(1)The power of punishment conferred on a commanding officer by section 78(4) of the Army Act 1955 (which enables a commanding officer on investigating a charge against an acting warrant officer or non-commissioned officer to order the accused to revert to his permanent rank or to assume an acting rank lower than that held by him but higher than his permanent rank) shall, where the permanent rank of the accused is that of lance-corporal or lance-bombardier, include power to order the accused to forfeit his acting rank and to be reduced to the ranks; and the power of punishment conferred on a commanding officer by section 78(4) of the [1955 c. 19.] Air Force Act 1955 (which is the corresponding section of that Act) shall, in its application to members of Her Majesty's military forces subject for the time being to air-force law, be similarly extended.
(2)Accordingly.—
(a)section 78(4) of the [1955 c. 18.] Army Act 1955 shall have effect with the addition, after the words added by section 22 of the [1961 c. 52.] Army and Air Force Act 1961, of the words " or, where his permanent rank is that of lance-corporal or lance-bombardier, to forfeit his acting rank and be reduced to the ranks ";
(b)in Schedule 6 to the Air Force Act 1955, after paragraph 3A, there shall be inserted the following paragraph:—
“3BIn relation to a person subject to air-force law as aforesaid, section 78(4) of this Act shall have effect with the addition, after the words added by section 22 of the Army and Air Force Act 1961, of the words ' or, where his permanent rank is that of lance-corporal or lance-bombardier, to forfeit his acting rank and be reduced to the ranks '”.