Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom) facts for kids
Lieutenant General (often called Lt Gen) is a very important rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines. It's like a 'three-star' rank in many other countries' armies. Sometimes, British Lieutenant Generals even wear three stars on their uniform when working with soldiers from other nations.
It's a higher rank than a Major General, but a General is even higher. This rank is similar to a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy (the UK's navy) and an Air Marshal in the Royal Air Force (the UK's air force). Many other countries in the Commonwealth also have similar ranks in their air forces.
The special badge for a Lieutenant General in both the Army and Royal Marines is a crown placed above a crossed sword (called a sabre) and a stick (called a baton). Since Queen Elizabeth II became queen, the St Edward's Crown (the Queen's Crown) has been used. Before 1953, the Tudor Crown (the King's Crown) was used instead.
Quick facts for kids Lieutenant General |
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_OF-8.svg) 
Lt Gen insignia
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Lieutenant General John Cooper wearing both American three-star insignia and British lieutenant general insignia
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| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Service branch |  British Army Royal Marines |
| Abbreviation | Lt-Gen |
| NATO rank | OF-8 |
| Non-NATO rank | O-8 |
| Next higher rank | General |
| Next lower rank | Major-general |
| Equivalent ranks |
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Role in the British Army
A Lieutenant General usually leads a large group of soldiers called an army corps. For example, the officer in charge of NATO's Allied Rapid Rapid Reaction Corps is a British Lieutenant General. In the past, important groups like I Corps and II Corps were led by British Lieutenant Generals.
Today, there are also three Lieutenant General jobs within the main British Army Headquarters. These include the Commander Field Army, the Commander Home Command, and the Chief of Materiel (Land). The Chief of Materiel also works for Defence Equipment and Support, helping to manage army equipment.
Role in the Royal Marines
The top job in the Royal Marines is the Commandant General. Since 1996, this role has been held by a Major General. However, before that, the Commandant General was often a Lieutenant General or even a full General.
Even though the top Royal Marines job is now a Major General rank, Royal Marines officers can still become Lieutenant Generals. They often get these higher ranks when they work in combined forces roles or at the Ministry of Defence. Some examples of Royal Marines officers who became Lieutenant Generals include Sir Robert Fry, Sir James Dutton, and Sir David Capewell.
Past Use in the Royal Air Force
From April 1, 1918, to July 31, 1919, the Royal Air Force (RAF) also used the rank of Lieutenant General. After that date, the rank was changed to Air Marshal.
One famous RAF Lieutenant General was Sir David Henderson. However, the RAF's Chief-of-Staff at the time, Sir Hugh Trenchard, never held this rank. Also, a retired Royal Navy admiral named John de Mestre Hutchison was given an honorary RAF commission as a Lieutenant General.
The badge for an RAF Lieutenant General was similar to the naval rank for a Vice-Admiral. It had a wide gold band on the cuff with two narrower bands above it. But unlike the naval badge, the RAF Lieutenant General badge did not have a special loop design called an executive curl.
See also
- British and U.S. military ranks compared
- British Army Other Ranks rank insignia
- British Army officer rank insignia
