British First World War cavalry generals


The British First World War cavalry generals, by the end of the war belonged to one of the smallest arms of the British Army, they did however, including those belonging to the British Indian Army, provided some of its highest ranking commanders.
The cavalry were well represented among the British Army's higher ranks, with five of the ten officers who would command the five armies on the Western Front being cavalrymen. In the British Army the term "cavalry" was only used for regular army units. The other mounted regiments in the army, which were part of the Territorial Force reserve, were the yeomanry and special reserve regiments of horse. However the yeomanry formations were commanded by cavalry or ex-cavalry officers.
The two commanders of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War, Field Marshals John French and Douglas Haig, came from the 19th Hussars and 7th Hussars respectively. William Robertson, 3rd Dragoon Guards, who rose in rank from private to field marshal, was the Quartermaster General, then Chief of Staff of the British Expeditionary Force, before becoming the Chief of the Imperial General Staff in December 1915.
Edmund Allenby, 6th Dragoons, who started the war as the commander of the Cavalry Division, went on to command the Cavalry Corps, then V Corps, the Third Army, and the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. He was replaced as commander of the Third Army by Julian Byng, 10th Royal Hussars who had previously commanded the Canadian Corps. Hubert Gough of the 16th Lancers, known before the war for his involvement in the Curragh incident mutiny, started the war as a brigade commander, became the commander of the I Corps, then the Fifth Army. He was replaced by William Birdwood, 12th Royal Lancers, who had previously commanded the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the Gallipoli Campaign. Charles Briggs, 1st Dragoon Guards, commanded the British Salonika Army. William Peyton, 15th Hussars, commanded the Western Desert Force during the Senussi Campaign. He later transferred to the Western Front, where he was temporarily commander of the Fifth Army before taking over command of the X Corps.

Cavalry generals



Name Rank Command Regiment
Egyptian Expeditionary Force
1st South Western Mounted Brigade
XIV Corps
41st Brigade
179th Brigade
Derajat Brigade
57th Division
4th Cavalry Division
Director of Remounts EEF
2nd Cavalry Brigade
8th Cavalry Brigade

66th Division
3rd Cavalry Brigade
66th Division
British Salonika Army
1st Cavalry Division
Fifth Army
57th Division
22nd Mounted Brigade
South Eastern Mounted Brigade
59th Brigade
19th Division
8th Cavalry Brigade
7th Cavalry Brigade
The Cyclist Division
Third Army
11th Indian Cavalry Brigade
Head of mission Belgian Army
5th Cavalry Brigade
21st Division
Head of mission French Army
General Staff officer War Office
XX Corps
10th Cavalry Brigade
34th Brigade
2nd Indian Cavalry Division
Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade
2nd Tank Brigade
Mesopotamia Cavalry Division
1st Cavalry Brigade
XV Corps
7th Cavalry Brigade
14th Indian Division
8th Cavalry Brigade
V Corps
8th Brigade
5th Mounted Brigade
4th Mounted Division
British Expeditionary Force
22nd Mounted Brigade
8th Cavalry Brigade
Director of Remounts BEF
10th Cavalry Brigade
2nd Cavalry Division
11th Cavalry Brigade
10th Cavalry Brigade
Fifth Army
British Expeditionary Force
5th Cavalry Brigade
15th Cavalry Brigade
DA&QMG
3rd Cavalry Division
3rd Tank Brigade
Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade
Welsh Border Mounted Brigade
229th Brigade
Australian Mounted Division
Remount Service
6th Indian Cavalry Brigade
DA&QMG Fourth Army
Brigadier-General General Staff
Provost Marshal BEF
General Staff II Corps
10th Cavalry Brigade
8th Division
Director of Organisation War Office
Administrative Staff
97th Brigade
Mesopotamia Cavalry Division
Cavalry Corps
13th Cavalry Brigade
3rd Mounted Brigade
4th Cavalry Division
9th Cavalry Brigade
Commandant Embarkation India
7th Mounted Brigade
Chief of the General Staff BEF
2nd Cavalry Brigade
1st Indian Cavalry Division
9th Cavalry Brigade
2/1st Welsh Border Mounted Brigade
Commander Canal Zone
56th Brigade
3rd Reserve Cavalry Brigade
Inspector of Cavalry
5th Cavalry Division
Commander-in-Chief, Ireland
230th Brigade
6th Cavalry Brigade
2nd Cavalry Brigade
64th Brigade
DA&QMG
Lowland Mounted Brigade
159th Brigade
General Staff
1st Cavalry Division
Le Havre Base
63rd Brigade
7th Cavalry Brigade
2/1st Western Mounted Brigade
187th Brigade
2nd Mounted Brigade
5th Tank Brigade
6th Cavalry Brigade
DA&QMG
Fifth Army
9th Division
38th Division
3rd Cavalry Brigade
1st Brigade Royal Flying Corps
2nd Cavalry Division
6th Mounted Brigade
Jhansi Brigade
7th Cavalry Brigade
3rd Cavalry Brigade
Indian Cavalry Corps
4th Cavalry Brigade
Chief Imperial General Staff
8th Mounted Brigade
32nd Division
54th Brigade
Canadian Cavalry Brigade
1st Cavalry Brigade
8th Cavalry Brigade
60th Division
2/1st Yorkshire Mounted Brigade
Inspector General of Cavalry
59th Division
7th Cyclist Brigade
42nd Division
Liaison officer French GHQ
Scottish Horse Mounted Brigade
Highland Mounted Brigade
Chief of the Air Staff
DA&QMG
8th Mounted Brigade
GOC Sierra Leone
1st Cavalry Brigade
Yeomanry Mounted Brigade
3rd Cavalry Division
35th Brigade
4th Division
9th Cavalry Brigade

Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade
84th Brigade
134th Brigade
7th Mounted Brigade
1st Mounted Brigade
2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade
22nd Mounted Brigade
5th Cavalry Brigade
Western Desert Force
7th Division