Northern Command (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
Nineteenth century
The District Commands of the British Army in Great Britain and Ireland first appear in print in 1840, at which time Northern Command was held by Maj-Gen Charles James NapierCharles James Napier
General Sir Charles James Napier, GCB , was a general of the British Empire and the British Army's Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan.- His genealogy :...
, appointed in 1838. During his time the troops stationed within Northern Command were frequently deployed in support of the civil authorities during the Chartist
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
unrest in the northern industrial cities. Napier was succeeded in 1841 by Maj-Gen Sir William Gomm, when the command included the counties of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, Westmoreland
Westmoreland
Westmoreland is a historic county in England. It may also refer to:-Places:Australia*Westmoreland County, New South WalesCanada*Westmorland County, New BrunswickJamaica*Westmoreland, Jamaica, a parishNew Zealand...
, Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
and the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, with HQ at Manchester. Later the Midland Counties of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
and Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
were added and from 1850 to 1854 the Command included three sub-commands: NW Counties (HQ Manchester), NE Counties (HQ York) and Midlands (HQ Birmingham). From 1854 to 1857 there were two sub-commands, Northern Counties and Midland Counties, each with a brigade staff, but after that they disappeared and Northern Command remained a unitary command.
In 1876 a Mobilisation Scheme for the forces in Great Britain and Ireland was published, with the 'Active Army' divided into eight army corps based on the District Commands. '6th Corps' was to be formed within Northern Command, based at Chester. This scheme had been dropped by 1881. Northern Command continued to be an important administrative organisation until 1 July 1889, when it was divided into two separate Commands: North Eastern, under Maj-Gen N. Stevenson (HQ York), and North Western, under Maj-Gen W.H. Goodenough (HQ Chester).
Twentieth century
The 1901 Army Estimates introduced by St John Brodrick allowed for six army corps based on six regional commands. As outlined in a paper published in 1903, V Corps was to be formed in a reconstituted Northern Command, with HQ at York. Maj-Gen Sir Leslie RundleLeslie Rundle
General Sir Leslie Rundle GCB GCMG GCVO DSO was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:...
was appointed acting General Officer Commanding-in-Chief
General 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...
(GOCinC) of Northern Command on 10 October 1903, and it reappears in the Army List in 1905, with the boundaries defined as 'Berwick-on-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
(so far as regards the Militia
Militia (United Kingdom)
The Militia of the United Kingdom were the military reserve forces of the United Kingdom after the Union in 1801 of the former Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland....
, Yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
and Volunteers) and the Counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland, Durham, Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Isle of Man. The defences on the southern shores of the estuaries of the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
and Mersey
Mersey
Mersey may refer to:* River Mersey, in northwest England* Mersea Island, off the coast of Essex in England * Mersey River in the Australian state* Electoral division of Mersey in the state of Tasmania, Australian...
are included in the Northern Command'. By 1908 the Midland Counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire and Rutland had been added, but Westmoreland, Cumberland and Lancashire had been moved into Western Command
Western Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 and was originally called the Welsh & Midland Command before changing its name in 1906. In 1907 Western Command relocated to Watergate House in Chester...
.
The Command HQ was established in Fishergate
Fishergate
Fishergate is one of the centre wards of York, England. It is situated directly south of the city walls, on the east bank of the River Ouse, north of Fulford. On its north west corner is the confluence point of the Foss and the Ouse. This area is protected from floods by the Foss Barrier...
in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
in 1905. The site was named Imphal Barracks in 1951, but closed in 1958, when Northern Command HQ moved to a new Imphal Barracks on Fulford Road, York.
World War I
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 KitchenerEarl Kitchener
Earl Kitchener, of Khartoum and of Broome in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The titles Viscount Broome, of Broome in the County of Kent, and Baron Denton, of Denton in the County of Kent, were granted along with the earldom...
'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 Northern Command formed what became the 11th (Northern) Division. It was followed by 17th (Northern) Division of K2 in September 1914.
At the end of 1914, Sir Herbert Plumer
Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer
Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was a British colonial official and soldier born in Torquay who commanded the British Second Army in World War I and later served as High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine.-Military...
, the GOCinC, left Northern Command to form V Corps
V Corps (United Kingdom)
V Corps was an army corps of the British Army in both the First and Second World War. It was first organised in February 1915 and fought through World War I on the Western front...
in France, and Maj-Gen Henry Lawson
Henry Merrick Lawson
Lieutenant General Sir Henry Merrick Lawson KCB was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:...
was placed in temporary command, followed by Lt-Gen Sir John Maxwell
John Maxwell (British Army officer)
General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell GCB, KCMG, CVO, DSO, PC was a British Army officer and colonial governor. He served in the Mahdist War in the Sudan, the Boer War, and in the First World War, but he is best known for his role in the suppression of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland and subsequent...
after he had suppressed the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
in Ireland. Maxwell was formally appointed GOCinC in November 1916.
World War II
In 1939 Regular Troops reporting to Northern Command included 5th Infantry Division, based at CatterickCatterick Garrison
Catterick Garrison is a major Army base located in Northern England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world with a population of around 12,000, plus a large temporary population of soldiers, and is larger than its older neighbour...
. Other Regular Troops reporting to Northern Command at that time included:
- 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars15th/19th The King's Royal HussarsThe 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was created as part of the reduction in the cavalry in the aftermath of World War I. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 15th The King's Hussars and the 19th Royal Hussars on 11 April 1922, becoming the...
- 7th Royal Tank Regiment7th Royal Tank RegimentThe 7th Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1959.-History:The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
- 7th Field Regiment7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It serves in the field artillery role with 16 Air Assault Brigade, and is equipped with the L118 Light Gun.- History :...
, Royal Artillery - 9th/17th, 16th/43rd Field Batteries, Royal Artillery
- 20th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
The Command was merged into HQ UK Land Forces (HQ UKLF) in 1972 and portions of the former headquarters are now serviced accommodation.
Imphal Barracks, a name now given to an establishment in Fulford
Fulford
Fulford is a historic village and civil parish on the outskirts of York, England. Situated to the south of the city, on the east bank of the River Ouse, it was the site of the 11th century Battle of Fulford...
, would go on to be Headquarters 2nd Infantry Division during the 1980s and from 2008 is Headquarters 6th (UK) Division.
General Officers Commanding-in-Chief
GOCs and GOCinCs have included (with dates of appointment):- c. 1838 - 1841 Major-General Sir Charles NapierCharles James NapierGeneral Sir Charles James Napier, GCB , was a general of the British Empire and the British Army's Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan.- His genealogy :...
- 1842 Major-General Sir William GommWilliam Maynard GommField Marshal Sir William Maynard Gomm GCB , was a British Army commander.-Military career:He was gazetted to the 9th Foot at the age of ten in recognition of the services of his father, Lieutenant-Colonel William Gomm, who was killed in the attack on Guadaloupe...
- 1843 - 1849 Lieutenant General Sir Thomas ArbuthnotThomas ArbuthnotLieutenant General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot KCB was a British Army commander.-Military career:He was born in Rockfleet Castle, County Mayo, Ireland, the sixth son of John Arbuthnot, Sr of Rockfleet....
- 1850 - 1855 Lieutenant General Lord CathcartCharles Cathcart, 2nd Earl CathcartCharles Murray Cathcart, 2nd Earl Cathcart GCB was a British Army general who became Governor General of the Province of Canada and Lieutenant Governor of Canada West .-Life:Cathcart, eldest surviving son of William Schaw Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart, was born at...
- 1856 - 1859 Lieutenant General Sir Harry Smith
- 1859 - 1860 Lieutenant General Sir John PennefatherJohn Lysaght PennefatherGeneral Sir John Lysaght Pennefather GCB was a British soldier who won two very remarkable victories. Firstly, at Meanee, India, where it was said that 500 Irishmen defeated 35,000 Indians...
- 1860 - 1866 Lieutenant General Sir George WeatherallGeorge Augustus WetherallGeneral Sir George Augustus Wetherall was a British General.-Military career:He was the son of General Sir Frederick Wetherall and was educated in the senior department of the Royal military college, and entered the army in 1803...
(1 July 1860) - 1866 - 1871 Major-General Sir John GarvockJohn GarvockGeneral Sir John Garvock GCB was a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1860s.-Military career:Garvoch was commissioned into the 10th Regiment of Foot in 1835...
(10 October 1866) - 1871 - 1872 Major-General George Carey
- 1873 - 1874 Major-General Daniel LysonsDaniel Lysons (British Army officer)General Sir Daniel Lysons GCB was a British Army general who achieved high office in the 1870s.-Military career:...
- 1874 - 1878 Lieutenant General Sir Henry Percival de Bathe (1 July 1874)
- 1878 - 1881 Major-General George WillisGeorge Willis (British Army officer)General Sir George Harry Smith Willis GCB was a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1880s.-Military career:...
(1 April 1878) - 1881 - 1884 Major-General William CameronWilliam Gordon CameronGeneral Sir William Gordon Cameron GCB was a British soldier and colonial administrator.-Military career:...
- 1884 - 1886 Lieutenant General Frederick WillisFrederick Willis (British Army officer)Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Arthur Willis KCB was a British Army General who held high office in the 1880s.-Military career:Willis was commissioned into the 70th Regiment of Foot in 1844....
- 1886 - 1889 Major-General Charles DaniellCharles DaniellMajor-General Charles Frederick Torrens Daniell CB was a British Army General who held high office in the 1880s.-Military career:...
Note: Between 1889 and 1905 the Command was divided into smaller Districts
- 1905 - 1907 Lieutenant General Sir Leslie RundleLeslie RundleGeneral Sir Leslie Rundle GCB GCMG GCVO DSO was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:...
(acting 10 November 1903) - 1907 - 1911 Lieutenant General Sir Laurence OliphantLaurence Oliphant (British Army officer)General Sir Laurence James Oliphant KCB KCVO was a British Army General who reached high office in the early years of the twentieth century.-Military career:Oliphant was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards...
(10 November 1907) - 1911 - 1914 Lieutenant General Sir Herbert PlumerHerbert Plumer, 1st Viscount PlumerField Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was a British colonial official and soldier born in Torquay who commanded the British Second Army in World War I and later served as High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine.-Military...
(10 November 1911) - 1915 - 1916 Lieutenant General Sir Henry LawsonHenry Merrick LawsonLieutenant General Sir Henry Merrick Lawson KCB was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:...
(temporary 1 January 1915) - 1916 - 1919 Lieutenant General Sir John MaxwellJohn Maxwell (British Army officer)General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell GCB, KCMG, CVO, DSO, PC was a British Army officer and colonial governor. He served in the Mahdist War in the Sudan, the Boer War, and in the First World War, but he is best known for his role in the suppression of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland and subsequent...
(temporary 27 April 1916; substantive 1 November 1916) - 1919 - 1923 Lieutenant General Sir Ivor MaxseIvor MaxseGeneral Sir Ivor Maxse, KCB, CVO, DSO, was a World War I general, best known for his innovative and effective training methods.-Early life:Maxse was educated at Mr...
(1 June 1919) - 1923 - 1927 Lieutenant General Sir Charles HaringtonCharles Harington HaringtonGeneral Sir Charles Harington Harington GCB, GBE, DSO, DCL , was a British Army officer most noted for his service during the First World War and Chanak crisis...
(1 November 1923) - 1927 - 1931 Lieutenant General Sir Cameron ShuteCameron ShuteGeneral Sir Cameron Deane Shute KCB KCMG was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:Shute was commissioned into the Welsh Regiment in 1885. He transferred to the Rifle Brigade in 1895 and participated in the Nile Expedition and the Siege of Khartoum in 1898...
(15 May 1927) - 1931 - 1933 Lieutenant General Sir Francis Gathorne-HardyJohn Francis Gathorne-HardyGeneral Sir John Francis Gathorne-Hardy GCB, GCVO, CMG, DSO was a British First World War General who served in Italy and the Western Front. His parents were John Stewart Gathorne-Hardy, 2nd Earl of Cranbrook and Cicely Marguerite Wilhelmina Ridgway.-Military career:He was educated at Eton and...
(15 May 1931) - 1933 - 1937 Lieutenant General Sir Alexander WardropAlexander WardropGeneral Sir Alexander Ernest Wardrop GCB CMG was a British Army General who rose to high office in the 1930s.-Education:He was educated at Haileybury and the Royal Military Academy.-Military career:...
(17 October 1933) - 1937 - 1940 Lieutenant General Sir William BartholomewWilliam BartholomewGeneral Sir William Henry Bartholomew GCB CMG DSO ADC was a British General during the Second World War and former Colonel Commandant to the Royal Artillery.-Army career:...
(12 October 1937) - 1940 - 1941 Lieutenant General Sir Ronald AdamRonald AdamGeneral Sir Ronald Forbes Adam, 2nd Baronet, GCB, DSO, OBE was a British Army officer whose career spanned World War I and World War II...
(8 June 1940) - 1941 - 1944 Lieutenant General Sir Ralph EastwoodRalph EastwoodLieutenant General Sir Thomas Ralph Eastwood KCB DSO MC was a British Army General during World War II.-Military career:Ralph Eastwood was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1910...
(3 June 1941) - 1944 - 1946 Lieutenant General Sir Edwin MorrisEdwin Morris (British Army officer)Lieutenant General Sir Edwin Logie Morris KCB OBE MC was a British Army General during World War II.-Military career:Edwin Morris was commissioned into the Royal Engineers: he was an Instructor at the Staff College, Camberley between 1926 and 1930: he went on to become a General Staff Officer at...
(7 June 1944) - 1946 - 1947 Lieutenant General Sir Philip ChristisonPhilip ChristisonGeneral Sir Philip Christison, 4th Baronet GBE CB DSO MC was a British military commander of the Second World War.-Early life and career:...
(27 February 1946) - 1947 - 1949 Lieutenant General Sir Montagu Stopford (6 March 1947)
- 1949 - 1953 Lieutenant General Sir Philip BalfourPhilip BalfourLieutenant General Sir Philip Maxwell Balfour KBE CB MC was a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1950s.-Military career:...
(21 March 1949) - 1953 - 1957 Lieutenant General Sir Geoffrey EvansGeoffrey Charles EvansLieutenant-General Sir Geoffrey Charles Evans KBE, CB, DSO & Two Bars was an officer in the British Army during World War II and the post-war era...
(7 May 1953) - 1957 - 1960 Lieutenant General Sir Richard GoodbodyRichard GoodbodyGeneral Sir Richard Wakefield Goodbody GCB KBE DSO was a senior British Army officer and a former Adjutant-General to the Forces.-Military career:...
(8 May 1957) - 1960 - 1962 Lieutenant General Sir Michael WestMichael West (British Army officer)General Sir Michael Montgomerie Alston-Roberts-West GCB DSO and two bars was a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1960s. He served in World War II and the Korean War...
(11 May 1960) - 1962 - 1963 Lieutenant General Sir Charles JonesCharles Phibbs JonesGeneral Sir Charles Phibbs Jones GCB CBE MC was a British Army General who reached high office in the 1950s.-Military career:Charles Jones was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1925...
(1 June 1962) - 1963 - 1964 Lieutenant General Sir Charles RichardsonCharles Leslie RichardsonGeneral Sir Charles Leslie Richardson GCB CBE DSO was a British Army General who reached high office in the 1950s.-Military career:...
- 1964 - 1967 Lieutenant General Sir Geoffrey MussonGeoffrey MussonGeneral Sir Geoffrey Randolph Dixon Musson GCB CBE DSO was a senior British Army officer who became Adjutant-General to the Forces.-Military career:...
(1 December 1964) - 1967 - 1969 Lieutenant General Sir Walter Walker (3 October 1967)
- 1969 - 1970 Lieutenant General Sir Cecil BlackerCecil BlackerGeneral Sir Cecil Hugh Blacker GCB OBE MC was a senior British Army officer and a former Adjutant-General to the Forces.-Military career:...
(1 June 1969) - 1970 - 1972 Lieutenant General Sir William Jackson (10 October 1970)