A Brief History of Ranks in the RCMP
Readers who check the National RCMP Graves Database will discover a variety of employee classifications used in the Force. Some of the classifications go back to the early days of the Force and others have evolved over time. Here is a partial list of classifications: Regular Members (RM), Scouts, Sub/Constable (Sub/Cst.), Special Constable (S/Cst.), Marine Constable (M/Cst.), Auxiliary Constable (A/Cst.), Reserve Constable (R/Cst.) Civilian Members (CM), Civilian Employees (CE), Public Servants (PS), Chauffeurs, Chaplains and students.
In his book Insignia of the Canadian Mounted Police: 1873 - 1998, Canadian author, historian and friend Donald J. Klancher explains: 'Shortly after the formation of the North West Mounted Police in 1873, rank badges for non-commissioned officers (NCO's) were introduced. The badges consisted of a series of chevrons or, a series of chevrons in conjunction with a crown'.
Don Kancher continues, 'A different rank structure was used during the early years of the NWMP, although the rank badges were similar to those worn throughout the period under review. The early rank terminology was somewhat confusing, however, the ranks equated as follows:
Commissioner (Comm’r.) Deputy Commissioner (D/Comm’r.) Assistant Commissioner (A/Comm’r.) Chief Superintendent (C/Supt.) Superintendent (Supt.) Inspector (Insp.) Corps Sergeant Major (CSM) Sergeant Major (SM) Staff Sergeant Major (S/S/M) Staff Sergeant (S/Sgt.) Sergeant (Sgt.) Corporal (Cpl.) Constable (Cst.) Cadet (Whilst in training at 'Depot') Special Constable (S/Cst.) Auxillary Constable (A/Cst.)
In the Force, it is not uncommon to find that a person has been engaged under one rank such as Civilian Member and later, upon attaining the required qualifications, is transferred or promoted to another rank or category such as Constable. In these cases, the database will list more than one rank beside their name such as:(CM) and (Cst.)
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