant wore three

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

s with a single straight tie in

worsted Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham ...

. Although worn by volunteer cavalry from 1862, this rank badge was not incorporated into United States military regulations until 1866. The rank, and insignia, were also used by the Confederate Army during the Civil War. A battery quartermaster sergeant was also authorised for every artillery battery from 4 May 1861. They began to adopt the same unofficial chevrons as the cavalry from May 1863. The rank was last used by the U.S. Army during World War I. It was discontinued after the war.

Footnotes

{{Reflist Quartermasters Military ranks of the Commonwealth Military ranks of Ireland Military appointments of the British Army Military ranks of the United States Army Military appointments of the Royal Marines Military ranks of the British Army sv:Kompanikvartermästare