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Structure of the British Army in 1914

Revision as of 05:01, 22 January 2021 by Coldstreamer (Message Wall | contribs)
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The British Army during World War I fought the largest and most costly war in its long history. Unlike the French and German Armies, the British Army was made up exclusively of volunteers—as opposed to conscripts—at the beginning of the conflict. Furthermore, the British Army was considerably smaller than its French and German counterparts.

Notes

Units in Bold are higher commands (ie: Colonel +), Italics are for Special Reserve (ie Militia), and the Territorial Force.

Next to each command/unit (if applicable) will be the assignment given to the unit when mobilised.

Unit Notes:

  • Army Service Corps: unless stated all units were horse-drawn transport
  • Territorial Force: Only HQs are shown
  • Coastal Defence: commands ONLY control the regular troops, however some TF troops are allocated to certain areas, and are thereby shown under these commands.
  • Mounted Brigades & TF CRA: During peacetime, the TF mounted brigade RHA battery commanded the brigade ammunition column, however are shown separate, as when they were mobilised, these units were separated. This is the same in the TF Divisions, where the ammunition columns were attached to the divisional RGA units.
  • CRE (Divisional Engineers): According to Watson & Rinaldi, the CRE's didn't command the divisional signal companies, however all other sources (most of those provided below) state they were. For simplicity, all signal companies will be part of the CRE..
  • Units with (for xxxx) indicate this unit was due to move to that location in parenthesis

Army Council

War Office

The War Office was by no means a military command or staff, although is listed here for organisational reasons. Until the 1960's, the British Army was organised by "office", or area, those being; the Colonial Office (overseeing the colonies and overseas areas), the War Office (overseeing the "home commands", these forces later being combined as the Home Army (also known as Central Force), and finally the India and Burma Office (overseeing the British Raj and British Burma).

  • Secretary of State for War
    • Department of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for War
    • Department of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War
    • Department of the Financial Secretary of the War Office
    • Department of the Chief-of-Staff of the Imperial General Staff
    • Department of the Quartermaster-General to the Forces
    • Department of the Adjutant-General to the Forces
    • Office of the Judge Advocate-General to the Forces

Aldershot Command

Aldershot Command overseeing the following areas—From the Railway Station at Lisa, north-eastward along the South-Western Railway (but omitting the three small Portions of Sussex lying to the north of the railway, and the portions of the parishes of Artington, St. Nicholas and Stoke-next-Guildford to the west of the railway), through Woking to the Eastern boundary of Woking Parish, thence northward following the eastern boundaries of the Parishes of Woking, Horsell and Cbobham to the Wokingham and Reading Railway, thence westward along that railway as far as the River Loddon ; thence southwards along the River Loddon and the road leading from Reading to Liss Railway Station, through Odiham, Alton, Alton Butts and Selbourne ; but inclusive also of the portions of the Parishes of Alton and Chawton lying west of that road.

British 1st Division Insignia

Divisional insignia of the 1st Division as it was in 1914.

1st Division

2nd Division sign WW1

Divisional insignia of the 2nd Division as it was in 1914.

2nd Division

Eastern Command

Eastern Command (United Kingdom) Badge

Command insignia of Eastern Command as it was in 1914.

Eastern Command overseeing the following areas—The Counties of Northamptonshire, Cambndgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex (except Purfleet aud Rainham Rifle Range), Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey (except the portion included in the Aldershot Command), Sussex and Woolwich (exclusive of the Territorial Troops quartered therein).

4 div WW1

Divisional insignia of the 4th Division as it was in 1914.

4th Division

54th division sign WW1

Divisional insignia of the East Anglian Division as it was in 1914.

East Anglian Division

Home Counties Division

Eastern Coast Defences

Harwich Coast Defences

South Eastern Coast Defences

No.9 Regimental District

No.10 Regimental District

Irish Command

Irish Command, unlike all other home commands, reported directly to a regional Governor General, though informally reported to the War Office. In 1914, Irish Command was directly commanded by two people; (administratively) the Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland and the General Office Commanding-in-Chief the Forces in Ireland.

Because there was no Territorial Force on the entire island of Eire, the local defences were provided by the Militia (known after 1909 as the Special and Extra Reserve). This units are listed and report indirectly to the regimental districts.

British 5th Infantry Division

Divisional insignia of the 5th Division as it was in 1914.

5th Division

Sixdivlogo

Divisional insignia of the 6th Division as it was in 1914.

6th Division

North Irish Coast Defences

South Irish Coast Defences

No.11 Regimental District

No.12 Regimental District

London District

Londist

Command insignia of London District, as it was in 1914.

London District overseeing: the County of London, the Guards' Depôt at Caterham, Purfleet, Rainham Rifle Range, and (for Regular troops) Windsor. For purposes of training, the camp at Pirbright is included in the London District, Woolwich (exclusive of the Territorial troops quartered therein) is under the command of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command.

British 56th (1st London) Division insignia

1st London Divisional icon during the Great War.

1st London Division

British 47th (2nd London) Division insignia

2nd London Divisional insignia during the Great War.

2nd London Division

Northern Command (United Kingdom) Badge

Northern Command badge prior to World War II.

Northern Command

Northern Command overseeing: Berwick-on-Tweed (except the Regulars and Special Reserve), and the counties of Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, and Rutland.

50 div WW1

Division sign of the Northumbrian Division of World War One, not worn, used on signs.

Northumbrian Division

49th Infantry Division 3rd pattern

Formation sign of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division.

West Riding Division

46th Division ww1

Divisional sign of the North Midland Division during World War I.

North Midland Division

North Eastern Coast Defences

No.5 Regimental District

No.6 Regimental District

Scottish Command

HQ, Scotland CMD

Scottish Command formation badge.

Scottish Command comprising Scotland and Berwick-on-Tweed (so far regards Regulars and Special Reserve only).

Highland Division

Lowland Division

Coast Defences

Scottish Coast Defences

No.1 Regimental District

No.2 Regimental District

Southern Command

Southern Command comprising; The counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire (except Windsor for regular troops and that porition of the county included in Aldershot Command), Cornwall, Devonshire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, and Hampshire (except that porition included in Aldershot Command).

3rd Division

South Midland Division

Wessex Division

Southern Coast Defences

South Western Coast Defences

No.7 Regimental District

No.8 Regimental District

Western Command

Western Command comprising; Wales and the counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire (Wales), Lancashire, Cumberland, and Westmorland, and the Isle of Man.

West Lancashire Division

East Lancashire Division

Welsh Division

North Western Coast Defences

Western Coast Defences

No.3 Regimental District

No.4 Regimental District

Colonial Office

The Colonial Office exercised no military command; all colonies Governor Generals exercised this command.

Channel Islands

Guernsey and Alderney District

Jersey District

  • Jersey District, HQ at Grève de Lecq Barracks, Jersey

East Indies

  • Viceroy and Governor General of India — Though the British Indian Army was not itself part of the British Army, the Indian troops will be shown for simplicity.
    • Staff College, Quetta
    • Cavalry School, Saugor
    • Schools of Musketry, India
      • Central School, in Pachmarhi
      • Branch School, in Satara
      • Branch School, in Changla Gali

Northern Army

1st (Peshawar) Division
2nd (Rawalpindi) Division
3rd (Lahore) Division
7th (Meerut) Division
8th (Lucknow) Division

Southern Army

Southern Army, HQ in Ootacamund

4th (Quetta) Division
5th (Mhow) Division
6th (Poona) Division
9th (Secunderabad) Division
Burma Division

Mediterranean Command

Cyprus

Force in Egypt

Gibraltar

Malta and its Dependencies

Dominions, Colonies, and Protectorates

Union of South Africa

  • Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Union of South Africa, and High Commissioner for South Africa; Herbert Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone

South Africa

Pretoria District
Potchefstroom District
Cape of Good Hope District

West Africa

Gambia

Gold Coast Colony

Nigeria

Sierra Leone

Bermuda

Ceylon

Forces in China

  • Hong Kong and its Dependencies: Governor and Commander-in-Chief Sir F. H. May
    • Headquarters, in Victoria

North China

South China

Jamaica

Mauritius

Straits Settlements

Footnotes

Notes

  1. ↑ Colonel of the Gordon Highlanders.
  2. ↑ RHA Battery & Ammunition Column under the London Mounted Brigade
  3. ↑ Detachment in Gosport part of Southern Coast Defences
  4. ↑ Two coys under Eastern Coast Defences
  5. ↑ Sections in Forth and Clyde
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Directly subordinated to the Rifles Depot, though based at their home towns, and administratively report to those commands.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Established strength is 1 officer and 1 man.
  8. ↑ Established strength is 1 officer and 5 men

References

Physical

  • Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi (2018). The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organisation and Units 1889–2018. Tiger Lilly Books. ISBN 978-1717901804.
  • Westlake, Ray (2011). The Territorials : 1908-1914 : a guide for military and family historians. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-84884-360-8. OCLC 780443267. 
  • Westlake, Ray (1991). British territorial units 1914-18. London: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-85532-168-7. OCLC 26551062. 
  • Westlake, Ray (1991). British territorial units 1914-18. London: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-85532-168-7. OCLC 26551062. 
  • Frederick, J. B. M. (1984). Lineage book of British land forces 1660-1978 : biographical outlines of cavalry, yeomanry, armour, artillery, infantry, marines and air force land troops of regular and reserve forces (Volume I). Wakefield: Microform Academic. ISBN 978-1-85117-007-4. OCLC 18072764. 
  • Frederick, J. B. M. (1984). Lineage book of British land forces 1660-1978 : biographical outlines of cavalry, yeomanry, armour, artillery, infantry, marines and air force land troops of regular and reserve forces (Volume II). Wakefield: Microform Academic. ISBN 978-1-85117-008-1. OCLC 18072764. 
  • Farndale, Martin (1986). History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Woolwich, London: Royal Artillery Institution. ISBN 978-1-85753-099-5. OCLC 21298417. 
  • Becke, Archibald (2007). Order of battle of divisions. Uckfield: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84734-738-1. OCLC 613488101. 
  • Lord, Cliff (2004). The Royal Corps of Signals : unit histories of the Corps (1920-2001) and its antecedents. Solihull, West Midlands, England: Helion & Company. ISBN 978-1-874622-92-5. OCLC 184820114. 

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