Master Gunner
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Master gunner is an appointment of the
warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...
rank in the British and United States armed forces.


United Kingdom

In the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
's
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
master gunners are experts in the technical aspects of
gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...
nery. They fill advisory rather than command posts. The appointment is split into two classes: Master gunners 2nd and 1st class, both holding the rank of
warrant officer class 1 Warrant may refer to: * Warrant (law), a form of specific authorization ** Arrest warrant, authorizing the arrest and detention of an individual ** Search warrant, a court order issued that authorizes law enforcement to conduct a search for eviden ...
. Formerly there was also an appointment of master gunner 3rd class, who held the rank of
warrant officer class 2 Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mo ...
. The appointment of master gunner should not be confused with that of
Master Gunner, St James's Park The Master Gunner St James’s Park’s appointment goes back to 1678 and has generally been held by a senior officer in the Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially k ...
, who is the ceremonial head of the
Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
.


Historical usage

The title of master gunner was in use from at least the fourteenth century for the person commanding a team of gunners and directing the use and upkeep of one or more guns. The term gradually fell out of use on board ship (where the term 'gunner' took its place), and in the field (where the command structure of artillery trains took precedence). It remained in use, however, in coastal fortifications, from the time of
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
through to 1956 when Britain's
coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
network was disbanded. Initially, master gunners had executive command of their guns in times of battle, but this responsibility ceased when commissioned
Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
officers began to be appointed to coastal forts and garrisons. Thereafter, the artillerymen took charge of aiming and firing the guns; but within each fortification the master gunner retained responsibility for gun maintenance and preparation, and for the safe storage and supply of ammunition. They were also responsible for firing
gun salutes A 21-gun salute is the most commonly recognized of the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor. As naval customs evolved, 21 guns came to be fired for heads of state, or in exceptiona ...
, and other routine tasks. To carry out these duties, each master gunner had to recruit a team of 'district gunners' to serve under them: in the 18th and 19th centuries detachments of ' invalids' (usually war-wounded artillerymen) often fulfilled this task; otherwise the master gunner would have to try to recruit regular artillery from a nearby garrison (or else local militiamen, volunteers or even civilians might be seconded). A list of 1824 records 59 master gunners at separate stations around the coast of the British isles, and 90 'invalids' assisting them. (The number of invalid artillery was set to increase, to 450 by 1859.) It is noted that every master gunner listed had served a minimum of sixteen years in the Royal Artillery prior to being appointed to that position.


Master Gunner of England

For some 250 years an official of the
Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...
held the office of "Master Gunner of England" (Master Gunner of Great Britain after 1707). Mention of the office first occurs around 1485–1506; appointments were made by
Letters Patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...
under the
Great Seal of the Realm The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom (known prior to the Treaty of Union of 1707 as the Great Seal of England; and from then until the Union of 1801 as the Great Seal of Great Britain) is a seal that is used to sym ...
, and were normally for life. Until its dissolution in 1855, the Board (or Office) of Ordnance provided and operated all artillery pieces used in the field of battle and in defensive garrisons. The Master Gunner of England served as principal technical expert to the Crown in all aspects of artillery. He maintained a register of all certified gunners in the realm and oversaw their training, he maintained a list of all guns in forts, on board ships and elsewhere and monitored their state of readiness, and also had responsibilities for proving guns and gunpowder. Proof testing initially took place in an area known as the 'Artillery Garden' just north of the Tower of London (the Board's headquarters), and the Master Gunner of England was provided with an official residence nearby. As weapons were growing more powerful, however, it became desirable for them to be proved in less populated areas, and this (among other things) led to the Crown in the 1670s purchasing an area of open land known as the Warren, at
Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...
in Kent, on the south bank of the Thames (the area soon developed into a centre for arms manufacture, and was later renamed the
Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Britis ...
). In 1685 the Artillery Garden was sold, and the Master Gunner himself moved to the Warren, where he was housed on site (along with the local Ordnance Storekeeper) in a Tudor mansion known as Tower Place. (Proof testing of guns and artillery continued at the Woolwich site until the mid-19th century, at which point this activity was (once again) moved to a larger and less populated area: to
Shoeburyness Shoeburyness (; also called Shoebury) is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. east of the city centre. It was an urban district of Essex from 1894 to 1933, when it ...
on the Essex coast.) The last Master Gunner to reside at Woolwich (Col. George Brown) died in 1702; his successor (Capt. Thomas Silver) already held the office of Master Gunner of Whitehall & St James's Park, and as such he continued to reside in the Gun House by the Park. The office of Master Gunner of Great Britain became obsolescent after the Board of Ordnance established its
Regiment of Artillery The Regiment of Artillery is a combat/fighting arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itsel ...
at Woolwich in 1716; in that year, the Master-General recommended its abolition as part of a series of economies, and it disappeared with the death of the last incumbent (Col. James Pendlebury RA) in 1731.


Ireland

So long as
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
was under British rule, there was an office of Master Gunner for Ireland. We have the name of at least two holders of the office, Thomas Elliott (died 1595) and Samuel Molyneux (died 1693). In Molyneux's case at least it seems to have been a
sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval chu ...
.


United States

Master gunner, commonly referred to as "Mike Golf," is also an advanced skill of the armor, infantry and artillery branches of the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
, and the tank and assault amphibious vehicle occupational field (OccFld 18) of the U.S. Marine Corps. It requires advanced schooling, and a high degree of skill. Only a few of those entering the training school graduate. The rank and rate of master gunner, along with a distinctive insignia, was used by the U.S. Army during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.ASSAULT AMPHIBIAN SCHOOLMASTER GUNNER PROGRAM
trngcmd.marines.mil, last accessed 5 February 2020
In the U.S. Army, the master gunner is the technical and tactical experts for their weapon's platform. They advise the commander on everything related to the vehicle platform and weapon's system. They also develop training materials to conduct gunnery and live-fire exercises. "I rely on my master gunners. I probe them for information based on how best to maintain our weapons as well as train our crews... They are there every step of the way from the time we put those crews together until the time we qualify them...," said
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Kevin Zhang of the 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav). "Master gunners are trained in methodology... What it boils down to is knowing the standard and being that person in the unit to enforce the standard, and to make sure that people are qualifying correctly... We're also experts in current gun maintenance so we can troubleshoot and fix a lot of problems and issues that may occur at the range, on the spot, instead of having to fall back to unit mechanics," explained Sergeant 1st Class Nathan Quarberg of 1st Cav.Master gunners bring expertise to brigade combat team
army.mil, by
Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...
Jennifer Bunn, dated 2 January 2019, last accessed 5 February 2020.
The primary mission of the Army master gunner is to aid and assist commanders at all echelons in the planning, development, execution, and evaluation of all crew-served weapons related training (individual, crew, and collective). The master gunner's specific duties are directed by the commander. Examples of their duties are: * Develop or conduct training and certification of vehicle crew evaluators. * Assist all elements within the unit concerning gunnery training. * Forecast all ammunition and ranges for training. * Manage gunnery records, gunnery skills testing records, and turbulence rosters. * Coordinate and control training devices. * Execute gunnery training. * Supervise live-fire ranges to ensure all standards are followed; specifically: **Confirm screening and zero techniques **Coordinate target arrays, exposure times for all targets, and maneuver box verification * Set up all ranges to make sure they meet the standards set forth in this manual * Set up and conduct gunnery skills training, and evaluate the results. * Advise the commander of the tactical capabilities of all weapons and weapon systems. The master gunner's main responsibilities are listed above, but may change in scope, depending on the level that he is assigned. The master gunner should not be assigned additional duties other than those listed here. Unit gunnery training programs need a great deal of attention to be effective.


Master gunner's duties by position

;Brigade master gunner Works closely with the master gunners at lower echelons to ensure standards are uniform throughout the training programs. Develops the crew evaluator certification program. Provides any new information on ways to improve training. Helps develop and upgrade range facilities. ;Battalion master gunner Ensures continual education of the master gunners in the battalion. Helps the battalion commander and command sergeant major select master gunner school candidates. Develops new training techniques to improve crew training. Coordinates with the regiment for training assets. Certifies vehicle crew evaluators. Certifies range safety personnel. ;Company master gunner Coordinates with the battalion S3 to secure company gunnery training assets. Trains crew evaluator. Assists in troubleshooting and maintenance of weapons.


References

{{Reflist Royal Artillery Military appointments of the British Army Military ranks of the United States Army Warrant officers