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| The
'High Command' |
In
the Great War, there was no single Commander-in-Chief of
the British Armies. The most important figures were the Chiefs
of the Imperial General Staff and the Commanders-in-Chief
of
British Expeditionary Force GHQ in France and Flanders (the
Western Front). What
is a GHQ? |
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The
British Army commanders who finally won the war on the
Western Front in 1918: left to right: Birdwood, Rawlinson,
Plumer, King George V, Haig, Horne, Byng. |
|
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| The
Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff |
| The
CIGS was the principal military advisor to the British Government. |
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| 1915-
1918: Sir William Robertson, known to the
army as "Wully" |
 An
extraordinary man who rose from the rank of Private to become
a Field Marshal, Wully was an intellgient, bluff and forthright
character. His 1914-1918 career is summarised here. See his Biography for
more detail.
- August
1914 : appointed Quartermaster-General to
the BEF
- January
1915 : became Chief of the
General Staff of the BEF, taking over from Murray
- December
1915 : became Chief of the
Imperial General Staff, taking over from Murray
- February
1918 :removed from the Staff and given Eastern Command
(in England)
- May
1918 :appointed Commander-in-Chief, Home Force, replacing
Sir John French
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| 1918
until after the war: Sir Henry Wilson |
 An
arch politician and Francophile, Wilson was largely responsible
for the pre-1914 planning of the British Army's role on the
Western Front and was the architect of the Supreme War Council,
a device constructed to take power away from Robertson and
Haig. His
1914-1918 career is summarised here. See his Biography for
more detail.
- August
1914 : appointed Sub-Chief
of the General Staff to the BEF
- December
1914 : appointed Principal
Liaison Officer with French GQG
- December
1915 : appointed to command
of IV Corps
- December
1916 : appointed Principal
Liaison Officer with French GQG
- June
1917 : unemployed for 2 months
- September
1917 : appointed to Eastern
Command, in England
- October
1917: appointed as British
Military Representative to
Supreme War Council
- February
1918 : appointed Chief of
the Imperial General Staff
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| The
Commanders in Chief of the British Armies in France and Flanders |
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| 1914-1915:
Sir John French |
 A
cavalry General who had proved himself in the Boer War, Sir
John French led the BEF during the most difficult time when
the professional regular army was all but destroyed and the
untried volunteers of the Territorial Force and the New Armies
were beginning to join the force in France. His
1914-1918 career is summarised here. See his Biography for
more detail.
- August
1914 : Major-General, Commander-in-Chief
BEF
- December
1915 :resigned the position and took up command
of the Home Forces until May 1918
|
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| 1915
until after the war: Sir Douglas Haig |
 To
this day a controversial figure, Haig took after as the British
army was expanding and led it into the largest and ultimately
victorious battles. His
1914-1918 career is summarised here. See his Biography for
more detail.
- August
1914 : Major-General, Officer
Commanding I Corps, one of the
two Corps of the original BEF
- December
1914 :became Officer Commanding
First Army on its creation
- December
1915 :became Commander-in-Chief
BEF, taking over from French
|
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| Men
who commanded Armies |
In
some cases, this meant that they were the highest commander
in a theatre of war.
What
is an Army? |
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| Sir
Edmund Allenby, known to the army as "The Bull" |
- August
1914:
Major-General, Officer Commanding
the Cavalry Division, part of the
original BEF
- October
1914:
promoted Lieutenant-General, Officer Commanding the newly-formed
Cavalry Corps
- May
1915:
transferred to command of V Corps, replacing Plumer
- November
1915 :
appointed to command of Third Army, replacing Monro
- June
1917 :
appointed to command of the Egyptian
Expeditionary Force
|
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| Sir
William Birdwood, known to the Australians and others
as "Birdie": Biography |
- 1914:
appointed to command the Australian and New Zealand Army
Corps (ANZAC). When moved to the Western Front after leaving
Gallipoli, this formation was reorganised as
two
separate Corps:
Birdwood
held command
of I ANZAC. It was later redesignated the Australian Corps.
- September
1916 :
became formal administrative commander of the Australian
Imperial Force
- May
1918 :
appointed to command of the reconstituted Fifth Army,
being replaced in the Australian Corps by Monash
|
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| Hon.
Sir Julian Byng, known to the Canadians and
others as "Bungo": Biography |
- October
1914: Major-General, Officer Commanding 3rd Cavalry
Division, part of IV Corps under Rawlinson
- May
1915 :
appointed to command of Cavalry Corps, taking over from
from Allenby
- August
1915 : took command of IX Corps on Gallipoli,
from Stopford
- February
1916 : took command of XVII Corps on the Western
Front
- May
1916 : promoted Lieut-General and took command
of Canadian Corps
- June
1917 : appointed to command of Third Army
|
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| The
Earl of Cavan |
- October
1914: Brigadier-General, Officer Commanding 4th
(Guards) Brigade. During the First Battle of Ypres, also
took temporary command of Maj-Gen. Bulfin's Force.
- September
1915 :
promoted Major-General and appointed to command of newly-formed Guards
Division
- January
1916 : promoted Lieutenant-General, and appointed
to command of newly-formed XIV Corps. Moved with the
Corps to Italy in November 1917, coming under the command
of Plumer.
- February
1918 : appointed to command of British
Forces in Italy
|
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| Sir
Hubert Gough |
- August
1914 : Brigadier-General, Officer Commanding 3rd
Cavalry Brigade, part of the Cavalry Division under Allenby.
Had been deeply involved in the near mutiny at The Curragh
earlier in 1914.
- October
1914 :
promoted to Major-General and appointed to command of 2nd
Cavalry Division
- April
1915 : appointed to command 7th
Division in the absence of Major-Gen.T.Capper
- July
1915 :
promoted Lieutenant-General, and appointed to command of
I Corps, replacing Monro
- April
1916:
appointed to command the newly-formed 'Reserve Corps',
which in July became the 'Reserve Army' and in October
the Fifth Army. (Took temporary command of VIII
and X Corps July 1916, under Fourth Army (Rawlinson). This
became the Reserve Army 3/7/1916)
- March
1918:
removed from command, being blamed by Wilson - and despite
being defended by Haig - for the defeat of the Fifth Army
since 21/02/1918. Returned to England April 1918.
|
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| Sir
Richard Haking |
- September
1916 : took temporary command of First Army between
13 and 30/9/1916 (otherwise XI Corps, from August 1915)
|
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| Sir
Ian Hamilton, often known as "Johnny": Biography |
- August
1914 : General, Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces.
- March
1915 : appointed to command Mediterranean Expeditionary
Force, for the attack at Gallipoli.
- October
1915 : relieved of his command.
|
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| Sir
Henry Horne |
- August
1914 : Brigadier-General, Royal Artillery, in
Staff of Haig's I Corps. Promoted to Major-General October
1914.
- December
1914 : appointed to command 2nd
Division, replacing Monro
- December
1915 : member of a Commission to study the defence
position along Suez Canal
- April
1916 :
appointed to command of XV Corps
- October
1916 : took command of First Army, taking
over from Monro
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| Sir
Percy Lake |
- August
1914 :
General, Chief of Staff in London to Sir Beauchamp Duff,
Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army
- April
1916 :
appointed to take command of troops in Mesopotamia theatre
- July
1916 :
after failing to relieve the besieged garrison of Kut-al-Amara,
removed from command and replaced by Major-General Sir
Stanley Maude
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| Sir
William Marshall |
- August
1914 :
officer commanding 1st Sherwood Foresters
- 1915 :
appointed to command of 87th Brigade, 29th Division. While
on Gallipoli, commanded 42nd, 29th and 53rd Divisions are
various times
- 7
February 1916 :
promoted Major-General and appointed to command of 27th
Division in Salonika
- 1916 :
appointed to command of 3rd Indian Army Corps as a temporary
Lieut-General
- November
1917 :
appointed to command the Army in Mesopotamia
|
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| Sir
Frederick Stanley Maude |
- August
1914 :
on staff of III Corps
- October
1914 :
promoted Brigadier-General and appointed to command of
14th Brigade
- June
1915 :
promoted Major-General, appointed to command of newly-formed
33rd Division
- August
1915 :
appointed to command of 13th (Western) Division
- July
1916 :
appointed to command of Tigris Corps
- July
1916 :
appointed to command the Army in Mesopotamia
- 18th
November 1917 :
died of cholera
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| Sir
Charles Monro |
- August
1914 : Major-General, Officer Commanding 2nd
Division
- December
1914 :
appointed to command I Corps, following Haig
- July
1915 :
appointed to command of newly-formed Third Army
- December
1915 :
appointed to command of First Army, succeeding Haig
- December
1915- February 1916 : sent on mission to report on Gallipoli
theatre
- September
1916 : appointed to post of Commander-in-Chief,
India
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| Sir
John Nixon: Biography |
- March
1915 :
General, arrived from India to take command of troops in
Mesopotamia theatre
- January
1916 :
invalided back to India, sick
- April
1916 :
after a series of defeats, removed from command and replaced
by Sir Percy Lake
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| Sir
Herbert Plumer, often known as Old Plum Jam, and similar: Biography |
- 1914 :
commander of Northern Command in England
- December
1914 :
Lieutenant-General, appointed to command of V Corps
- May
1915 : took command of Second Army, taking
over from Smith-Dorrien
- November
1917 :
moved to Italy to take command of British Forces.
- March
1918 :
returned to Western Front, taking command of Fourth Army
which then reverted back to its old title of Second Army
|
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| Sir
Henry Rawlinson, often known as Rawly, and
similar: |
- September
1914 : Lieutenant-General, appointed to command
of 4th Division
- October
1914 : took command of newly-formed IV Corps of
the BEF.
- December
1915 : appointed to temporary command of First
Army
- March
1916 :
appointed to command of newly-formed Fourth Army
- February
1918 :
appointed as British
Military Representative to Supreme War Council,
replacing Wilson
- March
1918 :
replaced Gough in command of Fifth Army, which was
renamed Fourth Army on 02/04/1918.
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| Sir
Horace Smith-Dorrien: Biography |
- August
1914 : General, appointed to command of II Corps
of the BEF on the death of Sir James Grierson (21/08/1914)
- December
1914 :
appointed to command of Second Army
- May
1915 : removed from command and sent to England
|
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| General
Staff |
| The
advisors to the field commanders, and those who commanded the
administrative and supply sides of the armies. |
Role |
Name |
Date
appointed |
Date
resigned |
Commanders-in-Chief,
Home Forces |
|
19
December 1915 |
8
May 1918 |
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30
May 1918 |
|
Chiefs
of the Imperial General Staff |
General
Sir C W H Douglas |
6
April 1914 |
25
October 1914 (died) |
 Lt-Gen
Sir J Wolfe Murray |
26
October 1914 |
25
September 1915 |
Lt-Gen
Sir Archibald J Murray |
26
September 1915 |
22
December 1915 |
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23
December 1915 |
18
February 1918 |
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19
February 1918 |
|
Commanders-in-Chief,
BEF (France and Flanders) |
See
above |
4
August 1914 |
15
December 1915 |
Chiefs
of the General Staff, BEF (France and Flanders) |
Lt-Gen
Sir Archibald J Murray |
4
August 1914 |
24
January 1915 |
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25
January 1915 |
22
December 1915 |
 Lt-Gen
Sir Launcelot E Kiggell |
22
December 1915 |
27
January 1918 |
Lt-Gen
The Hon Sir Herbert A Lawrence |
27
January 1918 |
|
Adjutants-General,
BEF |
 Lt-Gen
Sir C F N Macready |
4
August 1914 |
21
February 1916 |
Lt-Gen
Sir G H Fowke |
22
February 1916 |
|
Quartermasters-General,
BEF |
|
4
August 1914 |
24
January 1915 |
Lt-Gen
Sir R C Maxwell |
27
January 1915 |
22
December 1917 |
Lt-Gen
Sir Travers E Clarke |
23
December 1917 |
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