I am aware of the command structure within the British Army, and John is correct to say that a junior officer, a Lieutenant (and not pronounced Lootenant as our American cousins insist), commands a platoon.

It is Dad’s Army (the Home Guard) we’re talking about, and the producers did their research very well – check this link http://www.home-guard.org.uk/hg/strucrank.html. Up to 1940, the Home Guard had their own rank structure and a Captain could be in command of a platoon.

As to the Colonel in the series and to set the record straight (my mistake) he in fact held the rank of Captain. His name was Captain Square, though in early episodes he referred to himself as “Corporal-Colonel Square”, as he was a Corporal in the Home Guard and a former Colonel in the Army.

That seems to have stuck in my mind and is why I referred to him as a Colonel. He was a condescending type who relished in mispronouncing Mainwaring’s surname. Which leads me to my original contribution. Rather circumlocutory I must say.

Mainly

A junior officer commands a platoon. A (Lt)Colonel commands a regiment.

In fact that’s how I thought Mainwaring is pronounced – Main-wearing.

[Daphne – In ‘wearing’ and weary the pronunciation of ‘wear’ is different. ‘Wearing’ and ‘wary’ are closer in pronunciation of the first syllable than are ‘weary’ and ‘wearing’ or, for that matter, ‘wear’.]