From its beginnings, the St. John Ambulance Brigade employed ranks and insignia to distinguish grades within its membership and management structure; these were extended across the wider organisation following its merge with the St John Ambulance Association to form St. John Ambulance. Based upon the British Army officer

British Army officer rank insignia

-Origins:The first British Army rank insignia were introduced in 1760. According to the Royal Clothing Warrant, General Officers were distinguished by the pattern and arrangement of laces on the cuff.Badges for field officers were first introduced in 1810...

 and the British Army other ranks structure and insignia, the original ranks and insignia have been subject to several modifications over the history of the organisation.

The basic "star" or "pip" has at its center the eight point Maltese Cross, the badge of the Order of St John. The crown

Crown (headgear)

A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...

 used is also that of the Order. At the higher general list ranks, crossed stretcher

Stretcher

A stretcher is a medical device used to carry casualties or an incapacitated person from one place to another. It is a simple type of litter, and still called by that name in some cases....

s are used rather than the crossed sword

Sword

A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...

 and baton

Club (weapon)

A club is among the simplest of all weapons. A club is essentially a short staff, or stick, usually made of wood, and wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times....

 of military use. Insignia are in silver, again symbolic of the Order of St. John

Venerable Order of Saint John

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...

.

Since the mid-1990s the former "senior NCO" and "Warrant Officer" ranks have been abolished. These ranks, whose titles were "Staff Sergeant", "Corps Sergeant Major", and "County (or District or Bailiwick) Sergeant Major" were deemed too militaristic in form. Their demise has gone hand in hand with a lowering of emphasis on parading and drill.

National variations

Whilst this article uses English St John Ambulance practice as standard, inevitably national variations in rank structure have occurred as the organisation has spread to other countries, and subsequently developed in those countries with a degree of autonomy. The English types are presented in the illustrative tables below. Ranks in other countries are usually similar, but adopt local terminology such as (for example) "Provincial Commissioner" instead of "County Commissioner". There may also be fewer ranks in smaller countries, as a result of the need for fewer rungs of management structure.

See also

• Service Medal of the Order of St John
  Service Medal of the Order of St John
  The Service Medal of the Order of St John is an award given to those that have provided a requisite number or years service to the Venerable Order of St John...
  
  
• Insignia of the Venerable Order of St John