Master Corporal

Master Corporal

Master Corporal (MCpl) (French: "caporal-chef" or "cplc"), in the Canadian Forces, is an appointment of the rank of Corporal in the Army and Air Force. Its Naval equivalent is Master Seaman (MS) (French: "matelot-chef" or "matc").

According to the Queen's Regulations and Orders:

"(1) The Chief of the Defence Staff or such officer as he may designate may appoint a corporal as a master corporal.
(2) The rank of a master corporal remains that of corporal.
(3) Master corporals have seniority among themselves in their order of seniority as corporals.
(4) Master corporals have authority and powers of command over all other corporals." — " [http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/qr_o/vol1/ch003_e.asp QR&O 3.08] "

Master Corporal, while formally an appointment, is treated as a "de facto" non-commissioned member rank, and is often described as such, even in official documents.

As mentioned above, the Master Corporal is senior to the Corporal (and its Naval counterpart, Leading Seaman). It is junior to the rank of Sergeant (Sgt) and its equivalent naval rank, Petty Officer 2nd Class (PO2). Master Corporals and Master Seamen together with Corporals and Leading Seamen make up the cadre of junior non-commissioned officers.

is determined by branch or regimental tradition.

Master Corporals are generally initially addressed as "Master Corporal Bloggins" and thereafter as "Master Corporal". The slang term "Master Jack" is never used as a form of address.

Master Corporals normally mess and billet with the Junior Ranks.

History

The Master Corporal appointment came into existence after the Unification of the armed forces of Canada in the late 1960s. A power vacuum was inadvertently created when private soldiers were promoted to the rank of corporal as an incentive for continuing in the Forces at a time when Unification (and the role of the United States in the Vietnam War) made the military an unpopular option for employment. Eventually, corporals who had passed the "B" phase of their leadership training took to wearing a crown over their chevrons, and this arrangement was eventually formalized by having a maple leaf replace the crown, and the new "'B' Corporals", as they were known, became Master Corporals.

Responsibilities

The rank, formally an appointment as a senior corporal, gives the MCpl authority over all privates and corporals. As such, a MCpl is a first level supervisor who will be assessed on his/her ability to manage and develop subordinates. Given the structure of the Canadian infantry platoon, the MCpl is roughly equivalent to the British rank of full corporal, one grade above lance corporal and therefore, second in command of an infantry section.

Requirements

The general requirements for promotion to Master Corporal include a Qualification Level 5 course (known as a Journeyman course in some trades), a primary leadership qualification course (PLQ), and a time in the rank of Corporal for a minimum of two years.

However, certain trades have their own particular qualifications in addition to the above. For example, infantry combines the Qualification Level 5B course, Qualification Level 6A, and Junior Leader's course in a single Infantry Section Commander's Course. In addition to be promoted to Master Corporal an infantry soldier must have a machine gunner's specialization course.

Master Corporals often serve as Training Non-Commissioned Officers for the purposes of training new soldiers. They are often a new recruit's first taste of military life.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Master corporal — (MCpl) (French: caporal chef or cplc), in the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Army Cadets is an appointment of the rank of Corporal in the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Airforce. Its Naval equivalent is Master Seaman (MS) (French:… …   Wikipedia

  • master corporal — ˌmaster ˈcorporal 7 [master corporal] noun a member of one of the lower ranks of the Canadian army or ↑air force …   Useful english dictionary

  • Master Seaman — (MS), [Government of Canada. D Cdts. National Defense. Cadet Instructor Cadre Basic Officer Qualification Course Programmed Instructional Package . 2006. Chapter 2, Annex A, Abbreviations for Titles and Appointments . p.33. Accessed 23 Dec 2007 …   Wikipedia

  • Master seaman — (MS),[1] or matelot chef (matc) in French, is a non commissioned member rank of the Canadian Navy, which is between leading seaman (LS) and petty officer 2nd class (PO2). Technically, the rank is actually an appointment, with appointees holding… …   Wikipedia

  • Corporal — This article is about the military rank. For other uses, see Corporal (disambiguation). Common anglophone military ranks Navies Armies Air forces Officers Admiral of the fleet Ma …   Wikipedia

  • corporal —    A corporal is a non commissioned officer in the army who ranks below a sergeant. He, or she, would correctly be addressed by this professional title and might, if the speaker was a private soldier especially, insist on its use. In Ginger,… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • master jack — Canadian Slang Master Corporal …   English dialects glossary

  • Corporal — Cor po*ral (k[^o]r p[ o]*ral), n. [Corrupted fr. F. caporal, It. caporale, fr. capo head, chief, L. caput. See {Chief}, and cf. {Caporal}.] (Mil.) A noncommissioned officer, next below a sergeant. In the United States army he is the lowest… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Corporal's guard — Corporal Cor po*ral (k[^o]r p[ o]*ral), n. [Corrupted fr. F. caporal, It. caporale, fr. capo head, chief, L. caput. See {Chief}, and cf. {Caporal}.] (Mil.) A noncommissioned officer, next below a sergeant. In the United States army he is the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Master of the Skies: The Red Ace — is a World War I dogfighting game marketed by Small Rockets. This game is currently distributed only through Electronic Software Distribution. Master of the Skies: The Red Ace Developer(s) …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”