List of commanders of the British 2nd Division

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2nd Division
2nd Infantry Division
2nd Armoured Division
Roland Hill 1819.jpg
A portrait of the division's first general officer commanding, Roland Hill, by George Dawe.
ActiveRaised and disbanded numerous times between 1809 and 2012
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Branch Flag of the British Army.svg British Army
Engagements Napoleonic Wars
Crimean War
Second Boer War
First World War
Second World War

The 2nd Division was an infantry division of the British Army, which was first formed in 1809 and finally disbanded in 2012. The division was commanded by a general officer commanding (GOC). In this role, he would receive orders from a level above him in the chain of command, and then use the forces within the division to undertake the mission assigned. In addition to directing the tactical battle the division was involved in, the GOC oversaw a staff and the administrative, logistical, medical, training, and discipline of the division. [1] The division had 65 different permanent GOCs over its history that spanned 203 years.

Contents

Prior to 1809, the British Army did not use divisional formations. As the British military grew in size during the Napoleonic Wars, the need arose for such an implementation in order to better organise forces for administrative, logistical, and tactical reasons. The 2nd Division was formed on 18 June 1809 by Lieutenant-General Arthur Wellesley, and served in the Peninsular War (part of the Napoleonic Wars). [1] After the Peninsular War ended in 1814, the division was disbanded only to be re-raised the following year when the War of the Seventh Coalition broke out. [2] [3] The division fought at the Battle of Waterloo, and played a pivotal role in the defeat of the final French attack of the day. The division's light infantry brigade flanked and attacked the French Imperial Guard, causing them to falter, and then retreat. The brigade then spearheaded the British general advance after the retreating French forces. [4] [5] In December 1818, the division was disbanded once again. [6] [7]

During the mid to late 19th century, several formations bore the name "2nd Division". The ones that fought in the Crimean War and the Second Boer War were considered to be part of the same lineage as the two that fought in the Napoleonic Wars by Everard Wyrall, who compiled the 2nd Division's First World War official history. [8] Reformed in 1854, the division fought in the Crimean War against the Russian Empire. [9] It served throughout the siege of Sevastopol, had a critical role in the Battle of Inkerman, and was stood down at the end of the war in 1856. [10] A new 2nd Division was mobilised in 1899, for action in the Second Boer War. [11] It took part in all the battles that comprised the Relief of Ladysmith, and was broken-up at the end of 1900 when conventional warfare ended. This allowed the division's personnel to be reassigned to mobile columns or to garrison towns, in an effort to combat the guerrilla tactics that the Boers employed. [12] [13]

In 1902, the division was reformed as a permanent formation. It was based at Aldershot, in southern England, prior to the First World War and during the inter-war period. [14] [15] In 1914, the division deployed to France shortly after the war started as part of the British Expeditionary Force. It served on the Western Front between 1914 and 1918. [16] [17] During the Second World War, the division was again deployed to France in the opening stages of the war. In the subsequent Battle of France, the division was forced to evacuate back to England. In 1942, the formation was transported to India, and subsequently fought in Burma in 1944 and 1945. [18] In the post-war years, it formed part of the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. In 1976, the infantry division was transformed into an armoured formation based in Germany, but was disbanded at the end of 1982. The 2nd Division was then reformed in York, England, in 1983. [19] [20] [21] Following the end of the Cold War, the division was once again disbanded. It was re-raised in 1994 as a training formation and maintained this role until 2012, when it was disbanded for the final time. [22] [23]

General officer commanding

General officer commanding
No.Appointment dateRankGeneral officer commandingNotesSource(s)
118 June 1809 Major-General Rowland Hill The division was formed for the first time, during the Peninsular War, from troops based in Portugal. [24]
N/A20 June 1810 Major-General James Leith Leith was scheduled to take command of the division on this date, but never did. Instead, he was given command of the 5th Division. [25]
Acting8 August 1810 Major-General William Stewart Stewart became acting commander of the division, due to Hill being stricken with fever. [26] [27]
229 November 1810 Major-General William Stewart On this date, Stewart formally became the commander. [26] [27]
1May 1811 Major-General Rowland Hill Once Hill recovered from his period of sickness, he returned and retook command of the division. [28] [29]
Acting1812 Lieutenant-General Christopher Tilson-Chowne Held the local rank of lieutenant-general. Alternatively known as Christopher Tilson and Christopher Chowne. [26] [30] [31]
21812/1813 Major-General William Stewart Stewart returned to the peninsula in late 1812. At the division's next battle, the Battle of Maya in July 1813, Stewart was again in command. He was wounded in this battle. [26] [32]
Acting30 July 1813 Major-General William Pringle Took temporary command of the division following William Stewart's injury during the Battle of Maya in July 1813. [33]
Acting4 August 1813 Major-General George Walker [34]
2September 1813 Major-General William Stewart [33]
3May 1814 Major-General William Anson At the conclusion of the Peninsular War, the division was disbanded in France. The final troops departed in June. [35] [36]
411 April 1815 Lieutenant-General Henry Clinton The division was reformed on this date from troops based in the Southern Netherlands. Clinton led the division from its inception through the Battle of Waterloo, and as part of the Army of Occupation that was based in France after the war. He held command until the division was disbanded in France, during December 1818. [37]
520 June 1854 Lieutenant-General George de Lacy Evans The division was formed in Varna, Ottoman Bulgaria, from British troops who had been assembled, and had prepared to move to the Crimean peninsular during the Crimean War. [38] [39]
Acting1854 Major-General John Pennefather Pennefather was acting commander of the division, after de Lacy Evans had been injured following a fall from his horse. He commanded the division at the Battle of Inkerman on 5 November 1854. [40]
623 January 1855 Lieutenant-General John Pennefather In early 1855, Pennefather went on sick leave and an unknown officer took command. Pennefather returned to command by March 1855. [41]
719 July 1855 Lieutenant-General Edwin Markham In 1856, after the end of the war, the division was disbanded in Crimea. [42] [43]
89 October 1899 Lieutenant-General Francis Clery A new 2nd Division was formed in England, and then moved to southern Africa to fight in the Second Boer War. Clery was a major-general when the division was mobilised, but given the temporary rank of lieutenant-general once in Africa. The division was broken up at the end of 1900, while still in southern Africa. [44] [45]
9February 1900 Major-General Neville Lyttelton Temporary commander, while Clery was ill [46]
101 April 1902 Major-General Charles Douglas This marked the first time the 2nd Division was formed as a permanent formation, and not as raised on an ad hoc basis for a particular war. Douglas left his position on 12 February 1904. [47] [48]
111 March 1904 Major-General Bruce Hamilton Hamilton was also the commander of the 3rd Brigade, until 2 May 1904. On 12 February 1907, Hamilton ended his tenure as the divisional commander. [49]
1212 May 1907 Major-General Theodore Stephenson [50]
131 February 1910 Major-General Henry Lawson [51]
141 February 1914 Major-General Archibald Murray [52]
155 August 1914 Major-General Charles Monro The division was dispatched to France on the outbreak of the First World War. [53]
Acting26 December 1914 Brigadier-General Robert Fanshawe [53]
161 January 1915 Major-General Henry Horne [53]
175 November 1915 Major-General William Walker [53]
1827 December 1916 Major-General Cecil Pereira Pereira held command for the duration of the war. In 1919, the division entered Germany. It was then renamed, and ceased to exist on 17 February 1919. [53] [54]
1928 June 1919 Major-General Richard Butler The 2nd Division was reformed in England on this date [55] [56]
203 April 1923 Major-General Peter Strickland [57]
211 October 1926 Major-General Edmund Ironside [58]
2226 October 1928 Major-General Thomas Cubitt Cubitt was promoted to lieutenant-general during his tenure as division commander. [59]
2311 March 1931 Major-General Henry Jackson [60]
2411 March 1935 Major-General Archibald Wavell [61]
2519 August 1937 Major-General Henry Wilson [62]
2615 June 1939 Major-General Charles Loyd The division was now known as the 2nd Infantry Division. On the outbreak of the Second World War, the division was dispatched to France. [63] [64]
Acting16 May 1940 Brigadier Francis Davidson [65]
2720 May 1940 Major-General Noel Irwin During Irwin's tenure, the division was evacuated from France and returned to England. [64]
Acting12 August 1940 Brigadier Charles Findlay [65]
Acting15 August 1940 Brigadier Gerald Gartlan [65]
2818 September 1940 Major-General Daril Watson [65]
2911 October 1941 Major-General John Grover In April 1942, the division was dispatched to British India. [64]
308 July 1944 Major-General Cameron Nicholson [65]
Acting15 August 1944 Brigadier Michael West [65]
3023 August 1944 Major-General Cameron Nicholson [65]
Acting26 August 1944 Brigadier Henry Bourke [65]
3010 September 1944 Major-General Cameron Nicholson [65]
Acting13 September 1944 Brigadier Henry Bourke [65]
3024 September 1944 Major-General Cameron Nicholson The division took part in the Burma campaign of 1944–45, and fought at the battles of Kohima and Mandalay. [64]
Acting1 June 1945 Brigadier Henry Bourke [65]
3012 July 1945 Major-General Cameron Nicholson [66] [65]
311946 Major-General Robert Arkwright [67]
32October 1946 Major-General John Churcher After the conclusion of hostilities, the division absorbed the 36th Infantry Division. The division then moved to Malaya, and was disbanded in 1946. [68] [69]
33February 1947 Major-General Philip Balfour The division was reformed in Germany, by the re-designation of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division. Balfour, who had been the GOC of the 53rd, retained his position. [66] [70] [71]
34November 1947 Major-General Philip Roberts [72]
351949 Major-General Colin Callander Callander ended his appointment on 26 April 1951 [73] [74]
362 July 1951 Major-General Basil Coad [75]
375 October 1954 Major-General John Wilsey [76]
381 May 1956 Major-General Cosmo Nevill [77]
3916 April 1958 Major-General William Stirling The formation was now known as the 2nd Division. [78]
408 February 1960 Major-General Alexander Williams [79]
4120 February 1962 Major-General Mervyn Butler [80]
424 March 1964 Major-General Norman Wheeler [81]
4328 March 1966 Major-General John Sharp Sharp ended his tenure in command on 1 December 1967 [82]
441 January 1968 Major-General Chandos Blair [83]
4515 March 1970 Major-General Rollo Pain [84]
4615 March 1972 Major-General John Archer [85]
4725 February 1974 Major-General Desmond Mangham [86]
4822 January 1976 Major-General Frank Kitson Kitson took command of the division prior to and led it during its reorganisation into the 2nd Armoured Division. [87] [88]
4928 February 1978 Major-General Alexander Boswell [89]
5012 March 1980 Major-General Martin Farndale Final commander of the 2nd Armoured Division. The division was disbanded in Germany at the end of 1983. [90] [91]
511 January 1983 Major-General Patrick Palmer The 2nd Infantry Division was reformed in England on this date. Palmer was made GOC North East District, in conjunction with commanding the division. [92]
5212 January 1984 Major-General Peter Inge Also the GOC North East District [93]
5318 January 1988 Major-General Charles Guthrie Also the GOC North East District [94]
5413 November 1987 Major-General Murray Naylor Also the GOC North East District [95]
5530 October 1989 Major-General Michael Rose Also the GOC North East District [96]
5630 September 1991 Major-General Michael Walker Also the GOC North East District. Walker was the final GOC of the 2nd Infantry Division, before it was disbanded in early 1992 as part of the 1990s Options for Change . [97] [98]
571994 Major-General Patrick Cordingley Cordingley became GOC Eastern District on 23 November 1992. The 2nd Division was refounded in 1994. [22] [99] [100] [101]
581 July 1996 Major-General Dair Farrar-Hockley [102]
5914 May 1999 Major General Robert Gordon This marks the first occasion of the hyphen being dropped from major-general in The London Gazette . [103]
6018 November 2002 Major General Nick Parker [104]
611 March 2004 Major General Euan Loudon [105]
6222 January 2007 Major General David McDowall [106]
6329 May 2009 Major General Andrew Mackay Resigned from position in protest to the then ongoing operations in Afghanistan [107] [108]
6426 October 2009 Major General David Shaw [109]
654 January 2012 Major General Nick Eeles The division was disbanded in April 2012, as part of an army restructure. [110] [111]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Haythornthwaite 2016, The Divisional System.
  2. Oman 1930, pp. 496 and 513.
  3. Glover 2015, pp. 35–46.
  4. Siborne 1900, pp. 473, 529, 531–536.
  5. Glover 2014, pp. 189–191.
  6. Siborne 1900, pp. 659, 683, 688, 696, 704, 716, 732, 748.
  7. Glover 2015, pp. 199–200.
  8. Wyrall 1921a, pp. xi–xii.
  9. Barthorp 1980, p. 155; Bowden 1991, p. 16; Ponting 2006, p. 7.
  10. Warner 2001, pp. 75–79, 150–152; Ffrench Blake 2006, pp. 86–94, 98–101, 143–144, 150–151; Raugh 2004, p. 187; Richards 2006, p. 152; Demchak 2011, p. 127.
  11. Dunlop 1938, p. 72.
  12. Conan Doyle 1901, pp. 190–192, 254–255, 267–276, 284–285, 289, 291–294.
  13. Creswicke 1901, pp. 98, 138.
  14. Dunlop 1938, pp. 218–219, 245.
  15. "War Office, Monthly Army List, December 1920". War Office. 1920. p. 62. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  16. Wyrall 1921a, Contents.
  17. Wyrall 1921b, Contents.
  18. Joslen 2003, p. 40.
  19. Isby 1988, p. 336.
  20. Kneen & Sutton 1996, p. 183.
  21. Blaker, Peter (1981). "1(BR) Corps, Written Answers (Commons), HC Deb 20 July 1981 vol 9 cc57-8W". House of Commons Library: Historic Hansard. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  22. 1 2 "Cordingley, Patrick Anthony John (Oral History)". Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. Heyman 2002, Chapter 2 – Army Organisations; Taylor 2011, p. 5; Vox Militaris 1995, p. 155.
  24. Reid 2004, p. 40.
  25. Reid 2004, p. 41.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Reid 2004, p. 42.
  27. 1 2 Oman 1911, p. 5.
  28. Oman 1911, p. 416.
  29. Reid 2004, p. 43.
  30. Oman 1914, p. 323.
  31. McGuigan & Burnham 2010, p. 34.
  32. Oman 1922, pp. 226 and 626.
  33. 1 2 McGuigan & Burnham 2017, p. 242.
  34. McGuigan & Burnham 2017, p. 304.
  35. Oman 1930, p. 513.
  36. McGuigan & Burnham 2017, p. 21.
  37. Glover 2015, pp. 11–22, 31, 199–200.
  38. Barthorp 1980, p. 155.
  39. "No. 21564". The London Gazette . 22 June 1854. p. 1932.
  40. Ffrench Blake 2006, p. 82.
  41. "No. 21653". The London Gazette . 23 January 1855. p. 251. and "No. 21681". The London Gazette . 22 March 1855. p. 1173.
  42. "No. 21755". The London Gazette . 1 August 1855. p. 2943.
  43. Demchak 2011, p. 127.
  44. Creswicke 1900, pp. 52, 66, 136, 160, Chart of Staff Appointments Made at the Commencement of the War; Creswicke 1901, pp. 98, 138; Dunlop 1938, p. 72.
  45. "No. 27126". The London Gazette . 13 October 1899. p. 6179. and "No. 27282". The London Gazette . 8 February 1901. p. 974.
  46. "No. 27282". The London Gazette . 8 February 1901. p. 937. and "No. 27282". The London Gazette . 8 February 1901. p. 974.
  47. "No. 27434". The London Gazette . 6 May 1902. p. 3254., "No. 27442". The London Gazette . 13 June 1902. p. 3900., and "No. 27646". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 February 1904. p. 1011.
  48. Lord & Watson 2003, p. 27.
  49. "No. 27659". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 March 1904. p. 1792., "No. 27676". The London Gazette . 13 May 1904. p. 3083. and "No. 27994". The London Gazette . 12 February 1907. p. 966.
  50. "No. 28024". The London Gazette . 24 May 1907. p. 3593.
  51. "No. 28337". The London Gazette . 8 February 1910. p. 949.
  52. "No. 28799". The London Gazette . 6 February 1914. p. 983. and "No. 28873". The London Gazette . 18 August 1914. p. 6499.
  53. 1 2 3 4 5 Becke 2007, p. 41.
  54. Wyrall 1921b, p. 695.
  55. "War Office, Monthly Army List, May 1921". War Office. 1921. p. 30. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  56. "No. 32811". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 July 1919. p. 31464. and "No. 32811". The London Gazette . 3 April 1923. p. 2512.
  57. "War Office, Monthly Army List, January 1926". War Office. 1926. p. 20. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  58. "No. 33212". The London Gazette . 19 October 1926. p. 6688.
  59. "No. 33435". The London Gazette . 2 November 1928. p. 7125., and "No. 33697". The London Gazette . 10 March 1931. p. 1645.
  60. "No. 33700". The London Gazette . 20 March 1931. p. 1896. and "No. 34141". The London Gazette . 12 March 1935. p. 1730.
  61. "No. 34143". The London Gazette . 19 March 1935. p. 1905.
  62. "No. 34430". The London Gazette . 27 August 1937. p. 5439. and "No. 34639". The London Gazette . 23 June 1939. p. 4244.
  63. "No. 34637". The London Gazette . 20 June 1939. p. 4153.
  64. 1 2 3 4 Joslen 2003, pp. 39–40.
  65. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Joslen 2003, p. 39.
  66. 1 2 Lord & Watson 2003, p. 28.
  67. WW 1968, p. 85.
  68. Messenger 1994, p. 155; Lord & Watson 2003, p. 27; Luto 2013, pp. 8–9.
  69. "Army Notes". Royal United Services Institution. 91 (564): 609. 1946. doi:10.1080/03071844609433982.
  70. "Army Notes". Royal United Services Institution. 92 (565): 143. 1946. doi:10.1080/03071844709423998.
  71. "Balfour, Philip". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  72. "Military Appointments". The Times. No. 50813. 15 July 1947. p. 2.
  73. "No. 39221". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 May 1951. p. 2575.
  74. "Colin Callander". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  75. "No. 39291". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 July 1951. p. 3981. and "No. 40292". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 October 1954. p. 5629.
  76. "No. 40295". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 October 1954. p. 5691.
  77. "No. 40766". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 April 1956. p. 2543.
  78. "No. 41365". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 April 1958. p. 2453.
  79. "No. 41949". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 February 1960. p. 1005.
  80. "No. 42601". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1962. p. 1465.
  81. "No. 43259". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 February 1964. p. 1971.
  82. "No. 43935". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 March 1966. p. 3513., "No. 44493". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1967. p. 73., and "No. 44493". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1967. p. 74.
  83. "No. 44493". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1967. p. 74.
  84. "No. 45060". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 March 1970. p. 3119.
  85. "No. 45626". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 March 1972. p. 3440.
  86. "No. 46218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 February 1974. p. 2553.
  87. Isby 1988, p. 332.
  88. "No. 46807". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 January 1976. p. 1289.
  89. "No. 47474". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 February 1978. p. 2580.
  90. "No. 48130". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 March 1980. p. 4156. and "No. 49237". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 January 1983. p. 749.
  91. Blaker, Peter (1981). "1(BR) Corps, Written Answers (Commons), HC Deb 20 July 1981 vol 9 cc57-8W". House of Commons Library: Historic Hansard. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  92. "No. 49237". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 January 1983. p. 749.
  93. "No. 49625". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 January 1984. p. 1045.
  94. "No. 50426". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 February 1986. p. 1965.
  95. "No. 51121". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 November 1987. p. 14140.
  96. "No. 51919". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 October 1989. p. 12507. and "No. 52691". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 October 1991. p. 16034.
  97. "No. 52697". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 October 1991. p. 16455. and "No. 52885". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 April 1992. p. 6175.
  98. Tanner 2014, p. 13.
  99. Vox Militaris 1995, p. 155.
  100. "No. 53115". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 November 1992. p. 19795.
  101. Kohima Museum. "The 2nd Division". Kohima Museum. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  102. "No. 54453". The London Gazette . 1 July 1996. p. 8911.
  103. "No. 55488". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 May 1999. p. 5471.
  104. "No. 56784". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 December 2002. p. 15275.
  105. "No. 57246". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 March 2004. p. 4059.
  106. "No. 58226". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 January 2007. p. 889.
  107. "No. 59077". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 2009. p. 9348.
  108. Norton-Taylor, Richard (24 September 2009), "Army chief quits suddenly as protests over troops mount", The Guardian, London, United Kingdom
  109. "No. 59249". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 November 2009. p. 20321.
  110. Taylor 2011, p. 5.
  111. "No. 60025". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 January 2012. p. 286.

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