Quartermaster Sergeant

Quartermaster Sergeant (QMS) is a class of rank or appointment in some armed forces, especially those of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

A Quartermaster Sergeant is usually a non-commissioned officer or warrant officer who is responsible for supplies or stores. However, in the British Army this definition is extended to almost any Warrant Officer Class 2 who does not hold a Sergeant Major appointment, as well as a number of Staff Sergeant and Colour Sergeant appointments. In the British Army, Quartermaster Sergeants are frequently addressed and referred to as "Q".

Examples of Quartermaster Sergeant appointments include:

*Battalion Quartermaster Sergeant
*Battery Quartermaster Sergeant
*Company Quartermaster Sergeant
*Flight Quartermaster Sergeant
*Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor
*Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant
*Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant

In the Household Cavalry, the designation is replaced with Quartermaster Corporal (QMC), as in Squadron Quartermaster Corporal and Regimental Quartermaster Corporal.

United States

The rank was in use by both the Union Army and the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The rank was just below Sergeant Major and just above Ordnance Sergeant. The same rank insignia was used by both armies. Both armies varied the color of the stripes by assigning red for artillery, yellow for cavalry, and blue for infantry. Some Confederate militia units varied these colors even further and had other colors including black stripes for various units.