Ronald Brittain (2 September 1899 – 9 January 1981) was a

regimental sergeant major Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by warrant officers class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, including Australi ...

(RSM) in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. Reported on widely in the newspapers of the day, he featured in several British military training films during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was said to have possibly the loudest voice in the British Army. On retiring from the army in the 1950s, Brittain's fame enabled him to enjoy a career in advertising, voice-over work and acting, playing characters that resembled an

archetypal The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

.Aldershot military museum,National service in Aldershot
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Early life

Brittain was born in Gordon Terrace,

Aigburth Aigburth () is a suburb of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Garston, Mossley Hill, and Toxteth. Etymology The name Aigburth comes from Old Norse ''eik'' and ''berg'', meaning ''oak-tree hill''. T ...

Vale, Liverpool, the son of a gardener. After leaving school, he worked in a local butcher's shop until 1917, when he enlisted in the

King's (Liverpool) Regiment The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 and numbered as the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot in 1751. Unlike most British Army infantry regiments, which we ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Military service

Brittany transferred into the

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. In ...

, where his imposing height of six feet three inches soon saw him promoted. Eventually Brittain transferred to the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

. He was attached to the training staff at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

, where he became well known for his

parade ground A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...

bellow. Known to the cadets as "The Voice", he was credited as the originator of that phrase so beloved of sergeant majors: "You 'orrible little man!". It was said he could reduce

gentleman A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...

cadets — many of them foreign princes and titled sons of the

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

— to trembling wrecks. In his later years, he was assigned the position of Regimental Sergeant Major of the Guards Depot. He also served at

Mons Officer Cadet School Mons Officer Cadet School was a British military training establishment for officer cadets in Aldershot from 1942 to 1972, when it was closed and all officer training concentrated at Sandhurst. Until 1960, it was known as the Mons Officer Cadet ...

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

, where it was estimated that around 40,000 officer cadets passed through his parade ground.

Retirement

In 1954 Brittain retired from the army after 37 years' service (20 years as an RSM); he was well above the normal retirement age for service personnel. After a spell as a salesman for an outsized clothing outfitters, he acted in films and plays. He also lent his legendary voice to a number of radio and television advertisements. In 1959 his voice was featured on a record, "Regimental Rock" released on the Saga label. Still an imposing figure in old age, Brittain was a popular presence at public functions and a member of the Society of

Toastmaster Toastmaster is a general term, prevalent in the United States in the mid-20th century, referring to a person in charge of the proceedings of a public speaking event. The toastmaster is typically charged with organization of the event, arrangin ...

Death

Brittany died at

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

in 1981, aged 81.

Award and decorations

Complete as at 1953.
As depicted worn in 1953 British Pathe news clip.

Filmography

Discography

The Saga Satellites with RSM Brittain - Regimental Rock (Saga Records, 1959)

Notes

;Citations ;Bibliography

External links

*
The Army's Voice No 1
, a news report from Pathé News, British Pathé in 1953
Picture of R.S.M. Brittain in actionPoster of R.S.M. Brittain from shinycapstar.com - Coldstream guards website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brittain, Ronald 1899 births 1981 deaths Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Aigburth Academics of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst English male film actors English male voice actors Male actors from Liverpool 20th-century English male actors Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United Kingdom) Military personnel from Liverpool British Army personnel of World War I Coldstream Guards soldiers South Wales Borderers soldiers King's Regiment (Liverpool) soldiers British Army personnel of World War II