Major Gavin Henderson Paton OBE (born March 1979) is a British Army officer. From 2018 to 2021, he served as the Army Sergeant Major, the most senior warrant officer and member of the other ranks in the British Army.

Gavin Paton
Paton in 2019
BornMarch 1979 (age 45)
Cornwall, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
RankMajor
UnitThe Rifles
Commands heldArmy Sergeant Major (2018–2021)
Battles/warsSierra Leone Civil War
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsOfficer of the Order of the British Empire

Personal life edit

Paton was born in March 1979 in Cornwall, England. He is married to Jessica, and together they have one son.[1]

Military career edit

Paton served as a warrant officer with 3rd Battalion, The Rifles.[2] He was commissioned as a captain on 23 July 2017,[3] and appointed as Field Army Sergeant Major in 2018.[4] He was appointed Army Sergeant Major in November 2018, thereby becoming the most senior member of the other ranks of the British Army.[5][6]

Paton was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ "Army Sergeant Major: WARRANT OFFICER CLASS ONE GH PATON". www.army.mod.uk.
  2. ^ "Palace Barracks". Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  3. ^ "No. 62047". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 September 2017. p. 17026.
  4. ^ "Army Sergeant Major inspects the Army's latest recruits". The Military Times. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  5. ^ British Army [@BritishArmy] (8 November 2018). "Chief of the General Staff General Mark Carleton-Smith has confirmed the appointment of WO1 Gavin Paton as the next @ArmySgtMajor, replacing WO1 Glenn Haughton @SEAC_Defence, "Big shoes to fill, but WO1 Paton is the man for the job"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Soldier Magazine December 2018". Soldier Magazine. Soldier Magazine. 30 November 2018.
  7. ^ "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 2022. p. B7.
Military offices
Preceded by Army Sergeant Major
2018–2021
Succeeded by