Gavin Paton

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Gavin Paton
Warrant Officers Clive Douglas and Gavin Paton (48227950701) (Paton cropped).jpg
Paton in 2019
BornMarch 1979 (age 45)
Cornwall, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Rank Major
Unit The Rifles
Commands held Army Sergeant Major (2018–2021)
Battles/wars Sierra Leone Civil War
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
Awards Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Major Gavin Henderson Paton OBE (born March 1979) is a British Army officer. From 2018 to 2021, he served as the Army Sergeant Major, the most senior warrant officer and member of the other ranks in the British Army.

Contents

Personal life

Paton was born in March 1979 in Cornwall, England. He is married to Jessica, and together they have one son. [1]

Military career

Paton served as a warrant officer with 3rd Battalion, The Rifles. [2] He was commissioned as a captain on 23 July 2017, [3] and appointed as Field Army Sergeant Major in 2018. [4] He was appointed Army Sergeant Major in November 2018, thereby becoming the most senior member of the other ranks of the British Army. [5] [6]

Paton was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours. [7]

Related Research Articles

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Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by a warrant officer (WO) in the British Army, the Royal Marines, and the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations. It is also an actual rank in the Irish Defence Forces, and formerly in the British Army, Royal Marines and United States Army. Only one warrant officer holds the appointment of RSM in any regiment or battalion, making them the senior warrant officer; in a unit with more than one top-ranked WO, the RSM is considered to be first amongst equals". The RSM is primarily responsible for assisting their commander in maintaining standards and discipline amongst the non-commissioned members and acts as a parental figure to their subordinates, sometimes referred to by the mantra "Drill, Dress and Discipline".

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References

  1. "Army Sergeant Major: WARRANT OFFICER CLASS ONE GH PATON". www.army.mod.uk.
  2. "Palace Barracks" . Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  3. "No. 62047". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 September 2017. p. 17026.
  4. "Army Sergeant Major inspects the Army's latest recruits". The Military Times. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  5. British Army [@BritishArmy] (8 November 2018). "Chief of the General Staff General Mark Carleton-Smith has confirmed the appointment of WO1 Gavin Paton as the next @ArmySgtMajor, replacing WO1 Glenn Haughton @SEAC_Defence, "Big shoes to fill, but WO1 Paton is the man for the job"" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  6. "Soldier Magazine December 2018". Soldier Magazine. Soldier Magazine. 30 November 2018.
  7. "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 2022. p. B7.
Military offices
Preceded by Army Sergeant Major
2018–2021
Succeeded by