Garrison Sergeant Major
Encyclopedia
A Garrison Sergeant Major (GSM) in the British Army
is the senior warrant officer
of a garrison
and holds the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1. The GSM London District
, always a guardsman
, holds one of the four most senior WO1 appointments in the British Army, and has military ceremonial responsibility for important state occasions such as Trooping the Colour
.
The post of Garrison Sergeant Major London District was established in the early 1950s with specific responsibilities as State Ceremonial Sergeant Major. The first task of the new Garrison Sergeant Major was to organise the funeral of King George VI in 1952 and the coronation of Her Majesty The Queen in 1953.
Traditionally the Garrison Sergeant Major London District
wore the same badge of rank as a Regimental Sergeant Major
of Foot Guards, the large Royal Coat of Arms on the right upper sleeve. However, on 28 April 2011, the day before the wedding of TRH The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, the Ministry of Defence
announced that, in recognition of the work done by Garrison Sergeants Major on behalf of the Royal Household, Her Majesty the Queen had approved the revival of the original one made for Sergeants Major appointed to the Court of King William IV in the early 19th century. It incorporates the large Royal Coat of Arms worn by selected Warrant Officers Class 1 of The Household Division, placed over four chevrons sewn in gold thread, the traditional badge of the Sergeant Major, originally worn on both arms of their tunics.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
is the senior warrant officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
of a garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
and holds the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1. The GSM London District
London District (British Army)
London District is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. Established in 1870 as Home District, it was re-formed in 1905 as London District to be an independent district within the larger command structure of the army, and has remained so...
, always a guardsman
Foot Guards
-British Army:The Foot Guards are the Regular Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six regiments of foot guards, five of which still exist. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was a reserve formation of the Household Brigade in existence from 1900-1901...
, holds one of the four most senior WO1 appointments in the British Army, and has military ceremonial responsibility for important state occasions such as Trooping the Colour
Trooping the Colour
Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and the Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points...
.
The post of Garrison Sergeant Major London District was established in the early 1950s with specific responsibilities as State Ceremonial Sergeant Major. The first task of the new Garrison Sergeant Major was to organise the funeral of King George VI in 1952 and the coronation of Her Majesty The Queen in 1953.
Traditionally the Garrison Sergeant Major London District
London District (British Army)
London District is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. Established in 1870 as Home District, it was re-formed in 1905 as London District to be an independent district within the larger command structure of the army, and has remained so...
wore the same badge of rank as a Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major is an appointment held by warrant officers class 1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many Commonwealth nations, including Australia and New Zealand; and by chief warrant officers in the Canadian Forces...
of Foot Guards, the large Royal Coat of Arms on the right upper sleeve. However, on 28 April 2011, the day before the wedding of TRH The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
announced that, in recognition of the work done by Garrison Sergeants Major on behalf of the Royal Household, Her Majesty the Queen had approved the revival of the original one made for Sergeants Major appointed to the Court of King William IV in the early 19th century. It incorporates the large Royal Coat of Arms worn by selected Warrant Officers Class 1 of The Household Division, placed over four chevrons sewn in gold thread, the traditional badge of the Sergeant Major, originally worn on both arms of their tunics.
Garrison Sergeants Major, London District
| 1940–1950 | WO1 (GSM) Thomas Courtney, Coldstream Guards Coldstream Guards Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division.... |
| 1950–1951 | WO1 (GSM) George Howe, Irish Guards Irish Guards The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities... |
| 1951–1952 | WO1 (GSM) Frederick Thomas Aylen, Coldstream Guards |
| 1952–1965 | WO1 (GSM) George Stone, MBE Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... RVM, Irish Guards |
| 1965–1977 | WO1 (GSM) Tom Taylor, Grenadier Guards Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards... |
| 1977–1987 | WO1 (GSM) Alex Dumon, MBE Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... , Coldstream Guards |
| 1987–2002 | WO1 (GSM) Alan G 'Perry' Mason, MVO Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys... MBE Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... , Coldstream Guards |
| 2002– | WO1 (GSM) William 'Billy' Mott, OBE Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions... , Welsh Guards Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order... |
External links
- Garrison Sergeant Majors Containing more detailed biographies and some video of recent holders of this post.