Bill Mott (British Army soldier)
William D G 'Billy' Mott | |
|---|---|
 Mott at the Garter Service at Windsor Castle. | |
| Nickname(s) | Bill or Billy |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1979 – present |
| Rank | Warrant Officer (Class 1) |
| Unit | Welsh Guards |
| Battles / wars | The Troubles Falklands War |
| Awards | Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Member of the Royal Victorian Order |
Garrison Sergeant Major William Daran Gillduff 'Billy' Mott OBE MVO is a British Army soldier and the most senior non-commissioned officer in the army. He is responsible for organising state occasions such as Trooping the Colour.[1]
Mott was brought up in Overpool, Cheshire, before enlisting into the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards in April 1979. He saw operational tours in Northern Ireland and during the Falklands War in 1982. He worked at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as a Colour Sergeant, Company Sergeant Major and as Regimental Sergeant Major, before being promoted to warrant officer class one (WO1) and becoming Garrison Sergeant Major (GSM) at HQ Northern Ireland. He became GSM HQ London District in late 2002 and oversaw his first Trooping the Colour parade as GSM in June 2003. He has since been in charge of organising, choreographing and overseeing all major state ceremonial occasions and is the most senior non-commissioned officer in the British Army.[2] Mott was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2007 Birthday Honours. In the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Honours he became a Member of the Royal Victorian Order for his personal service to the monarch during the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[3] Mott was granted Freedom of the City of London in November 2013.[4]
In February 2014, Mott publicly warned that cuts to the British defence budget were threatening to undermine the future spectacle of state ceremonial events in the United Kingdom.[5]
References
- ^ 'Senior Army NCO gives action figures authentic voice' (Ministry of Defence, 10 June 2011) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/senior-army-nco-gives-action-figures-authentic-voice (Accessed 10 March 2015)
- ^ WO1 (GSM) W D G 'Billy' Mott OBE MVO, Welsh Guards http://www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk/gsm/bmott.htm (Accessed 10 March 2015)
- ^ Rayner, Gordon (3 June 2012). "The Queen's Diamond Jubilee: Happy and glorious, the river Queen". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "Sergeant Major Bill Mott: Deeside man given Freedom of City of London". North Wales Daily Post. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ Drury, Ian (4 February 2014). "Cuts 'threaten military pomp': Officer in charge of organising state occasions says redundancies mean he is struggling to 'produce the same spectacle'". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 10 March 2015.