Garrison sergeant major

Garrison sergeant major
Garrison Sergeant Major London District's badge of rank
Country	United Kingdom
Service branch	British Army
Abbreviation	GSM
Rank group	Warrant officer
NATO rank code	OR-9
Formation	1940

A garrison sergeant major (GSM) ^[a] 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.

London District

The post of GSM London District was established in the early 1940s with specific responsibilities as State Ceremonial Sergeant Major. The first tasks of the new GSM were to organise the military ceremonial at the funeral of King George VI in 1952 and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. ^[2] The GSM also organised the military ceremonial at the state funeral of the Queen on 19 September 2022.

The Garrison Sergeant Major, Billy Mott (left), alongside his successor-to-be Vern Stokes at the State Opening of Parliament 2015.

No.	Name (birth–death)	Term of office			Service	Ref.
		Took office	Left office	Time in office
1	Thomas Courtney	1940	1950	9–10 years	Coldstream Guards
2	George Howe	1950	1951	0–1 years	Irish Guards
3	Frederick Thomas Aylen	1951	1952	0–1 years	Coldstream Guards
4	George Stone MVO , MBE	1952	1965	12–13 years	Irish Guards
5	Tom Taylor MVO , MBE	1965	1977	11–12 years	Grenadier Guards
6	Alex Dumon MVO , MBE	1977	1987	9–10 years	Coldstream Guards
7	Alan G 'Perry' Mason MVO , MBE	1987	2002	14–15 years	Coldstream Guards
8	Bill Mott OBE , MVO	2002	2015	12–13 years	Welsh Guards	[3]
9	Vern Stokes OBE , MVO , DL (born 1972)	2015	Incumbent	9–10 years	Coldstream Guards

The GSM London District traditionally 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 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Ministry of Defence announced that, in recognition of the work done by garrison sergeant majors on behalf of the Royal Household, Queen Elizabeth II approved the revival of the original insignia worn by sergeant majors 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. ^[2]

Gallery

• 
  Full dress insignia
• 
  Service dress insignia

Notes

1. Note that in the British Army, the plural is "garrison sergeant majors" and not "garrison sergeants major". ^[1] The earliest usage of "sergeant majors" in The Times is in 1822. The last of the (very occasional) usages of "sergeants major", except when referring to American NCOs, is in 1938.

References

1. "No. 48587". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 April 1981. p. 5671. "No. 25044". The London Gazette . 2 December 1881. p. 6467.
2. "Royal Wedding's Sergeant Major receives historic insignia". gov.uk. Ministry of Defence. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
3. 'Senior Army NCO gives action figures authentic voice' (Ministry of Defence, 10 June 2011) (Accessed 10 March 2015)

External links

• Garrison Sergeant Majors Containing more detailed biographies and some video of recent holders of this post.