• Brief History of Singapore

Singapore was a British colony for about 140 years, from when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was granted the right by the native rulers to set up a trading port for the East India Company in 1819 to 1963 when it became an independent state within the Malaysian Federation and until 1965 from whence it became a sovereign republic on its own. As Singapore rose in importance and as the British gained direct control over the whole of Singapore island, the British began stationing their military and naval forces in Singapore as part of their defence plans and also began developing local military forces to supplement their defence arrangements. These later developed with the aim of preparations for eventual independence and locals began filling up the very senior positions/ranks especially during the post WWII decolonisation wave. Typical civil enforcement and emergency services and public services found in countries of today were also raised to enable the smooth running of an increasingly complex colony. British management of British Malaya and Singapore was generally not as forceful as was the case with the experience of some other colonised territories. Many of the establishments and traditions remained after independence was achieved in 1963 and 1965. A slightly more detailed history is presented on Section 2 of the colonial flags page. 

• Content Overview

This site intends to describe the ranks of the services in colonial Singapore where information is available. Ranks is a broad term that for this page can be said to comprise the following parts/components :

∙ Rank structure - arrangement of ranks in relation to one another to form of a hierarchy.
∙ Rank title - the name given to each rank that makes up a rank structure.
∙ Rank insignia - otherwise also known as "badges of ranks", these are the visual representation of each rank. 

As my interest is primarily symbols, my primary focus here will be on rank insignias. Each element that make up a rank insignia or badges of ranks is called a rank charge, analogous to individual items that appears on the shield in the art of heraldry. I have also used heraldic terms rather than official descriptions at times in describing the badges of ranks as I feel heraldic descriptions are able to describe the charges sufficiently well in relation to each other. Rank charges can be simple geometric shapes like bars or chevrons, to depictions of more complex items that can be found around us, like propellers, impellers, royal crown, etc. . At the extremely complex end is the use of a state's highest symbol, the coat of arms, in its complete achievement, partial, or simplified. These different charges can be combined in various permutations (combinations), intensity (sizes) or numbers (repetitions).

There are several rank insignia models used around the world. Being a colony of the United Kingdom, the forces and services in the colony of Singapore was made to follow principally the British models. Exceptions and local practices were made when necessary. Imperialism meant also that the senior positions were mainly filled by British officers while the lower ranks were staffed by local subjects or subjects brought over from other parts of the British Empire. As British officers were posted or rotated throughout the British Empire often, some element of standardisation also naturally took place.

• Origins of Rank Titles

Many of the rank titles used by the services today are European in origin and were inherited through Singapore's colonial episode. These rank titles and their position in the structures had already underwent much changes in the course of European history prior to (and during) European global imperial expansion. Several rank titles have retained some semblance to their original meaning while several have deviated from their original meaning/reference. The following are the etymologies of some of the basic and traditional rank titles used by the different forces/services. The specific development and adoption of the rank titles during the course of European history is not detailed here. Other rank titles have more modern origins and their definitions/references are thus closer to today's vocabulary. Also, with the expansion in the number of ranks, modern words were incorporated to these traditional titles or these already existing rank titles were combined to give the new ranks their place in the structure.

∙ Private - from the Latin word privatus (belonging to individual/s and not the state)
∙ Rate - from the Latin word rata (fixed or settled)
∙ Petty Officer - the word petty from the French word petit (small) 
∙ Corporal - from the Latin words caput (head) and corpus (body)
∙ Lance Corporal - from the Old Italian term lancia spezzata (broken lance)
∙ Sergeant - from the Latin word serviens (servant)
∙ Midshipman - from the middle section of ships and boats, the amidships 
∙ Ensign - from the Latin word insignia (badge or mark) 
∙ Lieutenant - from the French words lieu (place) and tenant (holder)
∙ Captain - from the Latin word capitaneus (chief) or caput (head)
∙ Major - the Latin word for superior shortened from the French rank Sergent-major 
∙ Colonel - from the Latin words columnella (small column) and corona (crown)
∙ Commodore - possibly related to the various European languages variant of Commander
∙ Brigadier - from the Italian word brigata (troop, crowd, or gang)
∙ General - from the Latin word generalis (a whole unit rather than a part)
∙ Admiral - from the Arabic title Amir Al-Bahr (commander of the seas)
∙ Vice-Admiral - vice a Latin word (in place of) 
∙ Marshal - from the Old French word mareschal (horse tender)
∙ Constable - from the Latin title comes stabuli (count/master of the stable)
∙ Warder - from the Anglo-French word wardere (guardian)
∙ Inspector - from the Latin word inspectus (examine or look into) 
∙ Superintendent - from the Latin words super (above) and intendere (directing attention)

For an excellent detailed treatment on the origins and development of military and naval rank titles, see for instance Rank: The Story Behind Names of Different Rank by Raymond Oliver, Museum Curator for McClellan Aviation Museum at the US Navy website. See also the following excellent general resource for the etymology of words including those of rank titles: Online Etymology Dictionary.

The Straits Settlements (later Malayan) Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and Royal Malayan Navy followed the Royal Navy rank structure in general. Specifically, the maximum rank for the Straits Settlements RNVR upon establishment was Lieutenant - Commander. 

The Royal Navy had two sets of rank insignias for officers - 
i) the more frequently used bars set used more consistently from 1856, and 
ii) the less-used complex set of insignias based on crowns, 8-pointed stars, fouled anchors, anchors in saltire, sword and baton in saltire, and batons in saltire within a laurel wreath for use on the full dress and great-coats. The badges were first introduced from just before 1800 initially with very few permutations.

By around WWI, the more complex badges of ranks were retained by only the Commodore First Class, three Admiral ranks, and the Admiral of the Fleet on simpler gold shoulder boards while other officers used the bars as to appear on their cuffs on shoulder boards. The use of epaulettes were abolished more definitively in 1959.

Royal Navy Epaulettes featuring the Rank Insignias for Commissioned Ranks around 1903

Top row: 
a) Rank insignia of the Royal Navy compising bars and executive loops for Admiral of the Fleet down to Warrant Officers (left to right) to appear on the blue uniform cuffs. Shown above for the ranks of Admiral of the Fleet, Admiral, Vice-Admiral, Rear-Admiral, and Commodore Second Class. 
b) On the white tropical dress uniform, which was more often used in the colony of Singapore, the bars and curls appears on black shoulder boards. The shoulder boards for Captain down to Warrant Officer are illustrated above. Commodore Second Class will wear a gold ring above a gold fess on black shoulder boards. 

Lower row:
a) Instead of black shoulder boards and reflecting their bars, Commodore First Class and above ranks will wear gold shoulder boards with the crown, baton & sword in saltire, and star/s. Illustrated above are shoulder boards for Admiral, Vice-Admiral, and Rear-Admiral. Commodore First Class' badges of rank (not shown here but in Section 10 to follow) comprise a crown above two stars above a fouled anchor. Engineer Branch (before 1915) or Medical Branch Officers of Flag Rank correspondence will wear similar gold shoulder boards bordered in their respective branch colours, e.g. red for Medical, with the crown above gold stars like prescribed on the epaulettes shown earlier. All Flag Officers wore similar rank badges (like the Executive Flag Officers) by 1943.
b) The fourth and fifth boards shown were the shoulder board of a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Sub-Lieutenant with its wavy bar and squarish loop, and the shoulder board of a Medical Branch rank of Surgeon before 1918 with colour as a branch-distinguishing element and their bars being curl-less. These are also to appear on cuffs for the otherwise blue uniform.

Summary of Naval Ranks at WWI and WWII

Local land units (the various volunteer forces, the Singapore Infantry Regiment, etc.) followed the British Army ranks as is apparent today in the UK and several Commonwealth realms. The following charges are used:
 
- crown, 
- star (design derived from the star of the Military Division Grand Cross Commander of the Order of the Bath except for the Household regiments),
- chevrons reversed (point downwards),
- the British Royal Arms, and
- the generals' special badge comprising baton and sword in saltire. Unlike the Naval Admirals' sword and baton, the Army's sword is worn with the blade's sharpened side facing down and pointed towards the front on both shoulders.

The British Army rank insignia model, which is also used by the navy's Royal Marines, British police and colonial Singapore police (see the following entry on colonial police force) survives post-independence, with appropriate modification/replacement of charges, in the enforcement services of Singapore. The British Army rank insignia model for command and management officers used presently attained its form from changes that were introduced between the 1850s and the 1920s. The officer's insignias appeared on the collars and cuffs before it was moved to the shoulders (and today, at the centre of the chest for selected uniforms). The army insignia model is one of the most influential model being used by many services within the British Empire and Commonwealth.

Summary and Changes of British Army Ranks at WWI and WWII 

British Army Commissioned Ranks
Rank Title	Insignia
· Field Marshal	Crown above two red batons in saltire within a wreath of oak leaves
· General	Crown above star above special badge
· Lieutenant - General	Crown above special badge
· Major - General	Star above special badge
· Brigadier - General (-1921)	Baton and sabre in saltire (special badge)
· Colonel - Commandant (1921 - 1928) · Brigadier (1928-)	Crown above three stars
· Colonel	Crown above two stars
· Lieutenant - Colonel	Crown above one star
· Major	Crown
· Captain	Three stars
· Lieutenant	Two stars
· 2nd Lieutenant	One star

Badges of rank for General down to 2nd Lieutenant as used in the British Army from left to right. The model was also used by police forces across the British Empire as illustrated by example for Singapore below but rendered in silver instead of gold. The local prison service and Civil Defence Corps used some of these rank badges as well. The Brigadier -General and Colonel -Commandant/ Brigadier permutations are included above. The majority of units wear the star (pip) which is shown above.

• Ubiquity of this Model

The British Army model is a popular model adopted by not only Commonwealth armies but Commonwealth police forces and in some rare instances, also by fire brigades. Variations of this model include replacement of the original Bath star with a generic star, replacement of the crown with other national symbols (for non-Commonwealth Realm states), having additional permutations not available in the original model, and having service-specific rather than the army’s special badges. The application varies considerably across countries / services. The very senior ranks of the services of the selected services are highlighted in the table to follow. The Notes section after the table lists the abbreviations used and additional notes. Blank boxes indicate that the particular service does not have such a rank insignia permutation within its structure. In many cases, the crown and Bath star (or respective rank charge replacements) is also used by the lower officer ranks of the respective services, in varying degrees of completion as compared to the original British Army model.

Selected Emergency and Enforcement Services of the former British Empire and current Commonwealth Realms, showing the ubiquitous use but varying application of the British Army Rank Insignia Model (Generals-level permutations only including deviations #)

Service - City / Province / State - Year/s & their Rank Titles and Badges of Rank
British Army Rank Insignia Permutations for Senior Ranks
See Note 1 W + ++	See Note 1 (X)	+ (X)	# + + (X)	W (X)	# W ++ (X)	W + (X)
British Army & Royal Marines
B	BG	MG		LG		G
* Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 1960s
AC		DC		C
* Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 1990s
AC				DC		C
* New Zealand Police
AC		DC		C
** Metropolitan Police Service; Greater London, United Kingdom. 1921
	CC & DAC	AC				C
** Metropolitan Police Service; Greater London, United Kingdom. 1950s
	DCdr	Cdr		AC & DC		C
** Metropolitan Police Service; Greater London, United Kingdom. 2002
	Cdr	DAC		AC	DC	C
** Great Britain County Police Services & Ministry of Defence Police (except City of London Police)
	ACC	DCC		CC
** Royal Ulster Constabulary; Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 1980s
	ACC	SACC	DCC	CC
** Royal Hong Kong Police prior to handover in 1997
	AC	SAC		DC		C
**** Hong Kong Correctional Services prior to handover in 1997
		AC		DC		C
**** Hong Kong Immigration Department prior to handover in 1997
		AD		DD		D
** Singapore Police Force. 1959
	SAC	DC		C
** Ontario Provincial Police, Canada
				DC		C
** Jamaica Constabulary Force
	AC		DC	C
** Royal Barbados Police Force
		AC	DC			C
** Royal Bahamas Police Force
	AC	SAC	DC	C
** Australian Federal Police
Cdr		AC		DC		C
** Queensland Police Service, Australia
	AC	DC		C
** South Australia Police
Cdr	AC	DC		C
** Victoria Police, Australia
Cdr	AC	DC		ChC
*** Metropolitan Fire Brigade; Melbourne, Australia
		Cdr	ACO	DCO		CO
*** Western Australia Police
Cdr	AC	DC		C
*** New South Wales Police Force, Australia
	AC	SAC		DC		C
*** Fire Rescue New South Wales formerly New South Wales Fire Brigades, Australia
	AC			DC		C

There was also the Royal Air Force in Singapore. The officer rank insignias were based on the bars and fess model derived from those used by the Royal Navy. The Republic of Singapore Air Force used such insignias for a while from 1975 to 1982 but retaining army-style rank titles. The non-commissioned ranks of the RAF had the rank titles listed below and insignias such as propellers of varying blade numbers in addition to the usual chevrons, royal crown, and royal arms. There was also the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force (MAAF) made up of local and British personnel from 1950 to 1960. The ranks used by the MAAF was like those of the RAF for that period.

 Royal Air Force Rank Insignia of Commissioned Officers for Uniform's Cuffs 

 Bars gemelles, barrulet gemelles, and fess gemel of the Royal Air Force to appear on the cuffs of uniform. Left to right for Air Chief Marshal to Pilot Officer. These bars are to be plain gold when on the full dress uniform. These bars can be worn as slip-ons on the epaulettes produced limited to the bars part only.

Summary and Changes of Air Force Ranks during and after WWII

The local colonial police service used the following charges, similar to the army (which in turn was also used by the police forces within the United Kingdom and many other forces within the empire as noted in the Army section above) but with the addition of another lesser star, and the British police's special badge (after WWII): 

- crown, 
- star I (based on the Military Division Grand Cross Commander Star of the Order of the Bath design), 
- star II (crown/s within the police service title within a laurel wreath on a Maltese cross), 
- chevrons reversed, 
- special badge - crowned tipstaves in saltire within a laurel wreath.

Star II was worn on collars as well as epaulettes. It is often said that the colonial police forces were structured/organised after the semi-military Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) rather than the more civilian-oriented and unarmed Metropolitan Police Force of Greater London. Rank insignia-wise, the British Army rank badges were used by all of them. Rank titles seemed to follow more of the Metropolitan Police-style as well as the Army's (e.g. Corporal, Superintendent, etc. rather than District and County Inspectors of the RIC).

Tipstaves were used by the British police towards the end of the 1800s. They were hollow tubes capped with the sovereign's crown. It could contain a warrant for example for apprehension of suspects by the police officer bearing the tipstaff. The tipstaves eventually fell into disuse by 1890, but was preserved as a symbol in the special badge of the commissioners of police, appearing in saltire and placed within a wreath. This special badge was also used by many police forces of the empire including Singapore, the badge of rank of commissioners mentioned by Jeffries to have been standardised in 1951. The Royal Irish Constabulary however did not use this special badge instead using the army's baton and sword in saltire for its mainly military-drawn Inspectors-General. The use of the Army's special badge is retained by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and New Zealand Police in current times.

• 1857 to 1911

Based on the Police Ordinance and Departmental Reports of the period, the Straits Settlements Police had the following rank structure prior to World War I : Inspector - General, Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Chief Inspector, Inspector, Sub - Inspector, Sergeant - Major, Sergeant, Corporal, Lance Corporal, and Police Constable. Some ranks were available in certain contingents only and some ranks were not available in certain years. No information on rank insignia as yet.

• 1930s to WWII

The Straits Settlements Police had the rank structure and insignias until around WWII as listed in the following table. For the Superior Officer group, the Inspector-General of Police down to Probationary Inspector. Asiatic Probationary to Senior Inspectors wear their stars on the collars while British Probationary to Senior Inspectors wear their stars on the uniform lapels. The Subordinate Officers and Constables group comprised the remaining Sergeant-Major to Constable of various classes ranks. (Special thanks to Dr N. Thomas and D. Dorcemus for furnishing the information on the Straits Settlements Police ranks)

Summary and Comparative Police Ranks during the Inter-War Years for the London Metropolitan Police (MPS), Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), and Straits Settlements Police (SSP) 

 
• Post-WWII

After the Second World War, the Singapore Police Force had the below-shown structure and insignias as at 1959. As illustrated below, the crown, police special badge, star I (Bath pips), and star II (Maltese cross badge) continued to be used. In addition to those shown, Corporals wore two chevrons reversed, Lance Corporals wore one chevron reversed, and Constables wore one, two or three full bars depending on their class. Crowns used in all forms of insignias were supposed to be changed to the St Edward's crown from 1953 onwards but the older Imperial crown (as shown here) was used still widely perhaps due to stock availability for quite sometime (also apparent in the colonial prison service).

Colonial Singapore Police Force ranks above Sergeant around 1959

 

Left to right: Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner, Senior Assistant Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Chief Inspector, Senior Inspector, Inspector & Probationary Inspector, Sub-Inspector, and Staff Sergeant. The commissioners' special badge was already in use since 1950.

For gorget patches for the top four ranks respectively: a line of oak leaves, a line of oak leaves, a twisted braid, and a single line of gimp, all silver on black.

The commissioners' special badge were like those used by the British police, two crowned tipstaves in saltire within a laurel wreath. For an excellent presentation of the physical collections of the police ranks since the colonial period, see Bobby's Ultimate website. A comparison of insignia and structure with the London Metropolitan Police is as per the following table.

 Summary and Comparative Table of Police Ranks and Rank Insignias of the 1950s for the London Metropolitan Police (MPS) and Singapore Police Force (SPF)

Departmental Reports of 1876 to 1908 suggested the following simple structure in the Prisons service: Inspector of Prisons, Superintendent, Gaoler, Chief Warder, Senior Warder, Warder, Senior Sub-Warder, and Sub-Warder.

Based on a local publication of 1958 titled Majalah Penjara (Prisons magazine), the prisons service is understood to have had the following ranks around that period: Warder, Corporal Warder, Sergeant Warder, Chief Warder, Sub-Officer, Principal Officer (and Senior Principal Officer), Chief Officer, Assistant Superintendent, and Superintendent. 

Chevrons were used on the sleeves by junior staff parallel to the usual designations as used by other services, i.e., two chevrons reversed for the Corporal Warder and three chevrons reversed for the Sergeant Warder. The rank insignia for a Chief Warder was a crown worn on the collar. Principal Officers wore a form of a star which based on one drawing differed from the starburst pip as used by the British Army and Singapore colonial police. The Principal Officer's star was illustrated to be an eight pointed starburst with one crown on a disc at the centre. A Principal Officer could wear up to three stars, an additional star reflecting the officer's length of service. The Senior Principal Officer would wear three stars on a green background. An Assistant Superintendent was shown to have worn a crown above a star (the star believed to be the star of the Order of the Bath rather than those of the Principal Officers'). There was the Commissioner of Prisons who was derived from the military or naval establishment and retaining their military/naval ranks, and there was also the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Prisons.

A pip above a circular special badge (components unknown) was the rank insignia of the Commissioner of Prisons while a sole special badge was the insignia of the Deputy Commissioner of Prisons. This was after 1957 however.

  Colonial Singapore Prisons Service ranks above Sergeant Warder around 1958

Left to right: Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Chief Officer Grade I (insignia assumed), Chief Officer Grade II, Senior Principal Officer, Principal Officer (one to three prison service stars), and Chief Warder. Insignia for a Sub-Officer is unknown. The elements making up the special badge for the Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner of Prisons is unknown. The crown and two pips was worn by the Commissioner of Prisons in the early 1950s.

Singapore Prison Service ranks of Sub-Officer to Commissioner of Prisons were restructured as follow in 1963: Director of Prisons, Deputy Director (supernumerary), Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent (supernumerary), Chief Rehabilitation Officer, Principal Rehabilitation Officer, Rehabilitation Officer. Rank insignias are uncertain.

• Pre-WWII

A proper fire brigade, placed under the charge of the Municipal administrators, was raised in the colony in 1888. In 1905, the staff comprised: the Superintendent (the chief of the brigade), Superintendent Engineer, Second Officer, Engine Driver, Stokers, Syces, Corporals, Lance Corporals, Firemen (of the First, Second, and Third classes), and Turncocks. In 1909, the staff comprised: the Superintendent, Second Officer, Foreman, Motorman, Fireman, Engineers, and Syces. 

The personnel list of 1919 mentions of the Superintendent, Second Officer, Third Officer, Station Officer, Foreman, Sub-Foreman, Engineers, Fireman (Motorman and Watchroom Attendant), Clerk & Cashier, Second Clerk, and Carpenters. By the early 1930s, the brigade comprised a Superintendent, Second Officer, Third Officer, Fourth Officer, Sub-Officer, Clerks & Cashiers (and Assistant, and Second Clerk), Inspectors of Dangerous Trades, Station Officer, Foreman, Sub-Foreman, Chief and Motor Drivers, Engineer, Carpenter, Fireman, Watchroom Clerks, Tailors, Bookmakers, and Painters. 

The rank insignias of the pre-WWII Singapore Fire Brigade is uncertain. The early Superintendents and certain officers, like those in England, seemed to wear a pair of special metal shoulder device (scale epaulettes). It was sighted to be worn by the first Superintendent around 1905, the Superintendent of 1935-1937, a Sub-Officer in 1939, and a Divisional Officer in 1946. A newspaper article from 1907 also mentions of a Foreman wearing metal epaulettes as well in the course of fighting a fire.

In the absence of any definitive list for Singapore, comparatively, Sir Eyre Massey Shaw described the following badges for London's fire brigade in 1876:

- Chief Officer: Two silver scale epaulettes
- Superintendent: Two brass scale epaulettes
- Engineer: One brass scale epaulette on right shoulder

The following were then worn by the London Fire Brigade according to Blakeslee around 1929:

- Superintendent: Two unknown-metal-type [probably silver as earlier] epaulettes with side pieces
- District Officer: Two brass epaulette with side pieces
- Station Officer: One brass epaulette with side pieces worn only on the right shoulder
- Sub-Officer: One brass epaulette without side pieces worn only on the left shoulder

Elsewhere in the empire, New Zealand's fire brigades standardised their shoulder markings as follows at a conference in 1899 but with rather unclear descriptions:

- Chief Officer: Double epaulettes
- Second Officer: Two single-plated epaulettes
- Foreman: Two single epaulettes

Pre-WWII Fire Brigade Officer Scale Epaulettes with and without side pieces

 

 These scale epaulettes are said to have been influenced by the cavalry from which the early fire brigades took inspiration from where their uniforms were concerned. One case of side-pieces only (perpendicular portion) being worn was sighted in 1939 by a Sub-Officer in Singapore.

 
According to the Singapore Fire Department's 1954 Annual Report, the above-listed ranks were listed amongst several other designations. The British fire brigades' impellers and bars model may have been used from 1952 onwards only in Singapore as seen worn by a Junior Sub-Officer (wearing two impellers), three impellers by a Sub-Officer, and two impellers with special badge by the Chief Officer. Two bars couped were also sighted to be worn, perhaps for the Foremen group. These rank insignias were not worn on black shoulder boards but khaki coloured base then.

From 1957 to about 1966, the following were sighted, now on black shoulder boards: one or two bars couped above one white bar each perhaps for the Section Leader and Leading Fireman respectively; the white bar probably indicating probationary status. The impellers were still used, two and three sighted likely for the Station Officer and Assistant Divisional Officer respectively. The special badge was also used, when on its own likely for the Divisional Officer. The Chief Officer wore two small impellers above a special badge.

From 1961 to at least 1973, the above-listed ranks of the fire brigade were available. The ambulance section of the fire brigade had a supervisor and Fireman-Ambulance Attendants. Other designations included control room operators, engineers, drivers, and various other support staff. Specific insignia structure for the Singapore Fire Brigade then is unavailable apart from those listed above but likely to have been the closest to the British fire brigades model.

Badges of Rank used by Post-WWII Local Authority Fire Brigades in the United Kingdom (1947 onwards) and the Singapore Fire Brigade (1952 onwards)

Left to right: Superintendent/Chief Officer, Deputy/Assistant Chief Officer, Divisional Officer, Assistant Divisional Officer, Station Officer, Sub-Officer, and Leading Fireman. 
The Sub-Officer and Leading Fireman ranks were not sighted to have been used in Singapore. Instead, the last two epaulettes were sighted to be used in Singapore but the exact rank titles associated with them is uncertain. Entry-level fireman would not have any insignia.

The fire service of the Singapore Airport had the following ranks in 1957: Chief Airport Fire Officer, Assistant Airport Fire Officer, Leading Fireman, Fireman and Probationers, Fireman/Drivers of Grades I and II. The Chief Airport Fire Officer was formerly a Fire Officer and the Assistant Airport Fire Officer was formerly a Sub-Officer. The colonial Singapore Harbour Board also had a Fire Brigade but the rank structure is unconfirmed at this point.

The colonial Singapore Civil Defence Corps were sighted to have been using two and three chevrons on sleeves for the non-officers while officers were sighted using one or two bars on epaulettes up to a crown over two pips. Specific details of the rank structure is unconfirmed. The Commissioner for Civil Defence then was sighted to wear a circular badge as rank insignia of which composition is unconfirmed. If the British Civil Defence Corps system was used as a guide, there should have been the following rank insignias according to decreasing seniority: one closet between two bars, two bars, two closets above one bar, one closet above one bar, one bar, three closets, two closets, one closet, three chevrons, and two chevrons. The Singapore Civil Defence Corps, like the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force, was short-lived being raised in 1951 and disbanded in 1959.

• Pre-WWII

The Straits Settlements Government Monopolies Department's Preventive Service had the following establishment in 1910: Heads of Preventive Service, Supervisors, Senior Revenue Officers (of Grades I, II, III), and Revenue Officers. The Preventive Service was headed by a Chief Detective Inspector of Police in 1914. An Assistant Commissioner of Police headed the Preventive Service from 1928 onwards.

The Federated Malay States trade and customs service comprised the following senior officer appointments in 1928:
- Commissioner, 
- Deputy Commissioners (Customs, Excise, and Chandu), 
- Chief Superintendents (Preventive Branch), 
- Superintendents, 
- Assistant Superintendents, and 
- Probationers.

The Straits Settlements Government Monopolies Department was renamed Excise Department in April 1935 and renamed Department of Customs and Excise in 1938. The Customs departments of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States came under a common head and senior staff from 1932 onwards. The senior officer titles were renamed around 1938 as well: Comptroller (formerly the Commissioner), Senior Customs Officer (formerly the Superintendent), and Customs Officer (formerly the Assistant Superintendent).

Rank insignias are unconfirmed although it was likely that certain vocations and senior officers did not wear uniforms in the course of their work. 

• Post-WWII

After WWII with the reorganisation of the British possessions in Malaya, Singapore's customs department became known as His Majesty's Customs (1952 onwards, Her Majesty's Customs) or HM Customs, while that of the Federation of Malaya was known as Customs and Excise department.

In 1957, Her Majesty's Customs Singapore comprised: Comptroller of Customs, Senior Assistant Comptroller, Assistant Comptroller, Senior Customs Officer, Customs Officer, Assistant Customs Officers, Preventive Officers, Assistant Preventive Officers, Revenue Officers (Special Grade, Senior Grade, Grade I, and Grade II), and other vocation-based appointments.

The exact rank insignias used are unconfirmed. However, it was sighted that one to three bars were used on the shoulders of uniformed staff, worn by the Revenue Officers, in the late 50s and early 60s. These bars were used as rank charges by the Customs service beyond independence until 2001. A Customs Preventive Officer was mentioned to be equivalent in rank to an Inspector of Police while a Senior Revenue Officer is equivalent to a British Army Sergeant. It seems possible that the Police Inspector's Maltese cross badge (Star II - see Police entry earlier) were used by Preventive Officers. The rank structure probably remained until 1966.

While ranks represent a structured hierarchy, symbols can also have a hierarchy of their own. Taking the examples of the rank insignias of General and Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, we can see the precedence of the various rank charges (symbols) in practice. The crown outranks the starburst pip which in turn outranks the special badge as is apparent in their vertical arrangement. There are however some problems where proper symbol hierarchy is concerned laterally. Rank insignias should not only reflect an increase or decrease in the status of a particular rank in relation to its immediate senior and junior ranks but also reflected whenever any two "distant" rank insignias in the rank structure are considered. The officer group of ranks will be given primary focus here.

The British Army model is unsatisfactory under this symbol hierarchy principle as the sovereign's crown disappears temporarily after the Brigadier rank (crown over three pips). The pips and crown system works fine for the lower and intermediate command and management group of ranks. However, when the Brigadier-General's rank insignia - a sole special badge - is compared with the lower ranked Major's single crown, an anomaly can be observed where symbol hierarchy is concerned. The crown should symbolically outrank the special badge (baton and sword in saltire) but is not the case. The primacy of the crown is however observed individually per ranks when appearing with other charges, always appearing at the topmost position.

While the British Army model is not satisfactory where rank symbol hierarchy is concerned, at least one user of this rank model managed to adhere to the rank symbol and hierarchy correlation. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), since the 1990s adopted their set of officer rank insignias that adheres well to the correlation issue raised here. The RCMP's rank start with a crown and this rank charge remains in all ranks therafter to the apex permutation for the Commissioner:

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer Ranks after 1990s

MFB	NTFRS	NFS
Crown over one imp'r over special badge	Crown over one imp'r over special badge
Crown above special badge	Crown above special badge
	Crown above two imp'rs	Three imp'rs above special badge (WWII Only)
Two imp'rs above special badge		Two imp'rs above special badge
Imp'r above special badge		Imp'r above special badge
		Special badge
		Three imp'rs
Two imp'rs	Two imp'rs	Two imp'rs
One imp'r	One imp'r	One imp'r

The rank insignias of the Royal Navy from Sub-Lieutenant to Admiral (and their corresponding civil branch counterparts) featuring the crown throughout once appearing in a rank insignia.

The Royal Navy Admiral and Commodore ranks are the only ranks wearing the badges-based model nowadays - also by Australia, New Zealand and with some changes, Canada. The number of stars have been increased by one since 2001 to match the x-star officer used to refer to the general and admiral ranks as derived from the American system. Either situation, the rank model is good where correlation of symbol and hierarchy is concerned. 

The Royal Navy, Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Rank Sets if Fully Implemented and Expanded

The comments made thus far are limited generally to the officer ranks. There are many other systems that maintain symbol and ranks hierarchy correlation some extending to the non-officer ranks. The following are some other examples:

i. Use of simple charges but charges are not combined at any point

∙ chevron/s --> bar/s --> stars

- as used by the French armed forces and civil fire & rescue services.

ii. Use of simple charges but charges may be combined at some point

∙ chevron/s --> roundel --> star/s --> star/s above flat-laid laurels --> star/s above a laurel wreath

- as used by the Dutch army and gendarmerie.

∙ chevron/s (with bar couped when necessary) --> bar/s (and closet when necessary) --> broad band and bar/s

- as used by the Dutch air force.

∙ chevron/s reversed --> bar/s (and closet when necessary) --> broad band, bar, and star/s

- as used by the Dutch navy.

∙ bar/s --> impellers --> impeller/s and wreathed impeller (with bars when necessary)

- as used by the British and Singapore fire brigades during and after WWII as illustrated above.

∙ chevron/s --> closet/s --> bar/s and closet/s

- as used by the British national civil defence corps until 1968.

iii. Use of simple and complex charges but charges may be combined at some point

∙ chevron/s --> bar/s --> simpler depiction of oak and laurel leaves with bar/s --> richer depiction of oak and laurel leaves with lozenge/s

- as used by the French police and prisons services.

∙ bar --> chevron/s --> impeller/s --> impeller/s and special badge --> crown and special badge --> crown, impeller, and special badge

- as used by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade of Melbourne, Australia.

Gorget patches are secondary rank visual representations on uniforms to be worn in pairs on collars. First worn in the British Army by several ranks on khaki uniforms, they were controlled and limited to Colonels and above by the end of the 1800s. 1921's Dress Worn at His Majesty's Court is an early instance where the London Metropolitan Police was described to have worn gorget patches but slightly different from those sighted to be worn in Singapore. Gorget patches were also worn by Colonial Service officers namely on the white tropical uniform usually restricted to ceremonial occasions. Notably, the most often seen is by that of the Governors of the Colony of Singapore and Straits Settlements who was entitled to wear the Colonial Service White Tropical Uniform of the First Class. The prison service was also sighted to have worn the gorget patches similar to the police. The air force and navy do not adopt the tradition of wearing gorget patches. Fire Brigade officers wear such patches as well at present times but only from around and after independence in Singapore at least. There may be different practice on types of gorget patches worn on different uniforms at different periods of history. The description below is a general guide.

Principal Gorget Patches as used by Officers of the Colonial Service, British Army, Singapore Police Force, and Singapore Prison Service

Left to right :

1st: A large cluster of gold oak leaves with acorns on dark blue field
 - Colonial Service Officers First and Second Classes (Governors of Singapore / Straits Settlements were to wear this gorget patch)
2nd: Three pairs of gold oak leaves with acorns on dark blue field
 - Colonial Service Officers Third Class (and Fourth Class until 1935)
3rd: Two pairs of gold oak leaves with acorns on dark blue field (from 1935)
 - Colonial Service Officers Fourth Class
4th: A gold bar on blue field
 - Colonial Service Officers Fifth Class
5th: A row of gold oak leaves with acorns on red field
 - British Army Field Marshal, General, Lieutenant General, and Major General (Full Dress)
6th: A line of gold chain gimp on red field
 - See * below
7th: A line of gold cord on red field
 - British Army General ranks as listed above (Working Dress)
8th: A line of crimson chain gimp on red field
 - British Army Brigadier and Colonel
9th: A line of scarlet cord on red field
 - See * below
10th: A row of silver oak leaves with acorns on dark blue field, &
11th: Shorter version without acorns for working dress
 - Singapore Police Force Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner
 - Singapore Prison Service Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner
12th: A silver twisted braid on dark blue field
 - Singapore Police Force Senior Assistant Commissioner
13th: A line of silver cord on dark blue field
 - Singapore Police Force Assistant Commissioner
 - Singapore Prison Service Superintendent

* 1900 British Army Dress Regulations for Gorget Patches:

5th: A row of gold oak leaves with acorns on red field
- General Officers (Field Marshal, General, Lieutenant General, Major General, and Brigadier General)
6th: A gold chain gimp on red field
- General Officers on the Headquarters Staff
8th: A line of silk crimson chain gimp on red field
- Ranks below General Officers on the Headquarters Staff
9th: A line of scarlet cord on red field
- Colonel on the Staff