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 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 ...

. The early incumbents (known then as the Master Gunner of

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

and

St James's Park St James's Park is a urban park in the City of Westminster, central London. A Royal Park, it is at the southernmost end of the St James's area, which was named after a once isolated medieval hospital dedicated to St James the Less, now the ...

) were responsible for the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

defence of the

Palace of Whitehall The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, ...

and the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

. 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 appointment of Master Gunner, St James's Park is not related to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 ( Master Gunner).

List of Master Gunners

References

{{Reflist Royal Artillery Senior appointments of the British Army