Pronunciation: Throughout the English-speaking world the pronunciation is kernal, a corruption of the Spanish coronel, and the units which they commanded, coronelias.

      Although normally called simply "Colonel", the "Colonel of the Regiment" is an appointment held by a General Officer as distinct from the rank of Colonel. Colonels (both in rank and appointment) were originally the owners and field commanders of their single-battalion tactical unit, the regiment. The regiment was divided into three wings, with the Colonel, and his two deputies (Lieutenant-Colonel and Major) commanding them -- each of the three having his own differenced Regimental Colour. When the regiment coalesced into a single tactical formation of ten companies in the late 17th and early 18th century, the Lieutenant Colonel became the real commanding officer on the field, and the Colonel was gradually relegated to a more ceremonial and political role. Various reforms in the mid 18th century further cut the real power of the Colonel while retaining a senior officer (usually one having previously served in the regiment or having some other historic connection with it) as an important figurehead in that position. It was not until the mid-19th century that the regimental system of multiple battalions began to emerge, and the "Colonel of the Regiment" remained the overall head of these growing families, which in the infantry eventually included Regulars, Militia, and Volunteers/Territorials. To this day, all regiments which originated as a single tactical regiment/battalion (i.e. infantry and cavalry) still have a "Colonel" as head of the family, no matter how large or small that family.
      Other corps/regiments which originated as families of tactical units (e.g. Royal Regiment of Artillery, Royal Tank Regiment, Corps of Royal Engineers, Royal Army Medical Corps, The King's Royal Rifle Corps, The Rifle Brigade, etc.) have "Colonels Commandant" and sometimes more than one who rotate annually as "Representative Colonel Commandant".
      Militia and Volunteer regiments also had Colonels. These were typically important local gentry who had not necessarily served in the regiment. These became "Honorary Colonels" when they were absorbed into larger regimental families in order to distinguish them from the overall "Colonel" or "Colonel Commandant" of the family. In some instances, the Honorary Colonel has been a member of the royal family (since the 1990s titled "Royal Honorary Colonel"), and these were sometimes elevated to the title of "Colonel in Chief". In some instances, a royal appointment has existed conjointly with a non-royal Honorary Colonel.
      The Colonel's role is to control policy on all Regimental affairs, to preside over the Regimental Council, to oversee the commissioning of officer candidates to the Regiment, to respresent the Regiment's interests in the corridors of power, to enforce and protect regimental custom and dress, and to liaise between the Regiment and the War Office/Ministry of Defence as well as between all units of the Regiment, including RHQ, Depot, Battalions, Associations, and Allied units.

      Ger. Feld-marschall.
      The highest rank in the British Army. In the 16th and early 17th century continental usage, a field marshal was subordinate to the Captain-General, and charged with control of the encampment and sustenance of an army, but during the 17th century the usage shifted to the highest military title, superior to that of General. OED: 1579.
      George II belatedly introduced the rank in the British Army in 1736. While it is a de jure rank, it has been treated more often as a de facto honorary appointment (occasionally granted to foreign monarchs), and sometimes lapsing into insignificance or disuse. In the 20th century the rank has been reserved for Army and Army Group commanders in war-time, and for retiring Chiefs of the General Staff. The British Army discontinued peacetime promotions to the rank in 1995.
      Besides Britain, only South Africa (to 1961), Australia (1927) and New Zealand have recognised the rank of Field Marshal, but there is only one roll of Field Marshals throughout the Dominions. Pakistan instituted the rank in 1971 (not counting Ayub Khan's self-appointment), and India in 1986.
      A Field Marshal carries a short baton presented by the Sovereign as a symbol of his rank, and this constituted his insignia of rank for a short period in the late 18th century, and again since 1855.