Land Command

Land Command (or 'HQ Land') was a military command and part of the structure of the modern British Army 1995-2008. Its headquarters was located at Erskine Barracks, at Fugglestone St Peter some four kilometres North West of Salisbury in Wiltshire.

It assumed control of virtually all Army combat and combat support troops on 1 April 1995. Three major exceptions were Cyprus, British Forces Falklands Islands, and Northern Ireland, where the General Officer Commanding reported to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for operations in support of the civil power.

UK land commands 1972–1995
The headquarters was formed from Southern Command at Erskine Barracks near Fugglestone (Wilton, Wiltshire) on 1 April 1968 and was initially referred to as HQ Army Strategic Command (STRATCO). Its major task was to direct the strategic reserves of the British Army. Its first commander was Lieutenant General Sir John Mogg KCB, CBE, DSO. It commanded most of the UK-based field forces for all matters except local administration.

The command's tasks outside the British Isles were:
 * Central Treaty Organisation and Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation commitments
 * Bilateral agreements
 * Residual colonial responsibility to the colonial territories
 * To NATO, to provide forces in certain circumstances to deter or defend against the Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact.

Army Strategic Command consisted of two divisions, 3rd and 5th Infantry Divisions, and command troops. 3rd Division controlled 5th Infantry Brigade, 19th, 24th Infantry Brigades and 16th Parachute Brigade. 3rd Division was also responsible for training of the British battalion designated for the NATO ACE Mobile Force (Land).

5th Division comprised 2nd, 8th and 39 Brigades. 2nd and 8th Brigades had skeleton headquarters which were raised at about the same time as the divisional headquarters. However, 5th Infantry Division was little more than a holding organisation for battalions resting between operational commitments abroad. The division was disbanded again in 1970.

On 1 April 1972, Army Strategic Command became HQ UK Land Forces. It amalgamated the previous four existing Northern Command, Southern Command, Western Command, and Scottish Command. It had nine districts plus HQ Northern Ireland under its direction: London District (HQ in London), Eastern District, (HQ at Colchester), South Eastern District (HQ at Aldershot) (a reformation of a headquarters disbanded in 1903), South West District, (HQ at Bulford Camp), North West District (HQ at Cuerden Hall near Bamber Bridge), West Midlands District (HQ at Shrewsbury), Headquarters Wales (HQ at Brecon), North East District (HQ in York), Headquarters Scotland (HQ in Edinburgh) and Headquarters Northern Ireland (HQ at Lisburn).

North West District headquarters shifted to Fulwood Barracks, Preston, in 1977. In the early 1980s West Midlands District became HQ Western District.

Land Command, 1995-2008
In 1995, HQ UK Land Forces at Wilton assumed control of troops in Germany and most elsewhere. The remaining British Army troops in Germany, (including the core of Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) were placed under its command after the disbandment of Headquarters British Army of the Rhine. It became HQ Land Command. HQ Land Command assumed control of almost all British Army combat and combat support units on 1 April 1995. When it was formed it included 72,000 regular troops, 3,000 personnel of the Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 56,000 Territorial Army (TA) reservists and 12,000 Ministry of Defence civilians.

It initially embraced all operational troops in the UK, Germany (including HQ ARRC, 1st Armoured Division, and United Kingdom Support Command (Germany) (UKSC (G)), Nepal and Brunei, as well as the British Army Training Unit Suffield (Canada); British Army Training Unit Kenya; and the training team in Belize. The command represented 72% of the Army's manpower and virtually all of its fighting forces. Bringing all the army's conventional fighting forces into one command allowed the new commander-in-chief, initially General Sir John Wilsey, to better prioritise operational commitments and to reduce the higher overhead costs previously spent in maintaining four-star operational commands both in the UK and in Germany. HQ Land Command was given control of several functions previously executed by the General Staff within the Ministry of Defence (Army). These include the Operational Tour Plot for duties in Northern Ireland, to the Falkland Islands and in support of the United Nations, and the Arms Plot, the routine rotation of armoured, artillery and infantry units between postings. Major forces not under Land Command's aegis remained British Forces Cyprus (with many units committed to the United Nations), the Falkland Islands, units under Director Special Forces, and Headquarters Northern Ireland. In the last of those, the General Officer commanding reported to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for operations in support of the civil power.

On 1 April 2008, HQ Land Command amalgamated with HQ Adjutant General under 'Project Hyperion' and became HQ Land Forces. It moved from Erskine Barracks to the former RAF Andover site now known as Marlborough Lines on 23 June 2010.

Historical components of the organisation
Land Command was initially divided up into eight formations, each one commanded by a Major General, and several smaller units including the training units and training support units in Belize, Brunei, Canada (Suffield for armoured battlegroups and Wainwright for infantry units) and Kenya.

Divisions and Districts
Land Command was later divided in 2003, under the LANDmark reorganisation, into two suborganisations, Field Army and Regional Forces, that paralleled the Cold War structure of UKLF. Commander Field Army had two deployable divisions (1st Armoured Division, 3rd Mechanised Division), Theatre Troops, Joint Helicopter Command, and Training Support under him, while Commander Regional Forces was responsible for three regenerative Divisions (2nd Division, 4th Division, 5th Division), London District, and UK Support Command Germany. In 2007 it was announced that a new deployable divisional HQ would be established until at least 2011 as a means of meeting the UK's commitments to provide divisional HQs on a rotational basis to Regional Command (South) in Afghanistan and as the lead nation of Multi-National Division (South-East) in Iraq. This was based in York and formed around the re-established 6th Division.

HQs 2, 4, and 5 Divisions (originally referred to as Regenerative Divisions) effectively used to act as military districts in the UK itself and would only have been able to generate field formations in the event of a general war - these three divisions were disbanded in Spring 2012 and the component units were transferred to Support Command.

British Forces Germany formed the district HQ for personnel based in Germany that are not attached to military formations.

London District's most public concern is the administration of ceremonial units and provision of garrisons for such installations as the Tower of London. However, its primary responsibility is to maintain units directly for the defence of the capital.

Brigades
By 1999-2000, five years after the command was established, the British Army had only seven genuinely operational, deployable brigade groups – the six incorporated in 1st Armoured Division and 3rd Mechanised Division, plus 16 Air Assault Brigade. 16 Air Assault Brigade was formed as part of the 1999 Strategic Defence Review force reductions. On 1 September 1999, the brigade was formed by merging of 24 Airmobile Brigade and elements of 5th Airborne Brigade.

In November 2007, the Ministry of Defence announced the temporary creation of another deployable brigade, designated as 11 Light Brigade, which commanded the Operation Herrick rotation between October 2009 and April 2010.

3 Commando Brigade, formed predominantly by units of the Royal Marines but with significant army support, was under the direct command of the Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET).

The numerous other ‘brigades’ within the new Support Command were better described as regional districts whose function is to administer all Territorial Army units within their area, and to coordinate the provision of support to the civil authority if necessary, as well as home defence tasks. An example was the coordination of military support the regional brigades did during the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001. The fourteen new Civil Contingency Response Forces (CCRFs), each parented by a TA infantry battalion, were also linked into this structure. They form force elements which may be called on, alongside regular units, by the established chain of command (Ministry of Defence, Army Headquarters, HQ Land Forces, Support Command and Regional Brigades) in the event of a request for military assistance by the civil authorities.

There were a number of specialist brigades which bring together under a single administrative apparatus several units performing similar functions. There were two logistic brigades 102 Logistic Brigade in Germany and 101 Logistic Brigade which contained logistic units to support the two deployable divisions directly. They were formed from the original Combat Service Support Groups (Germany) ((CSSG (G)) and CSSG (United Kingdom) (CSSG (UK)). Additionally 104 Logistic Support Brigade operated the specialist units needed to deploy a force overseas such as pioneers, movements and port units. These brigades came under the authority of the GOC, Theatre Troops.

UK Land Forces formations, December 1989
In December 1989, Headquarters UK Land Forces at Wilton directed field forces through a three-star's command, Commander UK Field Army. Many of the units stationed in the United Kingdom were to move immediately to Germany to reinforce British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in case of war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. For administrative purposes these units were under command of brigade HQ based in the UK during peacetime. Such reinforcement units are shown in the list below in italics followed by the higher command they were to reinforce in Germany in brackets.


 * North-Eastern District (Imphal Barracks, York)
 * 2nd Infantry Division, York, (to reinforce I British Corps within 72 hours)
 * 15th Infantry Brigade, Alanbrooke Barracks, Topcliffe
 * Queen's Own Yeomanry (TA), Newcastle upon Tyne, (80x Fox, 20x Spartan)
 * 1st Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers (TA), York
 * 2nd Btn, Yorkshire Volunteers (TA), York
 * 6th Btn, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (TA), Newcastle upon Tyne
 * 7th Btn, The Light Infantry (TA), Durham
 * 8th Btn, The Light Infantry (TA), Wakefield
 * 101st (Northumbrian) Regiment Royal Artillery, Newcastle upon Tyne, (18x FH-70, one battery with Blowpipe SAM)
 * 24th Airmobile Brigade, Catterick
 * HQ & 210th Signal Squadron, Catterick
 * 1st Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, Catterick
 * 1st Btn, Green Howards, Catterick
 * 3rd Btn, The Light Infantry, Blackpool
 * 27th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, Topcliffe (24x FH-70)
 * 51st Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, Catterick
 * 9 Regiment Army Air Corps, Dishforth (24x Lynx AH.7, 12x Gazelle AH.1)
 * 49th Infantry Brigade, Chetwynd Barracks, Chilwell
 * Royal Yeomanry (TA), Chelsea, (80x Fox, 20x Spartan)
 * 3rd Btn, Staffordshire Regiment (TA), Wolverhampton
 * 5th Btn, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (TA), Coventry
 * 5th Btn, The Light Infantry (TA), Shrewsbury
 * 5th Btn, Royal Anglian Regiment (TA), Peterborough
 * 7th Btn, Royal Anglian Regiment (TA), Leicester
 * 100th (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery, London, (18x FH-70, D battery with Blowpipe SAM)
 * 5th Btn, Royal Green Jackets (TA), Oxford
 * 4th Btn, Queen's Lancashire Regiment (TA), Preston
 * 38th Regiment, Royal Engineers, Ripon
 * 655th Squadron, Army Air Corps, Ballykelly, Northern Ireland
 * South-Western District (Bulford Camp)
 * Allied Command Europe Mobile Force assigned units:
 * 2nd Btn, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Bulford Camp, Light Role
 * 1st Infantry Brigade, Tidworth, United Kingdom Mobile Force, dedicated to the defence of Schleswig-Holstein under LANDJUT
 * Royal Hussars, Tidworth, (43x Chieftain)
 * 13th/18th Royal Hussars, Tidworth, (48x FV107 Scimitar)
 * 1st Btn, Queen's Regiment, Tidworth, (45x Saxon)
 * 1st Btn, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, Bulford, (45x Saxon)
 * 2nd Btn, The Light Infantry, Tidworth, (45x Saxon)
 * 1st Btn, The Wessex Regiment (TA), Devizes
 * 47th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, Thorney Island, (24x FH-70
 * 22nd Engineer Regiment, Perham Down
 * No. 656 Squadron AAC (7th Rgt, AAC), (Lynx AH.7, Gazelle AH.1)
 * 43rd (Wessex) Brigade, Wyvern Barracks, Exeter, guards channel ports
 * 1st Btn, Royal Regiment of Wales, Warminster, Infantry Demonstration Unit
 * ''94 Locating Regiment Royal Artillery, Larkhill (Target Acquisition) (to 1st Artillery Brigade)
 * Royal Wessex Yeomanry (TA), Light Reconnaissance
 * 6th Btn, The Light Infantry (TA), Bath, Somerset
 * 4th Btn, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment (TA), Exeter
 * South-Eastern District (Aldershot)
 * 2nd Infantry Brigade
 * Headquarters (1985) Risborough Barracks, Shorncliffe
 * 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
 * 2nd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets
 * 5th Battalion, Queen's Regiment, Canterbury
 * 6th/7th Battalion, Queen's Regiment, Horsham
 * 5th Airborne Brigade, Aldershot, may reinforce any NATO command
 * Life Guards, Windsor, (48x FV107 Scimitar)
 * 1st Btn, Parachute Regiment, Aldershot
 * 2nd Btn, The Parachute Regiment, Aldershot
 * 1st Btn, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles, Church Crookham
 * 1st Btn, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Canterbury
 * 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, Aldershot, (24x Light Gun)
 * 658th Squadron, Army Air Corps (7th Rgt, AAC), (6x Lynx AH.7, 6x Gazelle AH.1)
 * Eastern District (Flagstaff House, Colchester Garrison)
 * 19th Infantry Brigade, Colchester, (to join 4th Armoured Division within 48 hours after receiving marching orders)
 * HQ & 209th Signal Squadron, Colchester
 * 1st Btn, King's Own Royal Border Regiment, Colchester, (45x Saxon)
 * 1st Btn, Royal Anglian Regiment, Colchester, (45x Saxon)
 * 3rd Btn, Royal Anglian Regiment, Colchester, (45x Saxon)
 * 45th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, Colchester, (24x FH-70)
 * 9th/12th Royal Lancers, Wimbish, (48x FV107 Scimitar) (to 4th Armoured Division)
 * 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Brigade, Prince William of Gloucester Barracks, Grantham, guards RAF/USAF bases
 * 1st Btn, Royal Highland Fusiliers, Cambridge (71x FV432)
 * Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry (TA), Light Reconnaissance
 * 3rd Btn, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (TA), Newark-on-Trent
 * 3rd Btn, Yorkshire Volunteers (TA), Huddersfield
 * 4th Btn, Yorkshire Volunteers (TA), Sheffield
 * 4th Btn, Parachute Regiment (TA), Leeds (to Parachute Regiment Group, 1st Armoured Division)
 * 6th Btn, Royal Anglian Regiment (TA), Bury St Edmunds
 * 16th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Artillery, Kirton in Lindsey (48x towed Rapier missile systems) (to 1st Artillery Brigade)
 * North-Western District (Fulwood Barracks, Preston)
 * 42nd (Northwest) Infantry Brigade, Chester, guards Merseyside Ports
 * 3rd Btn, The Light Infantry, Blackpool, Light Role
 * Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry (TA), Chorley, (80x Fox, 20x Spartan)
 * 4th Btn, King's Own Royal Border Regiment (TA), Lancaster
 * 5th/8th Btn, King's Regiment (TA), Warrington (to 4th Armoured Division)
 * 3rd Btn, Cheshire Regiment (TA), Runcorn
 * 103rd (V) Lancashire Artillery, Royal Artillery, Liverpool (64x Javelin) (to 1st Artillery Brigade)
 * Scotland District (The Castle, Edinburgh)
 * 51st (Highland) Infantry Brigade, Perth, guards the Northern Scottish RAF bases
 * 1st Btn, Gordon Highlanders, Fort George, Light Role
 * 1st Btn, 51st Highland Volunteers (TA), Perth (to 11th Armoured Brigade)
 * 2nd Btn, 51st Highland Volunteers (TA), Elgin (to 4th Armoured Division)
 * 3rd Btn, 51st Highland Volunteers (TA), Peterhead
 * 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Brigade, Edinburgh, guards the Southern Scottish RAF bases
 * 1st Btn, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Edinburgh, Light Role
 * 1st Btn, 52nd Lowland Volunteers (TA), Glasgow (to 4th Armoured Division)
 * 2nd Btn, 52nd Lowland Volunteers (TA), Edinburgh
 * 15th Btn, Parachute Regiment (TA), Glasgow (to Parachute Regiment Group, 1st Armoured Division)
 * 105th (V) Scottish) Air Defence Regiment, Royal Artillery, Edinburgh (80x Javelin) (to I British Corps)
 * London District (Horse Guards, Whitehall)
 * 56th (London) Infantry Brigade, London, home defence
 * Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, Hyde Park Barracks
 * 1st Btn, Coldstream Guards, Wellington Barracks
 * 1st Btn, Irish Guards, Chelsea Barracks
 * 1st Btn, Welsh Guards, Victoria Barracks
 * 2nd Btn, Grenadier Guards, Caterham Barracks
 * 2nd Btn, Scots Guards, Cavalry Barracks
 * Honourable Artillery Company, Finsbury (to Corps Patrol Unit, 1 (Br) Corps)
 * 4th Btn, Royal Green Jackets (TA), London (to 1st Armoured Division)
 * 8th (V) Btn, Queen's Fusiliers, Clapham (to 1st Artillery Brigade)
 * 10th Btn, Parachute Regiment (TA), London (to Parachute Regiment Group, 1st Armoured Division)
 * 101st (London) Engineer Regiment (V), London
 * Western District (Copthorne Barracks, Shrewsbury)
 * 143rd (West Midlands) Infantry Brigade, Shrewsbury, home defence
 * 1st Btn, Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Ternhill, (45x Saxon)
 * 4th Btn, Worcestershire & Sherwood Foresters (TA), Redditch (to I British Corps)
 * 104th (V) Air Defence Regiment, Royal Artillery, Newport, Wales (80x Javelin) (to 1st Artillery Brigade)
 * 30th Engineer Brigade, Stafford (to BAOR)
 * 71st (Scottish) Engineer Regiment (V), Glasgow
 * 72nd Engineer Regiment (V), Gateshead
 * 73rd Engineer Regiment (V), Nottingham
 * 74th Engineer Regiment (V), Northern Ireland
 * 75th Engineer Regiment (V), Manchester
 * Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (V), Monmouth
 * Headquarters Wales (The Barracks, Brecon)
 * 160th (Welsh) Infantry Brigade, Brecon, guards Welsh ports
 * 1st Btn, Cheshire Regiment, Chester, Light Role
 * 3rd Btn, Royal Welch Fusiliers (TA), Wrexham
 * 3rd Btn, Royal Regiment of Wales (TA), Cardiff (to 4th Armoured Division)
 * 4th Btn, Royal Regiment of Wales (TA), Swansea
 * 11th Signal Brigade, Stafford (to BAOR)
 * 31st (City of London) Signal Regiment (V), London
 * 33rd (Lancashire & Cheshire) Signal Regiment (V), Huyton
 * 34 (Northern) Signal Regiment (V), Leeds (to I British Corps)
 * 35th (South Midland) Signal Regiment (V), Coventry
 * 36 (Eastern) Signal Regiment (V), Cambridge (to I British Corps)
 * 40 (Ulster) Signal Regiment (V), Belfast (to I British Corps)
 * No. 666 Squadron AAC (7 Regiment Army Air Corps)
 * Jersey Field Squadron (Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey)

General Officer Commanding, Army Strategic Command
Holders of the post have been:
 * General Sir John Mogg 1968–1970
 * Lt General Sir Mervyn Butler 1970–1971
 * Lt General Sir Frank King 1971–1972

Commander-in-Chief, UK Land Forces
Holders of the post have been:
 * General Sir Basil Eugster 1972–1974
 * General Sir Roland Gibbs 1974–1976
 * General Sir Edwin Bramall 1976–1978
 * General Sir John Archer 1978–1980
 * General Sir Timothy Creasey 1980–1981
 * General Sir John Stanier 1981–1982
 * General Sir Frank Kitson 1982–1985
 * General Sir James Glover 1985–1987
 * General Sir John Chapple 1987–1988
 * General Sir Charles Huxtable 1988–1990
 * General Sir John Waters 1990–1993
 * General Sir John Wilsey 1993–1995

Commander-in-Chief, Land Command
Holders of the post have been:
 * General Sir John Wilsey 1995–1996
 * General Sir Roger Wheeler 1996–1997
 * General Sir Michael Walker 1997–2000
 * General Sir Michael Jackson 2000–2003
 * General Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman 2003–2005
 * General Sir Richard Dannatt 2005–2006
 * General Sir Redmond Watt 2006–2008