What actually is a Gentleman Ranker?

"The Gentlemen Rankers" is the title of my story and I shouldn't be surprised, I guess, if I get asked a lot what a gentleman ranker is. In my story it comes straight from Rudyard Kipling's poen from his collection - "Barrack Room Ballads". Conveniently out of copyright as it is, you can find it here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentleman_ranker

A gentleman ranker is someone who you would think would be an officer to judge by their attitude, breeding and education but who is a non-commissioned officer or private. In the British army of Victorian times this was not uncommon. It was the result of misfortune or misadventure. My original gentleman rankers in the story are Reuben Chatham and Ambrose Delahay. How they came to be gentleman rankers will be revealed as part of the plot. As the story opens they are sergeants in the Royal Engineers. I chose the Royal Engineers as it is in this regiment that the brightest rise fastest. As I wrote on I found that this choice chimed nicely in with other elements. I think there is a something at work that if you are somehow on the right track in writing a novel things fall into place. I have no evidence for that, mind.