General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Sir Gordon Kenneth Messenger, (born 15 April 1962) is a retired senior

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

officer who served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from May 2016 to May 2019. As a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

he commanded 40 Commando during the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, and led the Commando in the assault on the Al-Faw Peninsula. He served as British Commander of Task Force Helmand, during the

3 Commando Brigade United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), is the UK's special operations-capable commando formation of the Royal Marines. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel f ...

deployment to

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...

, Afghanistan on Operation Herrick IX from 2008 to 2009. After his retirement, Messenger has held ceremonial positions, including

Lord High Steward The Lord High Steward is the first of the Great Officers of State in England, nominally ranking above the Lord Chancellor. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, and is now an ''ad hoc'' office that is primarily ceremonial and ...

at the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.

Early life and education

Messenger was born on 15 April 1962 in

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, Scotland. He was educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton, then an all-boys school. He studied geography at the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in 1983.

Military career

On 15 September 1983, Messenger was appointed an acting

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on a short career graduate commission, (with seniority from 1 September 1982), transferring to a full career commission on 21 May 1986 with seniority from 1 September 1984. At this time he also qualified as a Mountain Leader.Royal Marines Website
retrieved 2 March 2009. In 1995 he graduated from the Canadian Forces Command and Staff Course No 21. He was promoted substantive

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 30 June 1997, having previously held the rank locally. Messenger served with British forces in the former

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

in 2000 (Kosovo), for which he was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE). In 2001 he took command of 40 Commando. He was promoted substantive colonel on 30 June 2002, having previously held the rank on an acting basis. For his leadership of 40 Commando (and attached army units) in Iraq, including the initial assault on Al Faw peninsular, and an action against Iraqi armour at Abu Al Khasib, he was appointed a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

(DSO) on 31 October 2003. After a sabbatical in Geneva, he joined the Joint Force Headquarters as Chief of Staff in July 2004, a job that saw him on various operations worldwide, including Operation Garron, the 2004 tsunami relief effort, Operation Highbrow, the Lebanon evacuation operation, and a six-month tour in command of the

Operation Herrick Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assi ...

preliminary operation in Afghanistan. He graduated from the UK Higher Command and Staff Course in 2007 and was promoted

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

on 24 April 2007. On 1 April 2008 he was appointed an aide-de-camp to the

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Messenger served as the British Commander of Task Force Helmand, during the

deployment to

, Afghanistan on Operation Herrick IX in 2008–2009. For his leadership during this operation he was awarded a Bar to his DSO on 11 September 2009, the first member of the Naval Service to receive the DSO and Bar for over 50 years.General seeks support for troops
''

The Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'', 18 December 2009. Retrieved on 10 February 2010 He was promoted major general in late 2009, and appointed lead spokesman on British operations in Afghanistan. He went on to be Chief of Staff (Operations) at

Permanent Joint Headquarters The Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London. The Permanent Joint Headqua ...

, Northwood in 2011 and became Director Force Reintegration HQ

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

in October 2012. He served as Deputy Commander of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

Allied Land Command (LANDCOM)-Izmir from January 2013 until June 2014 when he was assigned to the post of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) in the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. He was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

on 14 January 2013. On 1 December 2015, Messenger appeared in front of the Defence Select Committee of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in relation to the military situation in Syria. On 15 March 2016, he was in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

to observe British troops participating in Operation Key Resolve. Messenger handed over his role of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations) to Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith on 18 April 2016. He was appointed as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in spring 2016, in succession to Air Chief Marshal

Stuart Peach Air Chief Marshal Stuart William Peach, Baron Peach (born 22 February 1956) is a British retired senior Royal Air Force officer. After training as a navigator, Peach commanded IX (Bomber) Squadron and then became Deputy Station Commander RAF Br ...

. Messenger was formally promoted to full

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

on 16 May 2016. He is the first four-star Royal Marine general since 1977. Messenger was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

in the 2015 Birthday Honours, and a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in the 2016 Birthday Honours. He is patron of the Defence Medical Welfare Service, and honorary Colonel of 131 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers. Messenger retired from the Royal Marines in May 2019. On 6 December 2021 Messenger was appointed Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom, the first time that a Royal Marine has held the role.

Later life

In April 2022, it was announced that he had been appointed

Constable of the Tower of London The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

. He took up the post on 1 August 2022, and is the first Royal Marine to hold the post. On 5 October 2022, he was officially installed as the 161st Constable of the Tower during a service at the Tower of London. Messenger served as

at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023. He carried

St Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown is the coronation crown of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13t ...

in the Royal procession.

Messenger review

Messenger was appointed in October 2021 to lead a review of leadership in the English NHS. The review considered the "pay and incentives" offered to the service's most senior figures, as well as the "effective systems for intervention and recovery in both providers and integrated care systems", and was to report by May 2022. The

King's Fund The King's Fund is an independent think tank, which is involved with work relating to the health system in England. It organises conferences and other events. Since 1997, they have jointly funded a yearly award system with GlaxoSmithKline. Th ...

produced a timeline of recent major NHS reviews, most of which had little impact.

Sajid Javid Sir Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the ...

welcomed the report saying: "The findings in this report are stark, it shows examples of great leadership but also where we need to urgently improve," but according to the

Health Service Journal ''Health Service Journal'' (''HSJ'') is a news service that covers policy and management in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. History The '' Poor Law Officers' Journal'' was established in 1892. In 1930, it changed its name after ...

it was full of well-meaning and often well-judged sentiments – but the recommendations were either peripheral or so vague as to be virtually worthless with the only significant recommendation being the introduction of a single set of "core leadership and management standards". It also overlapped with the review of the application of the

Fit-and-proper-person test The fit-and-proper-person test or director's test is a test aiming to prevent corrupt or untrustworthy people from serving on the board of certain organizations. First introduced in 2004 for owners and directors of major British football clubs, si ...

to the NHS.

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

said the review addressed "none of the issues that affect the great majority of people, or at least not directly", and that it also contained contradictory positions on diversity, inclusion and bullying. It was also pointed out that – by any reasonable definition – the NHS has "far too few managers" with low spending on administration and planning compared to other healthcare systems.

Family

Messenger is married to Sarah and they have three children. He enjoys running, rugby, rock climbing, golf, gardening and real ale.

References

External links

General Gordon Messenger

The Navy List 2006
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Messenger, Gordon 1962 births Living people Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire Royal Marines generals Lord High Stewards Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War Royal Navy personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) People educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton Alumni of the University of Leicester Military personnel from Dundee 20th-century Royal Marines personnel