In the British Army, a Lance Sergeant (LSgt or L/Sgt) was a Corporal acting in the rank of Sergeant. The appointment could be removed at will by the soldier's commanding officer, unlike a full rank, which could only be removed by court martial. Lance Sergeants first appeared in the 19th century and were abolished in 1946, except in the Foot Guards, which still retain them. In the Foot Guards, all Corporals are automatically appointed Lance Sergeant on their promotion, so lance sergeants perform the same duties as corporals in other regiments and are no longer really acting sergeants in anything but name. Some cadet units also retain the rank. The Household Cavalry equivalent is Lance Corporal of Horse.
Lance Sergeants wear three rank chevrons. In full dress, Foot Guards lance sergeants are distinguished from full sergeants by their white chevrons (full sergeants wearing gold).
He received the pay of a corporal, but wore the rank insignia of a sergeant and was permitted to belong to the Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess.
After Unification, the appointments of LanceSergeant and Lance Corporal were terminated; the former Navy and Air Force personnel did not have such appointments in their unique rank structure and apparently were unhappy at the idea of relinquishing appointments at the discretion of a CO.
In the Royal Canadian Artillery, substantive sergeants were permitted to wear a gun badge over the chevron; lancesergeants were not permitted to do so.
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