Vigilance can authoritatively reveal that Garrison Sergeant Major William Mott OBE, the senior Warrant Officer of the British Army, and the man responsible for some of the most spectacular State ceremonial over the last decade, has been presented with an historic Warrant Officers’ badge of rank in time for the Royal Wedding on 29 April.
Vigilance learnt that “Billy” Mott has been in his current post as Garrison Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer Class 1) London District, since July 2002. Officially responsible for State Ceremonial, he has been involved in nearly every large-scale ceremonial event in London, and his job has taken him as far as Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Malaysia and Jordan in the organising of events. As the post of Garrison Sergeant Major is traditionally a Court Appointment, the new badge has been approved especially by Her Majesty The Queen.
It is said the badge revives the original one made for Sergeant Majors appointed to the Court of King William IV in the early 19th Century. It incorporates the 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.
According to a source at the MoD Billy Mott has received the badge in advance of one of his biggest jobs to date, the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April. The MoD source said his responsibilities include organising the lining of the processional route with over 1,000 troops from the Foot Guards Regiments, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, the Royal Air Force and their Bands. Billy has been seen regularly in the weeks in advance of the wedding day, marking out positions along the route with his Warrant Officer’s pace stick.
He said: “It is a great honour for me as Garrison Sergeant Major London District that
Her Majesty has approved the reinstatement of this historic badge.”
“I am continually humbled by the privileges which my appointment affords me and the ‘big badge’ will be worn on my tunic with as much pride as I have worn every badge of rank in my Army service. That it is being worn for the first time in nearly 200 years for the Royal Wedding in the presence of Her Majesty makes it even more gratifying”, William Mott enthused.
ABOUT GARRISON SERGEANT MOTT
Garrison Sergeant Major Mott enlisted into the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in April 1979, and has served with his unit in Belize, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Kenya and the USA. He has completed operational tours of Northern Ireland and served in the Falklands during the 1982 conflict. Alongside operational duties, he has served as an instructor at the Guards Depot as a Lance Sergeant, at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as a Colour Sergeant, as Company Sergeant Major and College Regimental Sergeant Major. He was Garrison Sergeant Major at Headquarters Northern Ireland prior to assuming his present appointment as Garrison Sergeant Major London District.
FACT FILE ON THE HISTORIC BADGE
The badge was researched by the staff at The Guards Museum and commissioned by Major General Commanding the Household Division Major General William Cubitt CBE, before being approved by HM The Queen. For more information on the GuardsMuseum, please visit www.theguardsmuseum.com.
When the Metropolitan Police was formed in 1829 there was a perceived need for a military presence at the Royal Court. The then three Foot Guards Sergeant Majors (from the Grenadiers, Coldstream and Scots Guards) were asked to support the Court of King William IV, and to each act as a form of Court Marshal. It was during this period that The King granted these three Sergeant Majors permission to wear the Sovereign’s Personal Arms: the Royal Coat of Arms. Given the significance of this Royal Honour these three Sergeant Majors continued to wear the badge, even whilst on other regimental duties. A smaller version of this badge, worn on the lower arm, is still worn today by Warrant Officers Class 1 in the Royal Navy and the Army and by Warrant Officers in the RAF.
The post of Garrison Sergeant Major London District was established in the early 1950s with specific responsibilities as State Ceremonial Sergeant Major. The first task of the new Garrison Sergeant Major was to organise the funeral of King George VI in 1952 and the Coronation of HM The Queen in 1953. There have since been five individuals who have held the post, including William Mott.
Vigilance reliably gathered that more than 1,300 personnel from across the Armed Forces will be playing a key role in the ceremonial elements of the Royal Wedding. These include Guard duties, lining the ceremonial route, musical support through ceremonial bands, and a spectacular seven-aircraft flypast from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and two Tornado and two Typhoon fast jets.