The term "Master Gunner of the Artillery" () was introduced in 1982 as the overall head of the artillery. The origin of this term, and its particular prestige, can be found if you trace the history of the Royal Artillery's , War time (LGSC) amongst others. The crossed guns were originally called (IG)(Officers) with other ranks known as (AIG) from 19791990. In 1990 the nomenclature was reversed and the head of the artillery was henceforth called the . Holders of the in turn became known as . When the first officer was appointed to the post of , it was changed to . When General Koos Laubscher was appointed to this post in 2002, he again changed it to , but when General Roy Andersen was appointed in 2006, he changed it back again to .

The identification badge for the () cannot simultaneously be worn with the ().

Appointment of Master Gunners The system of choosing who will be invested with this honour is a complicated one. It is as system administered and controlled by the whose chairman is the the Artillery Formation. The is nowadays composed of full colonels serving within the Formation, the Formation Warrant Officer, s of Regular Artillery units, The GOC, Regular Officers Commanding, Weapon Systems Managers, Directorate Army Acquisition Project Officers and the Secretary. Any other senior gunner officers, serving in common posts in the SANDF, may be co-opted if the Corps Council so desires.

When new appointments of Master Gunners are discussed, this will take place () attended solely by those already bearing the badge. No minutes of deliberations are recorded and the only thing reported by the closed session is what decisions have been taken.

Investiture of new Master Gunners is held at irregular intervals every few years. This usually occurs in Potchefstroom, the Mecca of the Artillery. At the investiture ceremony, newly minted Master Gunners are presented with a Master Gunner's tie, a Step Out badge, a Mess Dress miniature, an A3 certificate signed by either the or .

Appointment to the post of must be sanctioned by the Chief of the Army, even though the first appointment was signed by the and in 1982.

Prior appointments Historically, any gunner who completed the specialist were automatically recognised as Master Gunners in the 1970s. The three " were presented in South Africa in 1965, 1968 and 1972 and were known respectively as courses No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. Any graduates of these courses automatically qualified as a Master Gunner and the authority to wear the badge.

In 1984 the then introduced the rules as can be seen on the badge criteria to this day. Typically it works similarly to how a merit medal is awarded, that is that someone writes up a citation, or recommendation in this case, which is then presented for consideration. The citation can be approved or disapproved without any reasons being given either way.

When the GOC is not a Master Gunner himself, the award can only be conferred by the next junior rank who is a Master Gunner.

The Nominal Roll of the recipients of the Master Gunner Badge is proudly displayed within the Headquarters building of 4 Artillery Regiment. Nominally the reason it is there rather than at the Formation Headquarters is for reasons of space. This is credited to the Commander 4 Artillery Regiment, Lt Col Victor Khasapane, and his , WO1 J. Bernie van Zyl .

There is a short list of people who completed the Royal Artillery's at Larkhill in Great Britain. They are not listed in the nominal roll, but are generally acknowledged to be Master Gunners by right. This list includes Maj Gen Boet Stapelberg, Maj Gen Jan Robbertze, Maj Gen Bob Meintjies, Brigadier "Greyvie" Greyvenstein, Brigadier Leisegang, Brigadier Jack Hawtayne, Brigadier Helm Roos and Brigadier Willie Kotze.

Being invested with the is a source of pride for all gunners within the South African Artillery fraternity.

+ Master GunnerAwarding Authority: GOC SA Army Artillery FormationDescriptionDress No 1 – 3 and 5CProficiency SA Army Master Gunner, Artillery, Chrome (Crossed gun barrels) Dress No 5AProficiency SA Army Master Gunner, Artillery, Miniature, Chrome (Crossed gun barrels) Dress No 4 Proficiency SA Army Master Gunner, Artillery, Black on Thatch beige (Crossed gun barrels) Criteria A serving member of the at the time of the award An citizen of at least seven years standing Successfully completed a long gunnery course OR qualified as indicated in the succeeding sub-subparagraphs Course qualified or (GSM) Preferably obtained a first class qualification on all his courses Occupied the post of battery commander, or unit 2IC, or artillery instructor (School of Artillery, or Combat Training Centre) or for at least one year His conduct, discipline and bearing must be exemplary and to the satisfaction of the He must have a solid reputation as a capable artilleryman amongst his seniors, contemporaries and juniors It will be to his advantage to have participated in a specific operation, or to have served in an operational area for a period of at least three months He must have produced at least one artillery publication which must: Be used in the as reference or training material Be an original piece of work and the result of research and study Be approved by the

List of Master Gunners

Corps leadership titles The Gunners' Association publishes the succession of officers who held the corps leadership titles Master Gunner of the Artillery (from 1982), then General of the Artillery, and later General of the Gunners.

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References