Vern Stokes

Warrant Officer Class 1 Vern Stokes OBE MVO MSM DL
The Garrison Sergeant Major, Billy Mott (left), alongside his successor-to-be Vern Stokes (right)at the State Opening of Parliament 2015.
Nickname(s)	Vern
Born	1972 Madeley, Shropshire, England [1]
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Years of service	1988–present
Rank	Warrant Officer Class 1
Unit	Coldstream Guards
Battles / wars	The Troubles Operation Grapple (Yugoslavia) Operation Telic Operation Herrick
Awards	Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Member of the Royal Victorian Order Deputy Lieutenant of Shropshire [2]

Warrant Officer Class 1 Andrew "Vern" Stokes, OBE , MVO , MSM , DL (born 1972) is a British Army soldier who has been one of the army's most senior warrant officers from 2015 to present.

Military service

Born in Shropshire, England, in 1972, Stokes enlisted in the British Army in June 1988. After passing out from the Guards Depot, he was posted to 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards. He saw operational tours in Northern Ireland, Belize, Kenya and Bosnia. After spending time as a section commander instructor at the Infantry Battle School, he saw further operations in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan as well as exercises in Canada. He was later posted to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as both a colour sergeant instructor and later as the company sergeant major. He was promoted to the highest enlisted rank within the Coldstream Guards, Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, in 2010. He was appointed the Academy Sergeant Major of Sandhurst in 2011. In 2014 he began shadowing then GSM Bill Mott, in preparation for his appointment as the GSM of the London District.

In his role as the GSM, Stokes has been involved with the planning and execution of the annual Trooping the Colour, the funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh, the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, and the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. ^[3]

References

1. Martin, Ruth (19 May 2025). "GSM Andrew 'Vern' Stokes takes on patron role with Shropshire charity". Shropshire Community Foundation.
2. Rogers-Coltman, Fiona (16 April 2024). "New Deputy Lieutenant appointment for Shropshire".
3. "Andrew 'Vern' Stokes | Champions Speakers". champions-speakers.co.uk.