Colour Sergeant (CSgt or C/Sgt) is a non-commissioned rank in the Royal Marines, ranking above Sergeant and below Warrant Officer Class 2. It has a NATO ranking code of OR-7 and is equivalent to a Staff Sergeant in the British Army or a Flight Sergeant or Chief Technician in the Royal Air Force. The insignia is the monarch's crown above three downward pointing chevrons.
The rank was also used in the British Army, being introduced during the Napoleonic Wars to reward long-serving sergeants. By World War I it had given way to Company Sergeant Major and Company Quartermaster Sergeant, but it is still the title used to refer to all staff sergeants in infantry regiments, no matter what their appointment.
Colour Sergeants are referred to and addressed as Colour Sergeant or Colour, never as Sergeant.
See also
Comparative military ranks
