109-476: William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw , KT , CH , MC , PC , DL (28 June 1918 – 1 July 1999), was a British Conservative Party politician who served in a wide number of Cabinet positions, most notably as Home Secretary from 1979 to 1983 and as de facto Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1988. He was Deputy Leader of
218-731: A Lord of the Treasury (government whip) between 1961 and 1962 and then under Macmillan and Sir Alec Douglas-Home was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour between 1962 and 1964. After the Conservatives lost the 1964 election, Douglas-Home appointed Whitelaw as Opposition Chief Whip . He was sworn of the Privy Council in January 1967. When the Conservatives returned to power in 1970 under Edward Heath , Whitelaw
327-645: A Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour . Soon after Harold Wilson 's Labour Party returned to government, Heath appointed Whitelaw as deputy leader of the opposition and chairman of the Conservative Party. Following a second defeat in the October 1974 general election , during which Whitelaw had accused Wilson of going "round and round the country stirring up apathy", Heath was forced to call
436-928: A blue for golf and joined the Officer Training Corps . By chance he was in a summer camp in 1939 on the outbreak of the Second World War and was granted a regular, not wartime, commission in the British Army , in the Scots Guards , later serving in the 6th Guards Tank Brigade , a separate unit from the Guards Armoured Division . He commanded Churchill tanks in Normandy during the Second World War and during Operation Bluecoat in late July 1944. His
545-512: A leadership election in 1975 . Whitelaw loyally refused to run against Heath; however, and to widespread surprise, Margaret Thatcher narrowly defeated Heath in the first round. Whitelaw stood in his place and lost convincingly against Thatcher in the second round. The vote polarised along right–left lines, with in addition the region, experience and education of the MP having their effects. Whitelaw managed to maintain his position as deputy leader until
654-400: A warrant officer . However, absent contextual qualification, the term typically refers only to a force's commissioned officers , the more senior members who derive their authority from a commission from the head of state . The proportion of officers varies greatly. Commissioned officers typically make up between an eighth and a fifth of modern armed forces personnel. In 2013, officers were
763-663: A 24-week Modular Initial Officer Training Course (MIOTC) at RAF College Cranwell . This course is split into four 6-week modules covering: militarisation, leadership, management and assessment respectively. Royal Marines officers receive their training in the Command Wing of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines during a 15-month course. The courses consist not only of tactical and combat training, but also of leadership, management, etiquette, and international-affairs training. Until
872-604: A Chapel until 1911, when one was added onto St Giles High Kirk in Edinburgh . Each year, the sovereign resides at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for a week in June or July; during the visit, a service for the order is held. Any new knights or ladies are installed at annual services. Each member of the order, including the sovereign, is allotted a stall in the chapel, above which his or her heraldic devices are displayed. Perched on
981-562: A St Andrew badge, although the King's wardrobe inventories of the period make no mention of a thistle collar. In 1558, a French commentator described the use of the crowned thistle and St Andrew's cross on Scottish coins and banners but noted there was no Scottish order of knighthood. Writing around 1578, John Lesley refers to the three foreign orders of chivalry carved on the gate of Linlithgow Palace , with James V's ornaments of St Andrew, proper to this nation . In 1610 William Fowler ,
1090-516: A bachelor's degree and are exclusively selected from experienced mid- to senior-level enlisted ranks (e.g., E-5 with eight years' time in service for the Marine Corps, E-7 and above for Navy and Coast Guard). The rank of warrant officer (WO1, also known as W-1) is an appointed rank by warrant from the respective branch secretary until promotion to chief warrant officer (CWO2, also known as W-2) by presidential commission, and holders are entitled to
1199-451: A bachelor's degree prior to commissioning. The U.S Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps have no warrant officers or enlisted personnel, and all personnel must enter those services via commissioning. Direct commission is another route to becoming a commissioned officer. Credentialed civilian professionals such as scientists, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, clergy, and attorneys are directly commissioned upon entry into
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#17327729815391308-539: A four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year institution within a defined time. College-graduate candidates (initial or prior-service) may also be commissioned in the U.S. uniformed services via an officer candidate school, officer training school, or other programs: A smaller number of Marine Corps officers may be commissioned via the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) program during summers while attending college. PLC
1417-428: A hard-line approach to law and order. He improved police pay and embarked upon a programme of extensive prison building. His four-year tenure in office, however, was generally perceived as a troubled one. His much vaunted " short, sharp shock " policy, whereby convicted young offenders were detained in secure units and subjected to quasi-military discipline, won approval from the public but proved expensive to implement. He
1526-530: A higher active duty or reserve enlisted grade in any of the U.S. armed forces) for the duration of their 14-week program. Upon graduation, they were commissioned as ensigns in the then- U.S. Naval Reserve on active duty, with the option to augment their commissions to the Regular Navy after four to six years of commissioned service. The AOCS also included the embedded Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate (AVROC) and Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) programs. AVROC
1635-560: A landowner, briefly Conservative MP for Perth , 1892–1895, and chairman of the London and North-Eastern Railway Company . One of his great-aunts by marriage, born Dorothy Sarah Disraeli, was the niece of former Prime Minister and author Benjamin Disraeli . Whitelaw was educated first at Wixenford School , Wokingham, before passing the entrance exam to Winchester College . From there he went up to Trinity College, Cambridge , where he won
1744-421: A philanthropist/charity worker and horticulturist who had been an ATS volunteer during the Second World War . The couple had four daughters. Although Whitelaw was given a hereditary peerage, the title became extinct on his death as his daughters were unable to inherit. His eldest daughter Susan married Nicholas Cunliffe-Lister, 3rd Earl of Swinton . His home for many years was the mansion of Ennim, just outside
1853-481: A post- Vietnam reduction in force (RIF) that reduced the number of flight training slots for AFROTC graduates by approximately 75% in order to retain flight-training slots for USAFA cadets and graduates during the same time period. Many of these individuals, at the time all male, declined or resigned their inactive USAF commissions and also attended AOCS for follow-on naval flight-training. AOCs were active-duty personnel in pay grade E-5 (unless having previously held
1962-626: A prerequisite for such. In the past (and in some countries today but to a lesser extent), non-commissioned members were almost exclusively conscripts , whereas officers were volunteers. In certain Commonwealth nations, commissioned officers are made commissioners of oaths by virtue of their office and can thus administer oaths or take affidavits or declarations , limited in certain cases by rank or by appointment, and generally limited to activities or personnel related to their employment. In some branches of many armed forces, there exists
2071-512: A replacement air group (RAG)/fleet replacement squadron (FRS) and then to operational Fleet Marine Force (FMF) squadrons. Like their NAVCAD graduate counterparts, officers commissioned via MarCad had the option to augment to the Regular Marine Corps following four to six years of commissioned service. The MarCad program closed to new applicants in 1967 and the last trainee graduated in 1968. Another discontinued commissioning program
2180-617: A third grade of officer known as a warrant officer. In the armed forces of the United States, warrant officers are initially appointed by the Secretary of the service and then commissioned by the President of the United States upon promotion to chief warrant officer. In many other countries (as in the armed forces of the Commonwealth nations), warrant officers often fill the role of very senior non-commissioned officers. Their position
2289-625: A wonderful person." Two days after the 1983 general election , Whitelaw received a hereditary peerage (the first created for 18 years) as Viscount Whitelaw , of Penrith in the County of Cumbria. Thatcher appointed him Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Lords . Lord Whitelaw faced many challenges in attempting to manage the House of Lords , facing a major defeat over abolition of
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#17327729815392398-444: A year for each module at an Officers' Training Corps ; the last two must be undertaken at Sandhurst. Royal Navy officer candidates must complete a 30-week Initial Navy Training (Officer) (INT(O))course at Britannia Royal Naval College . This comprises 15 weeks militarisation training, followed by 15 weeks professional training, before the candidate commences marinisation. Royal Air Force (RAF) DE officer candidates must complete
2507-694: Is Nemo me impune lacessit ( Latin for "No one provokes me with impunity"). The same motto appears on the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom for use in Scotland and pound coins minted in 1984, 1989, 1994, and 1999 (since withdrawn), and is also the motto of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards , the Scots Guards , the Royal Regiment of Scotland , and The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada . The patron saint of
2616-620: Is a sub-element of Marine Corps OCS and college and university students enrolled in PLC undergo military training at Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in two segments: the first of six weeks between their sophomore and junior year and the second of seven weeks between their junior and senior year. There is no routine military training during the academic year for PLC students as is the case for ROTC cadets and midshipmen, but PLC students are routinely visited and their physical fitness periodically tested by Marine Corps officer-selection officers (OSOs) from
2725-537: Is affirmed by warrant from the bureaucracy directing the force—for example, the position of regimental sergeant major in regiments of the British Army is held by a warrant officer appointed by the British government . In the U.S. military, a warrant officer is a technically-focused subject matter expert, such as helicopter pilot or information technology specialist. Until 2024, there were no warrant officers in
2834-550: Is an officer with a higher rank than another officer, who is a subordinate officer relative to the superior. NCOs, including U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard petty officers and chief petty officers, in positions of authority can be said to have control or charge rather than command per se (although the word "command" is often used unofficially to describe any use of authority). These enlisted naval personnel with authority are officially referred to as 'officers-in-charge" rather than as "commanding officers". Commissioned officers in
2943-550: Is shared only by members of the Royal Family, peers, Knights and Ladies Companion of the Garter, and Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the junior orders of chivalry and clan chiefs . Officer (armed forces) An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service . Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or
3052-458: Is that the order was founded in 809 to commemorate an alliance between Achaius and Emperor Charlemagne ; there is some plausibility to this, insofar as Charlemagne is believed to have employed Scottish bodyguards. Yet another version is that Robert the Bruce instituted the order after his victory at Bannockburn in 1314. Most historians consider the earliest credible claim to be the founding of
3161-412: Is to serve as supervisors within their area of trade specialty. Senior NCOs serve as advisers and leaders from the duty section level to the highest levels of the armed forces establishment, while lower NCO grades are not yet considered management specialists. The duties of an NCO can vary greatly in scope, so that an NCO in one country may hold almost no authority, while others such as the United States and
3270-561: Is used to recognise Scots 'who have held public office or contributed significantly to national life.' The Kings of Scots , later the Kings of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom, have served as sovereigns of the Order. When James VII revived the order, the statutes stated that the order would continue the ancient number of Knights, which was described in the preceding warrant as "the Sovereign and twelve Knights-Brethren in allusion to
3379-623: The 1979 general election , when he was appointed Home Secretary . In an unofficial capacity, he also served as Deputy Prime Minister in Thatcher's new government. Thatcher admired Whitelaw and appointed him Home Secretary in her first Cabinet, later writing of him "Willie is a big man in character as well as physically. He wanted the success of the Government which from the first he accepted would be guided by my general philosophy. Once he had pledged his loyalty, he never withdrew it". Thatcher
William Whitelaw - Misplaced Pages Continue
3488-519: The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the First World War , when his son was still a baby. Whitelaw was brought up by his mother, Helen, a daughter of Major-General Francis Russell of Aden, MP for Cheltenham and a military attaché, and his paternal grandfather, William Whitelaw (1868–1946), of Gartshore, Dunbartonshire, an Old Harrovian who had been educated at Trinity College, Cambridge ,
3597-527: The Blessed Saviour and his Twelve Apostles ". In 1827, George IV increased the number to sixteen members. Women (other than Queens regnant ) were originally excluded from the Order; George VI created his wife Queen Elizabeth a Lady of the Thistle in 1937 by a special statute, and in 1987 Elizabeth II allowed the regular admission of women to both the Order of the Thistle and the Order of
3706-483: The Cardwell Reforms of 1871, commissions in the British Army were purchased by officers. The Royal Navy, however, operated on a more meritocratic, or at least socially mobile, basis. Commissioned officers exist in all eight uniformed services of the United States . All six armed forces of the United States have both commissioned officer and non-commissioned officer (NCO) ranks, and all of them (except
3815-754: The Chancellor , the Secretary, the Dean , Lord Lyon King of Arms , and the Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod . The Dean is normally a cleric of the Church of Scotland . This office was not part of the original establishment, but was created in 1763 and joined to the office of Dean of the Chapel Royal . The two offices were separated in 1969. The office of Chancellor is mentioned and given custody of
3924-562: The Earl of Arran . After James was deposed by the 1688 Glorious Revolution no further appointments were made, although the exiled House of Stuart continued to issue a Jacobite version until 1784 (the last appointment being Charlotte Stuart, Jacobite Duchess of Albany ), although none of those were recognised by the British Crown. Queen Anne appointed knights to the Order from 1704, and it has remained in existence since then, and
4033-546: The Greater London Council within a year of taking over. However, his patrician and moderate style appealed to Conservative peers and his tenure is considered a success. During his period as her deputy and as Leader of the Lords, Thatcher relied on Whitelaw heavily; she famously announced that "every prime minister needs a Willie". He chaired the " star chamber " committee that settled the annual disputes between
4142-565: The Provisional Irish Republican Army , meeting its Chief of Staff Seán Mac Stiofáin in July 1972. The talks ended in an agreement to change from a seven-day truce to an open-ended truce; however, this did not last long. As a briefing for prime minister Heath later noted, Whitelaw "found the experience of meeting and talking to Mr Mac Stíofáin very unpleasant". Mac Stiofáin in his memoir complimented Whitelaw, saying he
4251-467: The Scottish heraldic establishment, whose office predates his association with the order, serves as King of Arms of the Order. According to legend , an invading Norse army was attempting to sneak up at night upon a Scottish army's encampment. During this operation, one barefoot Norseman had the misfortune to step upon a thistle , causing him to cry out in pain, thus alerting Scots to the presence of
4360-550: The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Space Force continues to have no warrant officers; the last of the previous cohort of USAF warrant officers retired in the 1980s and the ranks became dormant until the program was resurrected in 2024. The USSF has not established any warrant officer ranks. All other U.S. Armed Forces have warrant officers, with warrant accession programs unique to each individual service's needs. Although Warrant Officers normally have more years in service than commissioned officers, they are below commissioned officers in
4469-746: The United States Air Force and United States Space Force ) have warrant-officer ranks. The two noncombatant uniformed services, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps), have only commissioned officers, with no warrant-officer or enlisted personnel. Commissioned officers are considered commanding officers under presidential authority. A superior officer
William Whitelaw - Misplaced Pages Continue
4578-699: The United States Armed Forces , enlisted military personnel without a four-year university degree at the bachelor's level can, under certain circumstances, also be commissioned in the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard limited duty officer (LDO) program. Officers in this category constitute less than 2% of all officers in those services. Another category in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are warrant officers / chief warrant officers (WO/CWO). These are specialist officers who do not require
4687-504: The Virginia Military Institute . The Coast Guard has no ROTC program, but does have a Direct Commission Selected School Program for military colleges such as The Citadel and VMI . Army ROTC graduates of the United States' four junior military colleges can also be commissioned in the U.S. Army with only a two-year associate degree through its Early Commissioning Program , conditioned on subsequently completing
4796-519: The circlet (a green circle bearing the order's motto) and the collar of the order; the former is shown either outside or on top of the latter. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar. The Royal Arms depict the collar and motto of the Order of the Thistle only in Scotland; they show the circlet and motto of the Garter in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Knights and Ladies are also entitled to receive heraldic supporters . This high privilege
4905-559: The seal of the order in the 1687 statutes, but no-one was appointed to the position until 1913. The office has subsequently been held by one of the knights, though not necessarily the most senior. The Usher of the Order is the Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod (unlike his Garter equivalent, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod , he does not have another function assisting the House of Lords ). The Lord Lyon King of Arms, head of
5014-584: The sovereign or the governor general acting on the monarch's behalf. Upon receipt, this is an official legal document that binds the mentioned officer to the commitment stated on the scroll. Non-commissioned members rise from the lowest ranks in most nations. Education standards for non-commissioned members are typically lower than for officers (with the exception of specialized military and highly-technical trades; such as aircraft, weapons or electronics engineers). Enlisted members only receive leadership training after promotion to positions of responsibility, or as
5123-504: The "notorious" sus law ) sparked major riots in London, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds, and a spate of disturbances elsewhere. The Provisional IRA escalated its bombing campaign in England. He contemplated resigning after an intruder broke into the Queen's bedroom in 1982 but was dissuaded from doing so. "We couldn't do without Willie," Margaret Thatcher reflected in later years. "He was
5232-532: The AOCS program were primarily non-prior military service college graduates, augmented by a smaller cohort of college-educated active duty, reserve or former enlisted personnel. In the late 1970s, a number of Air Force ROTC cadets and graduates originally slated for undergraduate pilot training (UPT) or undergraduate navigator training (UNT) lost their flight training slots either immediately prior to or subsequent to graduation, but prior to going on active duty, due to
5341-440: The Conservative Party from 1974 to 1975. Whitelaw served Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher throughout her leadership of the Conservative Party as deputy party leader . He served as de facto Deputy Prime Minister between 1979 and 1988 and as Home Secretary from 1979 to 1983. He stepped down as a Member of Parliament at the 1983 general election , and was appointed as a Member of the House of Lords . He served as Leader of
5450-609: The Conservative Party from 1975 to 1991. After the Conservative Party won an unexpected victory at the 1970 general election , Whitelaw was appointed as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council by Prime Minister Edward Heath . After the suspension of the Stormont Parliament resulted in the imposition of direct rule , Whitelaw served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1972 to 1973. He also served under Heath as Secretary of State for Employment from 1973 to 1974 and as Chairman of
5559-457: The Garter. From time to time, individuals may be admitted to the order by special statutes. Such members are known as "Extra Knights" or "Extra Ladies" and do not count towards the sixteen-member limit. Members of the British royal family are normally admitted through this procedure; the first to be so admitted was Prince Albert . King Olav V of Norway , the first foreigner to be admitted to
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#17327729815395668-688: The Green Rod also bears, as the title suggests, a green rod . When James VII created the modern order in 1687, he directed that the Abbey Church at the Palace of Holyroodhouse be converted to a Chapel for the Order of the Thistle, perhaps copying the idea from the Order of the Garter (whose chapel is located in Windsor Castle ). James VII, however, was deposed by 1688; the Chapel, meanwhile, had been destroyed during riots. The order did not have
5777-464: The House of Lords and Lord President of the Council from 1983 to 1988. He was a captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews . Whitelaw was born in Edinburgh , Scotland, and raised at the family home, "Monklands", on Thurlow Road in Nairn . He never met his father, William Alexander Whitelaw, born 1892, a member of a Scottish family of the landed gentry , who died in 1919 after service in
5886-564: The Israel Defense Forces, a university degree is a requirement for an officer to advance to the rank of lieutenant colonel and beyond. The IDF often sponsors the studies for its officers in the rank major , while aircrew and naval officers obtain academic degrees as a part of their training programmes. In the United Kingdom, there are three routes of entry for British Armed Forces officers. The first, and primary route are those who receive their commission directly into
5995-476: The Knights and Ladies wear an elaborate costume: Aside from these special occasions, however, much simpler insignia are used whenever a member of the order attends an event at which decorations are worn: However, on certain collar days designated by the sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal wear, or other costume. They will then substitute
6104-646: The Norse invaders. Some sources suggest the specific occasion was the 1263 Battle of Largs , which marked the beginning of the departure of King Haakon IV (Haakon the Elder) of Norway who, having control of the Northern Isles and Hebrides , had harried the coast of the Kingdom of Scotland for some years. For the Order's great occasions, such as its annual service each June or July, as well for coronations ,
6213-411: The Order of St. Andrew, but lapsed by the end of that century, although the evidence is unclear. A royal thistle collar is depicted in a book of hours , prepared for James IV in about 1503, where he is shown kneeling at an altar bearing the royal arms encircled by a collar of thistles and a badge depicting St Andrew. In a painting of 1538, James V is shown wearing a gold collar of linked thistles with
6322-487: The Order of the Thistle and dedicated it to the saint. This seems unlikely on the face of it, since Achaius died a century before Æthelstan (though it is now thought that the opponents in this battle were not the East Anglian king Æthelstan (born around 894) but an earlier Northumbrian of the same name, and not the legendary Scottish King Achaius but the historical Pictish King Óengus II ). An alternative version
6431-519: The Order of the Thistle was John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll in 1710; the last to take such an action was Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland in 1872. Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also be deprived of their knighthoods. The only individual to have suffered such a fate was John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar who lost both the knighthood and the earldom after participating in the Jacobite Rising of 1715 . The order has five officers:
6540-497: The RAF personnel were officers in 2013, but the British Army had a larger total number of officers. Commissioned officers generally receive training as generalists in leadership and in management , in addition to training relating to their specific military occupational specialty or function in the military. Many militaries typically require university degrees as a prerequisite for commissioning, even when accessing candidates from
6649-703: The Royal Navy's Warrant Officers Commissioning Programme. In the British Army , commissioning for DE officers occurs after a 44-week course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst . The course comprises three 14 weeks terms, focussing on militarisation, leadership and exercises respectively. Army Reserve officers will attend the Army Reserve Commissioning Course, which consists of four two-week modules (A-D). The first two modules may be undertaken over
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#17327729815396758-403: The School of Infantry, before entering naval flight-training. MarCads would then complete their entire flight-training syllabus as cadets. Graduates were designated Naval Aviators and commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants on active duty in the Marine Corps Reserve. They would then report to The Basic School (TBS) for newly commissioned USMC officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico prior to reporting to
6867-462: The Scottish secretary to Anne of Denmark was asked about the Order of the Thistle. Fowler believed that there had been an order, founded to honour Scots who fought for Charles VII of France , but it had been discontinued in the time of James V, and could say nothing of its ceremonies or regalia. James VII issued letters patent "reviving and restoring the Order of the Thistle to its full glory, lustre and magnificency" on 29 May 1687. His intention
6976-515: The Thistle also feature on the order of precedence; relatives of Ladies of the Thistle, however, are not assigned any special precedence. (Generally, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives.) Knights of the Thistle prefix " Sir ", and Ladies prefix " Lady ", to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix "Lady" to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Ladies. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when
7085-459: The U.S. Air Force Reserve on the same day. Aviation cadets were later offered the opportunity to apply for a commission in the regular Air Force and to attend a college or university to complete a four-year degree. As the Air Force's AFROTC and OTS programs began to grow, and with the Air Force's desire for a 100% college-graduate officer corps, the aviation cadet program was slowly phased out. The last aviation cadet pilot graduated in October 1961 and
7194-445: The U.S. Armed Forces may also be commissioned through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). The ROTC is composed of small training programs at several hundred American colleges and universities. There is no Marine Corps ROTC program per se , but there exists a Marine Corps option for selected midshipmen in the Naval ROTC programs at civilian colleges and universities or at non-Federal military colleges such as The Citadel and
7303-585: The U.S. Marine Corps. In addition to the ROTC, Army National Guard (ARNG) officers may also be commissioned through state-based officer-candidate schools. These schools train and commission college graduates, prior-servicemembers, and enlisted guard soldiers specifically for the National Guard. Air National Guard officers without prior active duty commissioned service attend the same active-duty OTS at Maxwell AFB , Alabama, as do prospective active duty USAF officers and prospective direct entry Air Force Reserve officers not commissioned via USAFA or AFROTC . In
7412-459: The U.S. Navy, primarily Naval Aviators, via interservice transfer. During the U.S. participation in World War II (1941–1945), civilians with expertise in industrial management also received direct commissions to stand up materiel production for the U.S. armed forces. Although significantly represented in the retired senior commissioned officer ranks of the U.S. Navy, a much smaller cohort of current active-duty and active-reserve officers (all of
7521-448: The age of 30 are known as Late Entry (LE) officers. The third route is similar to the second, in that candidates convert from an enlisted rank to a commission; but these are only taken from the highest ranks of SNCOs ( warrant officers and equivalents). This route typically involves reduced training requirements in recognition of existing experience. Some examples of this scheme are the RAF's Commissioned Warrant Officer (CWO) course or
7630-404: The agreement of the Prime Minister ( Clement Attlee ) and the Leader of the Opposition ( Winston Churchill ) in 1946, both orders returned to the personal gift of the sovereign. Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also be admitted to the Order of the Garter. Formerly, many, but not all, Knights elevated to the senior order would resign from the Order of the Thistle. The first to resign from
7739-401: The armed forces of the United States come from a variety of accessions sources: Graduates of the United States service academies attend their institutions for no less than four years and, with the exception of the USMMA, are granted active-duty regular commissions immediately upon completion of their training. They make up approximately 20% of the U.S. armed forces officer corps. Officers in
7848-467: The beginning of the end of the Thatcher premiership, as he was no longer around as often to give sensible advice and to moderate her stance on issues, or to maintain a consensus of support in her own Cabinet and parliamentary party. He resigned from the Cabinet on 10 January 1988. During his retirement and until his death, Whitelaw was the chairman of the board of Governors at St Bees School , Cumbria. He
7957-541: The broad riband of another order to which they belong (if any), since the Order of the Thistle is represented by the collar. Upon the death of a Knight or Lady, the insignia must be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood . The badge and star are returned personally to the sovereign by the nearest relative of the deceased. Officers of the order also wear green robes. The Gentleman Usher of
8066-399: The doors of the chapel has the names of the order's knights from before 1911 inscribed into the walls giving a complete record of the members of the order. Knights and Ladies of the Thistle are assigned positions in the order of precedence , ranking above all others of knightly rank except the Order of the Garter, and above baronets . Wives, sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights of
8175-653: The early 20th century, the Spanish army had the highest proportion of officers of any European army, at 12.5%, which was at that time considered unreasonably high by many Spanish and foreign observers. Within a nation's armed forces, armies (which are usually larger) tend to have a lower proportion of officers, but a higher total number of officers, while navies and air forces have higher proportions of officers, especially since military aircraft are flown by officers and naval ships and submarines are commanded by officers. For example, 13.9% of British Army personnel and 22.2% of
8284-594: The end of the war. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions at Caumont; a photograph of Field-Marshal Bernard Montgomery pinning the medal to his chest appears in his memoirs. After the end of the war in Europe, Whitelaw's unit was to have taken part in the invasion of Japan, but the Pacific War ended before this. Instead he was posted to Palestine , before leaving the army in 1946 to take care of
8393-1103: The enlisted ranks. Others, including the Australian Defence Force , the British Armed Forces , the Nepali Army , the Pakistan Armed Forces (PAF), the Swiss Armed Forces , the Singapore Armed Forces , the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Swedish Armed Forces , and the New Zealand Defence Force , are different in not requiring a university degree for commissioning, although a significant number of officers in these countries are graduates. In
8502-766: The entire AOCS program but would not be commissioned until completion of flight training and receiving their wings. After their initial operational tour, they could be assigned to a college or university full-time for no more than two years in order to complete their bachelor's degree. AVROC and NAVCAD were discontinued when AOCS was merged into OCS in the mid-1990s. Similar to NAVCAD was the Marine Aviation Cadet (MarCad) program, created in July 1959 to access enlisted Marines and civilians with at least two years of college. Many, but not all, MarCads attended enlisted "boot camp" at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island or Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego , as well as
8611-647: The establishment of the U.S. Air Force as an independent service in September 1947, it then became a source for USAF pilots and navigators. Cadets had to be between the ages of 19 and 25 and to possess either at least two years of college/university-level education or three years of a scientific or technical education. In its final iteration, cadets received the pay of enlisted pay grade E-5 and were required to complete all pre-commissioning training and flight training before receiving their wings as pilots or navigators and their commissions as 2nd lieutenants on active duty in
8720-556: The family estates of Gartshore and Woodhall in Lanarkshire , which he inherited on the death of his grandfather. Following early defeats as a candidate for the constituency of East Dunbartonshire in 1950 and 1951 , Whitelaw was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Penrith and the Border at the 1955 general election and represented that constituency for 28 years. He held his first government posts under Harold Macmillan as
8829-537: The last aviation cadet navigators in 1965. By the 1990s, the last of these officers had retired from the active duty Regular Air Force, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard . In countries whose ranking systems are based upon the models of the British Armed Forces (BAF), officers from the rank of second lieutenant (army), sub-lieutenant (navy) or pilot officer (air force) to
8938-529: The latter being captains or flag officers as of 2017) were commissioned via the Navy's since discontinued Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) program for college graduates. The AOCS focused on producing line officers for naval aviation who would become Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers upon completion of flight training, followed by a smaller cohort who would become Naval Air Intelligence officers and Aviation Maintenance Duty Officers. Designated as "aviation officer candidates" (AOCs), individuals in
9047-579: The limited resources made available by Treasury and the spending demands of other government departments. It was Whitelaw, in November 1980, who managed to dissuade Thatcher from going to Leeds to take charge of the Yorkshire Ripper investigation personally. Following a stroke in December 1987, he felt he had no choice but to resign. Nicholas Ridley argued that Whitelaw's retirement marked
9156-523: The middle fourteenth century. In 1783 an Irish equivalent, the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick , was founded, but it is now dormant. The claim that James VII was reviving an earlier order is generally not supported by the evidence. The 1687 warrant states that during a battle in 786 with Angles under Æthelstan of East Anglia , the cross of St Andrew appeared in the sky to Achaius , King of Scots; after his victory, he established
9265-600: The military or another federal uniformed service . However, these officers generally do not exercise command authority outside of their job-specific support corps (e.g., U.S. Army Medical Corps ; U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps , etc.). The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps almost exclusively use direct commission to commission their officers, although NOAA will occasionally accept commissioned officers from
9374-515: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Knights and Ladies use the post-nominal letters "KT" and "LT" respectively. When an individual is entitled to use multiple post-nominal letters, "KT" or "LT" appears before all others, except "Bt" or "Btss" ( Baronet or Baronetess ), "VC" ( Victoria Cross ), "GC" ( George Cross ) and "KG" or "LG" (Knight or Lady Companion of the Garter). Knights and Ladies may encircle their arms with
9483-452: The nearest Marine Corps officer-recruiting activity. PLC students are placed in one of three general tracks: PLC-Air for prospective marine naval aviators and marine naval flight officers ; PLC-Ground for prospective marine infantry, armor, artillery and combat-support officers; and PLC-Law, for prospective Marine Corps judge advocate general officers. Upon graduation from college, PLC students are commissioned as active-duty 2nd lieutenants in
9592-521: The officer grades following completion at their relevant military academy. This is known as a Direct Entry (DE) officer scheme. In the second method, individuals may gain a commission after first enlisting and serving in the junior ranks, and typically reaching one of the senior non-commissioned officer ranks (which start at sergeant (Sgt), and above), as what are known as Service Entry (SE) officers (and are typically and informally known as "ex-rankers"). Service personnel who complete this process at or above
9701-457: The order by James III , during the fifteenth century. He adopted the thistle as the royal badge, issued coins depicting thistles and allegedly conferred membership of the "Order of the Burr or Thissil" on Francis I of France , although there is no conclusive evidence for this. Some Scottish order of chivalry may have existed during the sixteenth century, possibly founded by James V and called
9810-476: The order is St Andrew . Most British orders of chivalry cover the whole United Kingdom , but the three most exalted ones each pertain to one constituent country only. The Order of the Thistle, which pertains to Scotland, is the second most senior in precedence. Its equivalent in England, the Most Noble Order of the Garter , is the oldest documented order of chivalry in the United Kingdom, dating to
9919-405: The order, was also admitted by special statute in 1962. The sovereign has historically had the power to choose knights of the order. From the eighteenth century onwards, the sovereign made his or her choices upon the advice of the government. George VI felt that the orders of the Garter and the Thistle had been used only for political patronage, rather than to reward actual merit. Therefore, with
10028-406: The pinnacle of a knight's stall is his helm, decorated with mantling and topped by his crest. If he is a peer , the coronet appropriate to his rank is placed beneath the helm. Under the laws of heraldry, women, other than monarchs, do not normally bear helms or crests; instead, the coronet alone is used (if she is a peeress or princess). Lady Marion Fraser had a helm and crest included when she
10137-414: The rank hierarchy. In certain instances, commissioned chief warrant officers can command units. A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted member of the armed forces holding a position of some degree of authority who has (usually) obtained it by advancement from within the non-commissioned ranks. Officers who are non-commissioned usually receive management and leadership training, but their function
10246-557: The rank of general , admiral or air chief marshal respectively, are holders of a commission granted to them by the appropriate awarding authority. In United Kingdom (UK) and other Commonwealth realms , the awarding authority is the monarch (or a governor general representing the monarch) as head of state . The head of state often has the power to award commissions, or has commissions awarded in his or her name. In Commonwealth nations, commissioned officers are given commissioning scrolls (also known as commissioning scripts) signed by
10355-548: The same customs and courtesies as commissioned officers. Their difference from line and staff corps officers is their focus as single specialty/military occupational field subject-matter experts, though under certain circumstances they can fill command positions. The Air Force has discontinued its warrant-officer program and has no LDO program. Similarly, the Space Force was created with no warrant-officer or LDO programs; both services require all commissioned officers to possess
10464-621: The senior 17% of the British armed forces, and the senior 13.7% of the French armed forces. In 2012, officers made up about 18% of the German armed forces, and about 17.2% of the United States armed forces. Historically armed forces have generally had much lower proportions of officers. During the First World War, fewer than 5% of British soldiers were officers (partly because World War One junior officers suffered high casualty rates). In
10573-447: The stall and display its occupant's name, arms, and date of admission into the order. Upon the death of a Knight, his helm, mantling , crest (or coronet or crown) and sword are taken down. The stall plates, however, are not removed; rather, they remain permanently affixed to the back of the stall, so that the stalls of the chapel are festooned with a colourful record of the order's knights and ladies since 1911. The entryway just outside
10682-506: The village of Great Blencow near Penrith, Cumbria . He was buried at St. Andrew's Parish Church , Dacre, Cumbria . Whitelaw was an active freemason . Knight Companion of the Order of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland . The current version of the order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland , who asserted that he
10791-472: Was appointed a Knight of the Thistle in 1990. He formally resigned as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party in 1991; a farewell dinner was held in his honour on 7 August 1991. After several years of declining health, Whitelaw died from natural causes at Ennim, his home in Blencow , on 1 July 1999, shortly after his 81st birthday. He had been married for 56 years to his wife, Celia, Viscountess Whitelaw ,
10900-500: Was composed of college students who would attend AOCS training in two segments similar to Marine Corps PLC but would do so between their junior and senior years of college and again following college graduation, receiving their commission upon completion of the second segment. The NAVCAD program operated from 1935 through 1968 and again from 1986 through 1993. NAVCADs were enlisted or civilian personnel who had completed two years of college but lacked bachelor's degrees. NAVCADs would complete
11009-409: Was granted arms; these were displayed above her stall in the same manner as for knights. Unlike other British orders, the armorial banners of Knights and Ladies of the Thistle are not hung in the chapel, but instead in an adjacent part of St Giles High Kirk. The Thistle Chapel does, however, bear the arms of members living and deceased on stall plates. These enamelled plates are affixed to the back of
11118-481: Was home secretary during the six-day Iranian Embassy siege in April–May 1980. In March 1981, he approved Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council's 14-day ban on political marches in the borough in response to a planned National Front demonstration there. Inner city decay, unemployment and what was perceived at the time as heavy-handed policing of ethnic minorities (notably the application of what some called
11227-519: Was made Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons , with a seat in the cabinet. Upon the imposition of direct rule in March 1972, he became the first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland , serving in that capacity until November 1973. During his time in Northern Ireland he introduced Special Category Status for paramilitary prisoners. He attempted to negotiate with
11336-420: Was reviving an earlier order. The order consists of the sovereign and sixteen knights and ladies, as well as certain " extra " knights (members of the British royal family and foreign monarchs). The sovereign alone grants membership of the order; they are not advised by the government , as occurs with most other orders. The order's primary emblem is the thistle , the national flower of Scotland. The motto
11445-511: Was rumoured to have said that "every Prime Minister needs a Willie" and Whitelaw was seen as Thatcher's de facto Deputy Prime Minister between 1979 and 1988 (though he never formally held the office), to the extent that the then Cabinet Secretary , Robert Armstrong , said that had Thatcher been killed in the Brighton hotel bombing , he thought he would have advised Queen Elizabeth II to send for Whitelaw. As home secretary, Whitelaw adopted
11554-519: Was the Air Force's aviation cadet program. Originally created by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1907 to train pilots for its then-fledgling aviation program, it was later used by the subsequent U.S. Army Air Service , U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Army Air Forces to train pilots, navigators, bombardiers and observers through World War I, the interwar period, World War II, and the immediate postwar period between September 1945 and September 1947. With
11663-515: Was the first Allied unit to encounter German Jagdpanther tank destroyers, being attacked by three out of the twelve Jagdpanthers which were in Normandy. The battalion's second-in-command was killed when his tank was hit in front of Whitelaw's eyes; Whitelaw succeeded to this position, holding it, with the rank of major, throughout the advance through the Netherlands into Germany and until
11772-656: Was the only Englishman ever to pronounce his name in Irish correctly. In 1973, Whitelaw left Northern Ireland—shortly before the Sunningdale Agreement was reached—to become Secretary of State for Employment , and confronted the National Union of Mineworkers over its pay demands. This dispute was followed by the Conservative Party losing the February 1974 general election . Also in 1974, Whitelaw became
11881-485: Was to reward Scottish Catholics for their loyalty, but the initiative actually came from John, 1st Earl and 1st Jacobite Duke of Melfort , then Secretary of State for Scotland. Only eight members out of a possible twelve were appointed; these included Catholics, such as Melfort and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland , his elder brother James, 4th Earl and 1st Jacobite Duke of Perth , plus Protestant supporters like
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