The Master Gunner St James's Park is the ceremonial head of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and channel of communication between the Regiment and the Captain General (Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

).

The appointment was instituted in 1678 and originally known as Master Gunner of Whitehall & St James's Park. The earlier Master Gunners were responsible for the artillery defence of Whitehall Palace and the Palace of Westminster

Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...

.

The appointment of Master Gunner, St James's Park is held by a distinguished Royal Artillery Officer selected by the Queen in her capacity as Captain General, on the advice of the Colonels Commandant of the regiment and has honorary status over all other Commonwealth Artilleries.

The appointment of Master Gunner, St James's Park should not be confused with that of Master Gunner

Master Gunner

Master Gunner is an appointment of Warrant Officer in the British Army's Royal Artillery. Master Gunners are experts in the technical aspects of gunnery. They fill advisory rather than command posts. The appointment is split into two classes: Master Gunners 2nd and 1st Class are Warrant Officers...

, which is an appointment of Warrant Officer

Warrant Officer

A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...

s.

Whitehall & 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 Joseph Brome Major-General Joseph Brome was Master Gunner, St James's Park, the most senior Ceremonial Post in the Royal Artillery after the Sovereign.-Military career:Brome joined the British Army as a drummer boy aged eight years...	1760-1769
Held by an non-commissioned officer	1770-1783
Major-General Joseph Walton Joseph Walton (British Army officer) Major-General Joseph Walton was Master Gunner, St James's Park, the most senior Ceremonial Post in the Royal Artillery after the Sovereign.-Military career:...	1783-1808
Lieutenant General Sir John Macleod GCH John Macleod (British Army officer) Lieutenant General Sir John Angus Macleod GCH was Master Gunner, St James's Park, the most senior Ceremonial Post in the Royal Artillery after the Sovereign.-Military career:...	1808-1833
Major General Sir Alexander Dickson GCB KCH	1833-1840
General Sir Robert Gardiner GCB KCH Robert Gardiner (British Army officer) General Sir Robert Gardiner GCB GCH was Master Gunner, St James's Park, the most senior Ceremonial Post in the Royal Artillery after the Sovereign.-Military career:...	1840-1864
Field Marshal Sir Hew Dalrymple Ross GCB Hew Dalrymple Ross Field Marshal Sir Hew Dalrymple Ross, GCB GCTE was Master Gunner, St James's Park, the most senior Ceremonial Post in the Royal Artillery after the Sovereign.-Military career:...	1864-1868
General William Wylde CB William Wylde General William Wylde CB was Master Gunner, St James's Park, the most senior Ceremonial Post in the Royal Artillery after the Sovereign.-Military career:...	1868-1877
General Sir John Bloomfield GCB	1877-1880
General Poole Vallancey England	1880-1884
General Sir John St. George GCB John St. George General Sir John St. George GCB was a British Army officer.-Military career:Educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, John St. George was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Artillery in 1828...	1884-1891
General Sir Collingwood Dickson VC GCB Collingwood Dickson General Sir Collingwood Dickson VC GCB was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...	1891-1904
Field Marshal The Earl Roberts VC KG KP GCB OM GCSI GCIE	1904-1914
General Sir Robert Biddulph GCB GCMG Robert Biddulph (British Army officer) General Sir Robert Biddulph GCB GCMG was Quartermaster-General to the Forces.-Military career:Educated at Twyford School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Biddulph was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1853. He served in the Crimean War and was present at the Siege of Sevastopol in...	1914-1918
Major General Francis William Ward CB Francis Ward (British Army officer) Major General Francis William Ward CB was Master Gunner, St James's Park, the most senior Ceremonial Post in the Royal Artillery after the Sovereign.-Military career:...	1918-1919
General Sir Edward Francis Chapman KCB Edward Chapman (British Army officer) General Sir Edward Francis Chapman KCB was a British Army officer who commanded the Army in Scotland.-Military career:Chapman was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1858. He served in Abyssinia between 1867 and 1868 and was a member of a mission to Yarkand in China in 1874...	1919-1926
General The Lord Horne GCB KCMG Henry Horne, 1st Baron Horne General Henry Sinclair Horne, 1st Baron Horne GCB, KCMG was a military officer in the British Army, most notable for his generalship during World War I. He was the only British artillery officer to command an army in the war. Until recently Horne was the unknown General of the Great War and did...	1926-1929
Field Marshal The Lord Milne GCB GCMG DSO George Milne, 1st Baron Milne Field Marshal George Francis Milne, 1st Baron Milne, GCB, GCMG, DSO , was a British military commander who served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1926 to 1933.-Army career:...	1929-1946
Field Marshal The Viscount Alanbrooke KG GCB OM GCVO DSO Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke Field Marshal The Rt. Hon. Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, KG, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO & Bar , was a senior commander in the British Army. He was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the Second World War, and was promoted to Field Marshal in 1944...	1946-1956
General Sir Cameron Nicholson GCB KBE DSO MC Cameron Nicholson General Sir Cameron Gordon Graham Nicholson GCB KBE DSO & Bar MC is a former Adjutant-General to the Forces.-Military career:Cameron Nicholson was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1915...	1956-1960
General Sir Robert Mansergh GCB KBE MC Robert Mansergh General Sir Eric Carden Robert Mansergh GCB KBE MC was a British Army General during and after World War II.-Military career:...	1960-1970
Field Marshal Sir Geoffrey Baker GCB CMG CBE MC Geoffrey Baker Field Marshal Sir Geoffrey Harding Baker GCB, CMG, CBE, MC was Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army.-Army career:...	1970-1976
General Sir Harry Tuzo GCB OBE MC Harry Tuzo General Sir Harry Craufurd Tuzo, GCB, OBE, MC was a British Army officer who was Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe and GOC of the British Army in Northern Ireland during the early period of the Troubles.-Early life:...	1977-1983
General Sir Thomas Morony KCB OBE Thomas Morony General Sir Thomas Lovett Morony KCB OBE was a British Army General who reached high office in the 1980s.-Military career:...	1983-1988
General Sir Martin Farndale KCB Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale KCB was a British Army General who reached high office in the 1980s.-Military career:...	1988-1996
Field Marshal The Lord Vincent GBE KCB DSO Richard Vincent, Baron Vincent of Coleshill Field Marshal Richard Frederick Vincent, Baron Vincent of Coleshill, GBE, KCB, DSO , was Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom and thus the professional head of the British Armed Forces...	1996-2000
General Sir Alexander Harley KBE CB Alexander Harley General Sir Alexander George Hamilton Harley KBE CB is a former Adjutant-General to the Forces in the United Kingdom.-Military career:...	2001-2008
General Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman GBE KCB ADC Gen Timothy Granville-Chapman General Sir Timothy John Granville-Chapman, GBE, KCB, ADC Gen is a former Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff of the British Armed Forces. He presently holds the ceremonial position of Master Gunner, St James's Park.- Military career :...	2008–