Southern Command (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
History
The Command was established in 1905 from the Second Army Corps and was initially based at TidworthTidworth
Tidworth is a town in south-east Wiltshire, England with a growing civilian population. Situated at the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain, it is approximately 10 miles west of Andover, 12 miles south of Marlborough, 24 miles south of Swindon, 15 miles north by north-east of Salisbury and 6 miles east...
but in 1949 moved to Fugglestone Farm
Fugglestone St Peter
Fugglestone St Peter was a small village, manor, and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, lying between the town of Wilton and the city of Salisbury...
near Wilton
Wilton, Wiltshire
Wilton is a town in Wiltshire, , England, with a rich heritage dating back to the Anglo-Saxons. Today it is dwarfed by its larger and more famous neighbour, Salisbury, but still has a range of notable shops and attractions, including Wilton House.The confluence of the rivers Wylye and Nadder is at...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
In 1939 regular troops reporting to Southern Command included 1st Armoured Division, based at Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
, and 3rd Infantry Division, based at Bulford
Bulford
Bulford is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, close to Salisbury Plain. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,698.The name is derived from the Old English bulut ieg ford meaning 'ragged robin island ford'....
. Other Regular Troops reporting to Southern Command at that time included:
- 8th Royal Tank Regiment8th Royal Tank RegimentThe 8th Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1960. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as H Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917....
- 9th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 6th/23rd Field Battery, 12th Field Regiment12th Regiment Royal Artillery12th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the air defence role, and is equipped with the Starstreak HVM missile...
, Royal Artillery - 3rd Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 4th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 1st Survey Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 2nd Survey Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 2nd Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery
The Command was merged into HQ UK Land Forces (HQ UKLF) in 1972.
General Officers Commanding-in-Chief
General Officers CommandingGeneral Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
-in-Chief have included:
- 1905 Lieutenant General Sir Evelyn Wood
- 1905 - 1909 Lieutenant General Sir Ian HamiltonIan Standish Monteith HamiltonGeneral Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton GCB GCMG DSO TD was a general in the British Army and is most notably for commanding the ill-fated Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Gallipoli....
- 1909 - 1912 Lieutenant General Sir Charles Douglas
- 1912 - 1914 Lieutenant General Sir Horace Smith-DorrienHorace Smith-DorrienGeneral Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien GCB, GCMG, DSO, ADC was a British soldier and commander of the British II Corps and Second Army of the BEF during World War I.-Early life and career:...
- 1914 - 1916 Lieutenant General Sir William CampbellWilliam Pitcairn CampbellLieutenant General Sir William Pitcairn Campbell KCB was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:...
- 1916 - 1919 Lieutenant General Sir Henry SclaterHenry SclaterGeneral Sir Henry Crichton Sclater GCB GBE was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:Henry Sclater was commissioned the Royal Artillery in 1875....
- 1919 - 1922 Lieutenant General Sir George HarperGeorge Montague HarperLieutenant General Sir George Montague Harper KCB, DSO was a British general during the First World War.-Military career:...
- 1923 - 1924 Lieutenant General Sir Walter CongreveWalter Norris CongreveGeneral Sir Walter Norris Congreve VC KCB MVO DL was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
- 1924 - 1928 Lieutenant General Sir Alexander GodleyAlexander GodleyGeneral Sir Alexander John Godley GCB, KCMG was a First World War general, best known for his role as commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force...
- 1928 - 1931 Lieutenant General Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd
- 1931 - 1933 Lieutenant General Sir Cecil RomerCecil RomerGeneral Sir Cecil Francis Romer GCB KBE CMG was a British Army general who reached high command during the 1920s.-Military career:...
- 1933 - 1934 Lieutenant General Sir Percy RadcliffePercy Radcliffe (British Army officer)General Sir Percy Pollexfen de Blaquiere Radcliffe KCB KCMG DSO was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1930s.-Military career:...
- 1934 - 1938 Lieutenant General Sir John Burnett-StuartJohn Burnett-StuartGeneral Sir John Theodosius Burnett-Stuart GCB KBE CMG DSO was a British Army General in the 1930s.-Military career:Educated at Repton School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, John Burnett-Stuart was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1895. He saw service on the North West Frontier of...
- 1938 - 1939 Lieutenant General Sir Archibald WavellArchibald Wavell, 1st Earl WavellField Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell GCB, GCSI, GCIE, CMG, MC, PC was a British field marshal and the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East during the Second World War. He led British forces to victory over the Italians, only to be defeated by the German army...
- July 1939 - August 1939 Lieutenant General Sir Alan BrookeAlan Brooke, 1st Viscount AlanbrookeField Marshal The Rt. Hon. Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, KG, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO & Bar , was a senior commander in the British Army. He was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the Second World War, and was promoted to Field Marshal in 1944...
- September 1939 - June 1940 Lieutenant General Sir Bertie FisherBertie FisherLieutenant General Sir Bertie Drew Fisher KCB CMG DSO was a British Army General during World War II.-Military career:Bertie Fisher was commissioned into the 17th Lancers in 1900....
- June 1940 - July 1940 Lieutenant General Sir Alan BrookeAlan Brooke, 1st Viscount AlanbrookeField Marshal The Rt. Hon. Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, KG, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO & Bar , was a senior commander in the British Army. He was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the Second World War, and was promoted to Field Marshal in 1944...
- July 1940 - November 1940 Lieutenant General Sir Claude AuchinleckClaude AuchinleckField Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE , nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers...
- December 1940 - February 1942 Lieutenant General Sir Harold AlexanderHarold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of TunisField Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
- March 1942 - February 1944 Lieutenant General Sir Henry LoydHenry LoydLieutenant General Sir Henry Charles Loyd GCVO KCB DSO MC was a British Army General during World War II.-Military career:...
- February 1944 - February 1945 Lieutenant General Sir William MorganWilliam Duthie MorganGeneral Sir William Duthie Morgan GCB DSO MC was a British Army General during World War II.-Military career:Morgan was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1913. He served in World War I winning the DSO at the Battle of Le Cateau in 1914 and later the MC and was mentioned in despatches four...
- March 1945 - June 1945 Lieutenant General Sir Sidney KirkmanSidney KirkmanGeneral Sir Sidney Chevalier Kirkman GCB, KBE, MC was a general in the British Armed Forces from 1944 to 1950 and Director General of Civil Defence in the Civil Defence Department from 1954 to 1960.-Biography:...
- 1945 - 1947 Lieutenant General Sir John CrockerJohn CrockerGeneral Sir John Tredinnick Crocker GCB, KBE, DSO, MC was a British Army officer and corps commander during the Second World War.- First World War :...
- 1947 - 1948 Lieutenant General Sir John HardingJohn Harding, 1st Baron Harding of PethertonField Marshal Allan Francis John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton, GCB, CBE, DSO, MC was a British Army officer and Governor of Cyprus from 1955 to 1957, Cyprus being a British colony at that time....
- 1949 - 1952 Lieutenant General Sir Ouvry RobertsOuvry Lindfield RobertsGeneral Sir Ouvry Lindfield Roberts, GCB, KBE, DSO was an officer in the British Army and the British Indian Army during World War I and World War II.-Military career:...
- 1952 - 1955 Lieutenant General Sir Ernest DownErnest DownLieutenant-General Sir Ernest Edward Down KBE CB was a British General during World War II.-Military career:Ernest Down was commissioned into the Dorset Regiment in February 1923. He served in World War II being appointed Commander of the 2nd Parachute Brigade in North Africa in 1942...
- 1955 - 1958 Lieutenant General Sir George ErskineGeorge ErskineGeneral Sir George Watkin Eben James Erskine GCB, KBE, DSO was a senior British Army officer during World War II-Background:...
- 1958 - 1961 Lieutenant General Sir Nigel PoettNigel PoettGeneral Sir Joseph Howard Nigel Poett KCB, DSO was a British Army officer who commanded the 5th Parachute Brigade, 6th Airborne Division, during the Second World War.-Early life:...
- 1961 - 1963 Lieutenant General Sir Robert BrayRobert Bray (British Army officer)General Sir Robert Napier Hubert Campbell Bray, GBE, KCB, DSO and bar was a British soldier, deputy Supreme Commander Europe of NATO's Allied Command Europe from 1967 to 1970.-Education:...
- 1964 - 1966 Lieutenant General Sir Kenneth DarlingKenneth DarlingGeneral Sir Kenneth Thomas Darling GBE KCB DSO was a senior British Army officer who was Commander in Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe from 1967 to 1969.-Early life:...
- 1966 - 1968 Lieutenant General Sir Geoffrey BakerGeoffrey BakerField Marshal Sir Geoffrey Harding Baker GCB, CMG, CBE, MC was Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army.-Army career:...
- 1968 Lieutenant General Sir John MoggJohn Mogg (British Army officer)General Sir Herbert John Mogg GCB CBE DSO & Bar was a senior British Army officer who also held the NATO position of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe .He has been described as a popular and affable man...
- 1968 - 1969 Lieutenant General Sir David Peel YatesDavid Peel YatesLieutenant General Sir David Peel Yates KCB CVO DSO OBE was a British Army General who reached high office during the 1960s.-Military career:David Peel Yates was commissioned into the South Wales Borderers in 1931...
- 1969 - 1971 Lieutenant General Sir Michael CarverMichael Carver, Baron CarverField Marshal Richard Michael Power Carver, Baron Carver GCB, CBE, DSO & Bar, MC was a British soldier. He served as the Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom and thus the professional head of the British Armed Forces.-Army career:Educated at Winchester College, Michael Carver was...
- 1971 - 1972 Lieutenant General Sir Basil EugsterBasil EugsterGeneral Sir Basil Oscar Eugster KCB, KCVO, CBE,DSO MC was a Commander in Chief, UK Land Forces.-Army career:A British soldier of Swiss descent, Basil Eugster attended Beaumont College. In 1935 he joined the Irish Guards. He served with his Regiment through World War II and fought in the Narvik...