Guardsman is a
rank used instead of
private in some military units that serve as the official bodyguard of a
sovereign or
head of state
A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
. It is also used as a generic term for any member of a guards unit of any rank.
Canada
In the
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
, the rank is used by privates in the
Governor General's Foot Guards and the
Canadian Grenadier Guards. This honour was awarded by King George V in 1918 to mark the service of regiments of Foot Guards during the First World War. General Order 138 of 1923 promulgated this honour.
The rank is considered non-gender specific and therefore applies equally to female soldiers and is inclusive of any person who has earned the rank. The rank badge is identical to that of private, a single
chevron.
Nordic countries
Several Guards units in the
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...
use the rank. This includes the
Danish Army's ''
Gardehusarregimentet'' (Guard Hussar Regiment) and ''
Den Kongelige Livgarde'' (Royal Life Guards), the
Norwegian Army's ''
Hans Majestet Kongens Garde'' (His Majesty's Royal Guard), and the
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years.
History
Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...
's
Life Guards. The
Finnish Army’s ''
Kaartin jääkärirykmentti'' (Guard Jaeger Regiment) uses the similar rank of Guard Jaeger.
India
In the
Indian Army the rank is used by the elite
Brigade of the Guards. It is also used by the
Indian Home Guards as a rank equivalent to a
constable in the Indian Police Service. The rank is used for regular employees and not volunteers.
Singapore
In the
Singapore Armed Forces, the rank is used by the elite
Singapore Guards.
United Kingdom
The
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
's
Foot Guards regiments have used the rank since 1920, when it was adopted instead of private. It is abbreviated Gdsm.
United States
It is also used to refer to members of the
National Guard of the United States, a reserve force of the U.S. Army and Air Force.
References
Military ranks
Guards Division (United Kingdom)
Military ranks of the British Army
Military ranks of Canada
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