Please see "major general

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

" for other countries which use this rank

Major general (Maj Gen) is a senior rank in the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines

Royal Marines

The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...

 is the Commandant General Royal Marines

Commandant General Royal Marines

The Commandant General Royal Marines is the professional head of the Royal Marines. The title has existed since 1945...

 who holds the rank of major general

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

. The most senior officer of the Royal Army Chaplains Department, the chaplain-general, also holds the rank of major-general.

A major general is superior to a brigadier

Brigadier (United Kingdom)

Brigadier is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines.Brigadier is the superior rank to Colonel, but subordinate to Major-General....

 but subordinate to lieutenant general. The rank has a NATO rank code of OF-7, equivalent to a rear-admiral in the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 or an air vice-marshal

Air Vice-Marshal

Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...

 in the Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

 or the air forces of many Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

 countries.

The rank insignia is a pip over a crossed sword and baton.

Royal Marines usage

The Commandant General Royal Marines

Commandant General Royal Marines

The Commandant General Royal Marines is the professional head of the Royal Marines. The title has existed since 1945...

 has held the rank of major-general since 1996 when the post was downgraded from lieutenant-general. As in the British Army, a Royal Marines major-general ranks below lieutenant-general and above brigadier and is thus the lowest of the general officer ranks.

Royal Air Force usage

From the foundation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the RAF maintained a rank of major general. The rank insignia was derived from that of a Royal Navy rear-admiral and featured a broad gold stripe on the cuff below one narrow gold stripe. The two stripes were surmounted by an eagle (volant and affronty) under a king's crown. The RAF replaced its rank of major general with the rank of air vice-marshal on the 1 August 1919. The following officers held the rank of major general in the RAF:

• Edward Ashmore
  Edward Ashmore (British Army officer)
  Major General Edward Bailey Ashmore CB, CMG, MVO was a British Army officer from the 1890s to the 1920s who served in the Royal Artillery, the Royal Flying Corps and briefly in the Royal Air Force before founding and developing the organisation that would become the Royal Observer Corps.-Early...
  
  
• Sefton Brancker
  Sefton Brancker
  Air Vice-Marshal Sir William Sefton Brancker KCB AFC , commonly known as Sir Sefton Brancker, was a pioneer in British civil and military aviation.-Early life:...
  
  
• Edward Ellington
  Edward Leonard Ellington
  Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Edward Leonard Ellington GCB, CMG, CBE was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force...
  
  
• Philip Game
  Philip Game
  Air Vice-Marshal Sir Philip Woolcott Game GCB, GCVO, GBE, KCMG, DSO was a British Royal Air Force commander, who later served as Governor of New South Wales and Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis...
  
  
• Frederick Heath-Caldwell
• John Higgins
  John Frederick Andrews Higgins
  Air Marshal Sir John Frederick Andrews Higgins KCB, KBE, DSO, AFC, RAF was a senior officer in the Royal Flying Corps and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the first half of the 20th century.-RAF career:...
  
  
• Mark Kerr
• Charles Lambe
• Charles Longcroft
  Charles Longcroft
  Air Vice Marshal Sir Charles Alexander Holcombe Longcroft KCB, CMG, DSO, AFC was a pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Flying Corps who went on to become a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.-Early years:...
  
  
• Godfrey Paine
  Godfrey Paine
  Rear Admiral Sir Godfrey Marshall Paine KCB MVO was a senior commander in the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Air Force in the early part of the 20th century...
  
  
• Geoffrey Salmond
  Geoffrey Salmond
  Air Chief Marshal Sir William Geoffrey Hanson Salmond KCB, KCMG, DSO , commonly known as Sir Geoffrey Salmond, was a senior commander in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. Remaining in the Royal Air Force after the War, he held senior appointments in the Middle East, Great Britain and India...
  
  
• John Salmond
  John Salmond
  Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Maitland Salmond, GCB, CMG, CVO, DSO and Bar was a British military officer who rose to high rank in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I...
  
  
• Ernest Swinton
• Frederick Sykes
  Frederick Sykes
  Air Vice-Marshal The Right Honourable Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes GCSI, GCIE, GBE, KCB, CMG was a military officer, British statesman and politician....
  
  
• Hugh Trenchard
  Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
  Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...