He was born in Gordon Terrace Aigburth Vale, Liverpool, the son of a gardener and worked in a local butcher"s shop from leaving school until 1917, when he enlisted, during the First World War, 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 was often featured in Second World War training films and was reported on widely in the newspapers of the day. On retirement from the army, R.S.M. Brittain"s notoriety enabled him to enjoy a career in advertising, voice-over work and film acting, usually parodying himself as a Sergeant Major. He eventually transferred to the Coldstream Guards.
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 later became Regimental Sergeant Major of the Guards Depot, one of the most senior non-commissioned appointments in the British Army, and eventually 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, well-past the normal retiring age 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. He died at Chester in 1981, aged 81.
Still an imposing figure in old age, Brittain was a member of the Society of Toastmasters and was a popular presence at public functions. Member of the Order of the British Empire (Administration Member of the Order of the British Empire).
