View source for Garrison sergeant major

{{Short description|Appointment in the British Army}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox military rank
| name           = Garrison sergeant major
| native_name    = 
| image          = New GSM Rank Badge on WO1 Mott's Arm.jpg
| image_size     = 
| alt            =
| caption        = Garrison Sergeant Major London District's badge of rank
| image2         = 
| image_size2    = 
| alt2           =
| caption2       = 
| image3         = 
| image_size3    = 
| alt3           =
| caption3       = 
| country        = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| service branch = {{army|United Kingdom}}
| abbreviation   = GSM
| rank group     = [[Warrant officer]]
| rank           = 
| NATO rank      = OR-9
| Non-NATO rank  = 
| pay grade      = 
| formation      = 1940
| abolished      = 
| higher rank    = 
| lower rank     = 
| equivalents    = 
| history        = 
}}

A '''garrison sergeant major''' ('''GSM'''){{efn|Note that in the British Army, the plural is "garrison sergeant majors" and not "garrison sergeants major".<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=48587 |date=16 April 1981 |page=5671 |supp=y }} {{London Gazette |issue=25044 |date=2 December 1881 |page=6467 }}</ref> 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.}} 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 (British Army)|London District]], always a [[Foot Guards|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.<ref name="Royal Wedding's Sergeant Major receives historic insignia">{{cite web |title=Royal Wedding's Sergeant Major receives historic insignia |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/royal-weddings-sergeant-major-receives-historic-insignia |website=gov.uk |publisher=Ministry of Defence |access-date=18 June 2021 |date=28 April 2011}}</ref> The GSM also organised the military ceremonial at the state funeral of the Queen on 19 September 2022.

[[File:State Opening of Parliament 2015 (18168558105).jpg|thumb|The Garrison Sergeant Major, Billy Mott (left), alongside his successor-to-be Vern Stokes at the State Opening of Parliament 2015.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan=2| {{Abbr|No.|Number}}
! rowspan=2| Name<br />{{small|(birth–death)}}
! colspan=3| Term of office
! rowspan=2| Service
! rowspan=2| {{Abbr|Ref.|Refences}}
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
| 1
| Thomas Courtney
| 1940
| 1950
| {{age in years|1940|1950}} years
| [[Coldstream Guards]]
| 
|-
| 2
| George Howe
| 1950
| 1951
| {{age in years|1950|1951}} years
| [[Irish Guards]]
| 
|-
| 3
| Frederick Thomas Aylen
| 1951
| 1952
| {{age in years|1951|1952}} years
| [[Coldstream Guards]]
| 
|-
| 4
| George Stone {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=75%|sep=,|MVO|MBE}}
| 1952
| 1965
| {{age in years|1952|1965}} years
| [[Irish Guards]]
| 
|-
| 5
| Tom Taylor {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=75%|sep=,|MVO|MBE}}
| 1965
| 1977
| {{age in years|1965|1977}} years
| [[Grenadier Guards]]
| 
|-
| 6
| Alex Dumon {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=75%|sep=,|MVO|MBE}}
| 1977
| 1987
| {{age in years|1977|1987}} years
| [[Coldstream Guards]]
| 
|-
| 7
| Alan G 'Perry' Mason {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=75%|sep=,|MVO|MBE}}
| 1987
| 2002
| {{age in years|1987|2002}} years
| [[Coldstream Guards]]
| 
|-
| 8
| [[Bill Mott (British Army soldier)|Bill Mott]] {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=75%|sep=,|OBE|MVO}}
| 2002
| 2015
| {{age in years|2002|2015}} years
| [[Welsh Guards]]
| <ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/news/senior-army-nco-gives-action-figures-authentic-voice 'Senior Army NCO gives action figures authentic voice'] (Ministry of Defence, 10 June 2011)  (Accessed 10 March 2015)</ref>
|-
| 9
| Andrew 'Vern' Stokes {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=75%|sep=,|OBE|MVO|DL}}<br />{{small|(born 1972)}}
| 2015
| ''Incumbent''
| {{age in years|2015}} years
| [[Coldstream Guards]]
| 
|}

The GSM [[London District (British Army)|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 [[Prince William, Duke of Cambridge|The Duke]] and [[Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge|Duchess of Cambridge]], the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|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 of the United Kingdom|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.<ref name="Royal Wedding's Sergeant Major receives historic insignia" />

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Foot Guards OR-9b (Full Dress).svg|Full dress insignia
File:Foot Guards OR-9b (Service Dress).svg|Service dress insignia
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk/gsm/index.htm Garrison Sergeant Majors] Containing more detailed biographies and some video of recent holders of this post.

[[Category:Military appointments of the British Army]]
[[Category:Guards Division (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Warrant officers]]


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