It is rare for an officer promoted from WO1 to rise past Major, or to be given a command position.

An image evoked by mentioning the leaders who rule Africa is often this: a young military officer, after shooting his way to power, promotes himself to general.

The expansion of the army saw some officers promoted from brigade to corps commander in less than a year.

Their mystique is so great that even today, every military officer promoted to general receives a replica of O'Higgins's battle sword.

The limited evidence on auxiliary centuriones and decuriones is that such officers could be directly commissioned as well as promoted from the ranks.

An officer so promoted may be referred to as being brevetted.

Officials said the 1,100 officers already promoted provisionally would be sworn in permanently at their precincts in the coming days.

A good officer might not promote a man for oh, for many reasons - and still not put his misgivings in writing.

His obituary in The Times described him as "the first naval officer promoted from the lower deck" to enter Parliament.

Citizens and officers of government should "promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."