Master Gunner, St James's Park

The appointment of Master Gunner, St James's Park, goes back to 1678 and has generally been held by a senior officer in the Royal Artillery. The early incumbents (known then as the Master Gunner of Whitehall and St James's Park) were responsible for the artillery defence of the Palace of Whitehall and the Palace of Westminster.

There has always been a connection between the monarch and the regiment. The Master Gunner, whose appointment is approved by the monarch, is the link to the regiment. He presides over regimental affairs by heading a committee comprising serving and recently retired senior officers of the regiment which provides guidance, advice and direction on all matters and affairs concerning the past, present and future of the Royal Regiment. Along with his fellow Masters and Chiefs, he provides a report annually to the Chief of the General Staff on regimental affairs. The Master Gunner also maintains the links to Commonwealth Royal Artilleries.

The Master Gunner, St James's Park, should not be confused with that of the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 (Master Gunner), which is a technical and instructional appointment achieved by some Royal Artillery warrant officers.

List of Master Gunners

Name	Dates of service
Whitehall and St. James's Park
Captain Thomas Silver	1678–1710
Lieutenant Colonel Jonas Watson	1710–1741
St. James's Park
Lieutenant Colonel James Deal	1742–1760
Major-General Joseph Brome	1760–1769
Held by a non-commissioned officer	1770–1783
Major-General Joseph Walton	1783–1808
Lieutenant General Sir John Macleod GCH	1808–1833
Major General Sir Alexander Dickson GCB KCH	1833–1840
General Sir Robert Gardiner GCB KCH	1840–1864
Field Marshal Sir Hew Dalrymple Ross GCB	1864–1868
General William Wylde CB	1868–1877
General Sir John Bloomfield GCB	1877–1880
General Poole Vallancey England	1880–1884
General Sir John St. George GCB	1884–1891
General Sir Collingwood Dickson VC GCB	1891–1904
Field Marshal The Earl Roberts VC KG KP GCB OM GCSI GCIE	1904–1914
General Sir Robert Biddulph GCB GCMG	1914–1918
Major General Francis William Ward CB	1918–1919
General Sir Edward Francis Chapman KCB	1919–1926
General The Lord Horne GCB KCMG	1926–1929
Field Marshal The Lord Milne GCB GCMG DSO	1929–1946
Field Marshal The Viscount Alanbrooke KG GCB OM GCVO DSO	1946–1956
General Sir Cameron Nicholson GCB KBE DSO MC	1956–1960
General Sir Robert Mansergh GCB KBE MC	1960–1970
Field Marshal Sir Geoffrey Baker GCB CMG CBE MC	1970–1976
General Sir Harry Tuzo GCB OBE MC	1977–1983
General Sir Thomas Morony KCB OBE	1983–1988
General Sir Martin Farndale KCB	1988–1996
Field Marshal The Lord Vincent GBE KCB DSO	1996–2000
General Sir Alexander Harley KBE CB	2001–2008
General Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman GBE KCB ADC Gen	2008–2017
Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Gregory KBE CB	2017–present