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Leading Rating (or Leading Rate) is the most senior of the junior rates in the Royal Navy. It is equal in status to Corporal, although for a long time was officially junior to that rank. The rate was introduced under the authority of Admiralty Circular No. 121 of 14 June 1853.
Leading Ratings are normally addressed as Leading Hand or using their branch title eg Leading Seaman, Leading Regulator etc.
The insignia worn by Leading Rates is a single fouled anchor, leading to the slang term Killick or Hooky used in reference to this rate.
In 2007 in celebration of the 154th Anniversary of the introduction of the rate, 60 members of the Leading Hands and Corporals Mess of HMS Collingwood, attended a mess dinner on the Gun Deck of HMS Victory.
| Common military ranks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Officers | ||
| Navies1 | Armies and Air Forces |
Air Forces1 |
| Admiral of the Fleet |
Field Marshal | Marshal of the Air Force |
| Admiral | General | Air Marshal |
| Commodore | Brigadier | Air Commodore |
| Captain | Colonel | Group Captain |
| Commander | Lt. Colonel | Wing Commander |
| Lt. Commander | Major | Squadron Leader |
| Lieutenant | Captain | Flight Lieutenant |
| Sub-Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Flying Officer |
| Seamen, soldiers and airmen | ||
| Warrant Officer | Sergeant Major | Warrant Officer |
| Petty Officer | Sergeant | Sergeant |
| Leading Rate | Corporal | Corporal |
| Seaman | Private | Aircraftman |
| 1 in the Commonwealth
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Ratings and Other Ranks of the  British Armed Forces |
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR-1 | OR-2 | OR-3 | OR-4 | OR-5/OR-6 | OR-7 | OR-8 | OR-9 | ||||||
| Royal Navy: | AB | LH | PO | CPO | WO2 | WO1 | |||||||
| Royal Marines: | Mne | LCpl | Cpl | Sgt | CSgt | WO2 | WO1 | ||||||
| Army: | Pte | Pte | LCpl | Cpl | Sgt | SSgt / CSgt | WO2 | WO1 | |||||
| Royal Air Force: | AC | LAC - SAC - Jnr Tech | Cpl | Sgt | Chf Tech - Flt Sgt | WO / MAcr | |||||||