| Western Command | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1905–1972 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Chester |
Western Command was a command of the British Army.
| Western Command | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Active | 1905–1972 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Chester |
Western Command was a command of the British Army.
Western Command was established in 1905 and was originally called the Welsh & Midland Command before changing its name in 1906. [1] In 1907 Western Command relocated to Watergate House in Chester. [2] In 1938, after a brief stay in temporary accommodation at Boughton, it moved to a new purpose-built neo-Georgian property known as Churchill House at Queen's Park in Chester. [3]
Army Order No 324, issued on 21 August 1914, authorised the formation of a 'New Army' of six Divisions, manned by volunteers who had responded to Earl Kitchener's appeal (hence the First New Army was known as 'K1'). Each division was to be under the administration of one of the Home Commands, and Western Command formed what became the 13th (Western) Division. [4] It was followed by 19th (Western) Division of K2 in September 1914. [5]
Increasing concern during the 1930s about the threat of air attack led to large numbers of units of the part-time Territorial Army (TA) being converted to anti-aircraft (AA) gun and searchlight roles in the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE), and higher formations became necessary to control them. One such formation was the 4th Anti-Aircraft Division, raised on 1 September 1938 within the Western Command area, with its headquarters at Chester. [6] [7] The first General Officer Commanding (GOC) was Maj-Gen Hugh Martin. [8] [9] [10] The division came under the control of Anti-Aircraft Command, however. [11]
In 1939, under Lieutenant General Robert Haining, Western Command consisted of Welsh, West Lancashire, and East Lancashire Areas, each commanding two divisions plus other troops. [12] It covered Wales and the Counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, Lancashire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Cheshire, and Beachley, Gloucestershire as well as the Isle of Man and the coast defence garrisons of Berehaven, Queenstown and (for the purpose of technical training only) Lough Swilly. [13]
Regular Troops reporting to the Command included: [13]
During 1943–44, the 80th Infantry (Reserve) Division was assigned to the Command as its training formation. On 1 September 1944, the division was replaced by the 38th Infantry (Reserve) Division, which took over the training role. [14] [15]
The Command was merged into HQ UK Land Forces (HQ UKLF) in 1972 [16] and the property handed over to the Royal Army Pay Corps. [3]
GOCs and GOCinCs have included: [17] [18] [19]
General Officer Commanding North Western District
General Officer Commanding in Chief Western Command
I Corps was an army corps in existence as an active formation in the British Army for most of the 80 years from its creation in the First World War until the end of the Cold War, longer than any other corps. It had a short-lived precursor during the Waterloo Campaign. It served as the operational component of the British Army of the Rhine during the Cold War, and was tasked with defending West Germany.
The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as the Highland Division and later 51st (Highland) Division from 1915. The division's insignia was a stylised 'HD' inside a red circle. Early doubts about the division's performance earned it the nickname of "Harper's Duds" after the name of its commander, Major-General George Harper although they would go on to gain a fearsome reputation with the Allies and Germans.
The 49th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division fought in the First World War in the trenches of the Western Front, in the fields of France and Flanders. During the Second World War, the division fought in the Norwegian Campaign and in North-western Europe. After the Second World War, it was disbanded in 1946, then reformed in 1947. It remained with Northern Command until finally disbanded in 1967.
IV Corps was a corps-sized formation of the British Army, formed in both the First World War and the Second World War. During the First World War the corps served on the Western Front throughout its existence. During the Second World War it served in Norway and Britain until it was transferred to India, which was threatened with attack after Japan entered the war.
The 8th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was active in both the First and Second World Wars. The division was first formed in October 1914 during the First World War, initially consisting mainly of soldiers of the Regular Army and served on the Western Front throughout the war, sustaining many casualties, before disbandment in 1919. The division was reactivated in Palestine, under the command of Major-General Bernard Montgomery, in the late 1930s in the years running up to the Second World War before being disbanded in late February 1940. It was briefly reformed in Syria in an administrative role during 1942-3.
The II Corps was an army corps of the British Army formed in both the First World War and the Second World War. There had also been a short-lived II Corps during the Waterloo Campaign.
III Corps was an army corps of the British Army formed in both the First World War and the Second World War.
The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, and the First and Second World Wars. It had many different titles throughout its 280 years of existence.
The 66th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army, which was active between September 1939 and June 1940 during the Second World War. In March 1939, after the re-emergence of Germany as a European power and its occupation of Czechoslovakia, the British Army increased the number of divisions within the Territorial Army by duplicating existing units. The 66th Infantry Division was formed in September 1939, as a second-line duplicate of the 42nd Infantry Division. The division's battalions were all raised in the Lancashire and Cumbria area.
The 42nd Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army raised during the Second World War.
The Malaya Command was a formation of the British Army formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of British Malaya, which comprised the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States and the Unfederated Malay States. It consisted mainly of small garrison forces in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Taiping, Seremban and Singapore.
Anti-Aircraft Command was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the Territorial Army anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight formations and units defending the United Kingdom.
Northern Command was a Home Command of the British Army from 1793 to 1889 and from 1905 to 1972.
Southern Command was a Command of the British Army.
Eastern Command was a Command of the British Army.
Aldershot Command was a Home Command of the British Army.
The 1st Anti-Aircraft Division was an Air Defence formation of the British Army before and during the early years of the Second World War. It defended London during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz.
British Troops in Egypt was a command of the British Army.
The 4th Anti-Aircraft Division was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army, created in the period of tension before the outbreak of the Second World War. It defended North West England during the Blitz.
The 5th Anti-Aircraft Division was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army, created in the period of tension before the outbreak of the Second World War. It defended Southern England during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.