Conductors

This is what Ian A Baxter says in his A Brief Guide to Biographical Sources under the heading "Departmental and Warrant Officers of The East India Company's Armies 1708-1861, and the Indian Army 1861-1947"

"Warrant officers in the Company's armies held the ranks of Sub Conductor and Conductor, serving mainly in the Ordnance, Commissariat and Public Works Departments. They were recruited from the Town Major's List (called Effective Supernumeraries in Madras) which in turn was largely recruited from the NCO's of the Company's European regiments (see p 9) although occasionally NCO's of British regiments stationed in India were appointed to it.

In 1859 the Town Major's List became the Unattached List, and when the Company's European regiments were amalgamated with the British Army in 1860 new recruits to the Unattached List were appointed solely from NCO's of British regiments stationed in India.

Conductors were eligible for promotion to Departmental Officer, ie Deputy Assistant Commissary, Assistant Commissary etc, and these grades were eventually given complementary honorary officer ranks ranging from Honorary Lieutenant to Honorary Major."

Contributed to India list by Michael Quin-Conroy, Nov. 11 2003