Ronald Brittain MBE (September 12, 1899- January 9, 1981) was well known during his lifetime as an archetypal Regimental Sergeant Major (R.S.M.) and for having possibly the loudest voice in the British Army. He was often featured in World War II training films and was reported on widely in the newspapers of the day.[1] On retirement from the army, R.S.M. Brittain's notoriety enabled him to enjoy a career in advertising, voice over work [2] and film acting, usually playing a Sergeant Major.
He was born in Aigburth Vale, Liverpool, the son of a gardener and worked in a local butcher's shop from leaving school until 1917, when he enlisted first in the King's (Liverpool) Regiment and then transferred into the South Wales Borderers, where his imposing height of six feet three inches soon saw him promoted. He eventually transferred to the Coldstream Guards. Attached to the training staff at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, he was well known for his parade ground bellow, which could reduce the gentleman cadets - many of them foreign princes and titled sons of the aristocracy - to trembling wrecks. 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!" He eventually became Regimental Sergeant Major of the Guards Depot, one of the most senior non-commissioned appointments in the British Army, and later of Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, where it was estimated that around 40,000 officer cadets passed through his tender care. Brittain retired from the army in 1954 and, after a spell as a salesman for an outsize clothing outfitters, he acted in films and plays and lent his legendary voice to a number of radio and television advertisements. Still an imposing figure in old age, Brittain was a member of the Society of Toastmasters and was a popular presence at public functions.
Contents |
| Film or Series | Role | |
| Casino Royale (1967) | uncredited | Sergeant Major |
| The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966) | Commissionaire | |
| 55 Days at Peking (1963) | uncredited | Sergeant Major |
| The Amorous Prawn (1962) | Sergeant Major | |
| The Missing Note (1961) | uncredited | Commissionaire |
| The Criminal (1960) | Kitchen warder |
|
| Alfred Marks Time (1956) | BBC TV Series | Performer |
| Carrington V.C. (1955) | uncredited | Sergeant Major |
| They Were Not Divided (1950) | Regimental Sergeant Major |
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| You Lucky People (1955) | Appearing as himself |
The Saga Satellites with RSM Brittain - Regimental Rock (Saga Records, 1959)
