British Expeditionary Force formation in August 1914
The formation of the British Expeditionary Force in August 1914 ( British Expeditionary Force ) shows the composition of the first fighting force after the start of World War I was sent to France and Belgium. It includes all combat units and combat support units.
Troop strength
Together, six infantry divisions and one cavalry division were deployed, which consisted of 71 infantry battalions and 14 cavalry regiments. Together with the support troops, there were about 70,000 men. When the war began, there were no permanent cavalry divisions in Britain. In the course of the mobilization, the first four cavalry brigades were combined into a division, a fifth brigade (No. 5) remained independent.
At the time of mobilization, the British feared a possible German landing on the east coast of England. They therefore decided to hold back two divisions for the defense of the island, which is why they initially only sent four infantry divisions and one cavalry division to France at the beginning of August 1914. A fifth infantry division was ordered in late August and a sixth in early September.
Indian Expeditionary Force A
The "Indian Expeditionary Force A" were Indian units that were incorporated into the expeditionary force. They arrived in Marseille on September 20, 1914 . There were four divisions, combined in the Indian corps into two infantry divisions and an Indian cavalry corps into two divisions. The commanding officer was James Willcocks . The so-called Lahore Division fought on the front lines in the Battle of La Bassée (October 10 to November 2, 1914). "Force A" was then disbanded and the Indian infantry were sent to Egypt in October 1915. The loss of officers to which these troops were used, also because they knew the language of the people, were as bad for them as the cold of winter. The "Force A" had no regimental artillery and no modern equipment. Only the two cavalry divisions remained in France and served to support the British troops, which had also become smaller. They were withdrawn from the Western Front in March 1918 and also transferred to Egypt.
Troops came from the princely states of the Indian Empire , consisting mainly of Punjab , Rajasthan or Sikh soldiers. The forces of the Indian Army were formed from volunteers who were particularly recruited in the regions administered by the British Empire. "Force A" consisted of more than 130,000 soldiers who were deployed in France and Belgium, of which 9,000 did not return.
organization chart
listing
- Marshal Supreme Commander Sir John French
- - General Staff -
- General Sir Archibald Murray ,
- General Henry Hughes Wilson ,
- General Sir Nevil Macready ,
- General ERC Graham,
- General Sir William Robertson ,
- General WFL Lindsay
- General George Henry Fowke
- Col. George Montague Harper , Col. George Macdonogh, Col. Alfred Cavendish, Col. CT Dawkins.
1st Cavalry Division
- General Edmund Allenby
- 1st Cavalry Brigade ( 1st Cavalry Brigade ) - General Charles James Briggs
- 1st Signal Troop
- 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)
- 5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's)
- 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own)
- 2nd Cavalry Brigade - Brigadier-General Henry de Beauvoir De Lisle
- 2nd Signal Troop
- 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards
- 9th Queen's Royal Lancers
- 18th Hussars (Queen Mary's Own)
- 3rd Cavalry Brigade - Brigadier General Hubert Gough , then Brigadier General John Vaughan
- 3rd Signal Troop
- 4th Queen's Own Hussars
- 5th Royal Irish Lancers
- 16th Queen's Lancers
- 4th Cavalry Brigade - Brigadier-General Hon. CE Bingham
- 4th Signal Troop
- Household Cavalry Composite Regiment
- Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards)
- 3rd King's Own Hussars
- Division troops
-
III Brigade Royal Horse Artillery
- D Battery Royal Horse Artillery / E Battery Royal Horse Artillery
-
VII Brigade Royal Horse Artillery
- I Battery, Royal Horse Artillery / L Battery Royal Horse Artillery
- 1st Engineers Field Squadron (Royal Engineers)
- 1st Signal Squadron
- 1st Division Supply Column
- 5th Cavalry Brigade - Brigadier General Sir Philip Chetwode
- Royal Scots Grays (2nd Dragoons)
- 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's)
- 20th Hussars
- J Battery Royal Horse Artillery
I Corps
- General Sir Douglas Haig
1st division
- General Samuel Lomax
- 1st Guards Brigade - General Ivor Maxse
- 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
- 1st Battalion, Guardsman
- 1st Battalion, Royal Highlanders
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers
- 2nd Infantry Brigade - General Edward Bulfin
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
- 3rd Infantry Brigade - General HJS Landon
- 1st Battalion, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
- 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers
- 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Welch Regiment
- Division troops
- A Squadron, 15th Hussars (The King's)
- 1st Cyclist Company
- 1st Division Ammo Column
- 1st Division Signal Company
- 1st Division Train
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd Field Hospital
- 23rd Field Company, RE / 26th Field Company, RE (Royal Engineers)
-
XXV Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 113th Battery, RFA / 114th Battery, RFA / 115th Battery, RFA
-
XXVI Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 116th Battery, RFA / 117th Battery, RFA / 118th Battery, RFA
-
XXXIX Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 46th Battery, RFA / 51st Battery, RFA / 54th Battery, RFA
-
XLIII (Howitzer) Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 30th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 40th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 57th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 26th Heavy Battery, RGA
2nd division
- General Charles Monro
- 4th Guards Brigade - General Robert Scott-Kerr
- 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards
- 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards
- 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards
- 1st Battalion, Irish Guards
- 5th Infantry Brigade - General RCB Haking
- 2nd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
- 2nd Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
- 2nd Battalion, Connaught Rangers
- 6th Infantry Brigade - General RH Davies (New Zealand Staff Corps)
- 1st Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool)
- 2nd Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment)
- 1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
- Division troops
- B Squadron, 15th (The King's) Hussars
- 2nd Cyclist Company
- 2nd Division Ammo Column
- 2nd Division Signal Company
- 2nd Division Train
- 4th, 5th, 6th, Field Hospital
- 5th Field Company, RE / 11th Field Company, RE (Royal Engineers)
-
XXXIV Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 22nd Battery, RFA / 50th Battery, RFA / 70th Battery, RFA
-
XXXVI Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 15th Battery, RFA / 48th Battery, RFA / 71st Battery, RFA
-
XXXXI Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 9th Battery, RFA / 16th Battery, RFA / 17th Battery, RFA
-
XXXXIV (Howitzer) Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 47th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 56th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 60th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 35th Heavy Battery, RGA
II Corps
- General Sir James Grierson
3rd division
- General Hubert IW Hamilton
- 6th Infantry Brigade - General Frederick McCracken
- 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment)
- 1st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment)
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
- 8th Infantry Brigade - General Beauchamp Doran
- 2nd Battalion, The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment
- 4th Battalion, Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment)
- 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
- 9th Infantry Brigade - General Frederick Charles Shaw
- 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
- 4th Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
- 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers
- Division troops
- C Squadron, 15th (The King's) Hussars
- 3rd Cyclist Company
- 3rd Division Ammo Column
- 3rd Division Signal Company
- 3rd Division Train
- 7th, 8th, 9th Field Hospital
- 56th Field Company, RE / 57th Field Company, RE (Royal Engineers)
-
XXIII Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 107th Battery, RFA / 108th Battery, RFA / 109th Battery, RFA
-
XXXX Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 6th Battery, RFA / 23rd Battery, RFA / 45th Battery, RFA
-
XXXXII Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 29th Battery, RFA / 41st Battery, RFA / 45th Battery, RFA
-
XXX Brigade (Howitzer) Royal Field Artillery
- 128th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 129th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 130th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 48th Heavy Battery, RGA
5th division
- General Sir Charles Fergusson
- 13th Infantry Brigade - General GJ Cuthbert
- 2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers
- 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding)
- 1st Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
- 2nd Battalion, King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry)
- 14th Infantry Brigade - General Stuart Peter Rolt
- 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
- 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
- 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment
- 15th Infantry Brigade - General AEW Count Gleichen
- 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment
- Division troops
- A Squadron, 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own)
- 5th Cyclist Company
- 5th Division Ammo Column
- 5th Division Signal Company
- 5th Division Train
- 13th, 14th, 15th Field Hospital
- 59th Field Company, RE / 17th Field Company, RE (Royal Engineers)
-
XV Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 11th Battery, RFA / 52nd Battery, RFA / 80th Battery, RFA
-
XXVII Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 119th Battery, RFA / 120th Battery, RFA / 121st Battery, RFA
-
XXVIII Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 122nd Battery, RFA / 123rd Battery, RFA / 124th Battery, RFA
-
VIII Brigade (Howitzer) Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 37th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 61st (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 65th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 108th Heavy Battery, RGA
III Corps
- General William Pulteney
4th division
- General Thomas D'Oyly Snow
- 10th Infantry Brigade - General Aylmer Haldane
- 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's)
- 1st Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers)
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers
- 11th Infantry Brigade - General Aylmer Hunter-Weston
- 1st Battalion, Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry)
- 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
- 12th Infantry Brigade - General HFM Wilson
- 1st Battalion, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)
- 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
- 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment
- Division troops
- B Squadron, 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own)
- 4th Cyclist Company
- 4th Division Ammo Column
- 4th Division Signal Company
- 4th Division Train
- 10th, 11th, 12th Field Hospital
- 7th Field Company, RE / 9th Field Company, RE (Royal Engineers)
-
XIV Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 39th Battery, RFA / 68th Battery, RFA / 88th Battery, RFA
-
XXIX Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 125th Battery, RFA / 126th Battery, RFA / 127th Battery, RFA
-
XXXII Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 27th Battery, RFA / 134th Battery, RFA / 135th Battery, RFA
-
XXXVII (Howitzer) Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 31st (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 35th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 55th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 31st Heavy Battery, RGA
6th Division
- General John Keir
- 16th Infantry Brigade - General Edward Ingouville-Williams
- 1st Battalion, The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)
- 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry)
- 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
- 17th Infantry Brigade - General WRB Doran
- 1st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
- 1st Battalion, Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment)
- 2nd Battalion, Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)
- 3rd Battalion, Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own)
- 18th Infantry Brigade - General Walter Norris Congreve
- 1st Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment)
- 1st Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)
- 2nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
- Division troops
- C Squadron, 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal)
- 6th Cyclist Company
- 6th Division Ammo Column
- 6th Division Signal Company
- 6th Division Train
- 16th, 17th, 18th Field Hospital
- 12th Field Company, RE / 38th Field Company, RE (Royal Engineers)
-
II Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 21st Battery, RFA / 42nd Battery, RFA / 53rd Battery, RFA
-
XXIV Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 110th Battery, RFA / 111th Battery, RFA / 112th Battery, RFA
-
XXXVIII Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 24th Battery, RFA / 34th Battery, RFA / 72nd Battery, RFA
-
XII (Howitzer) Brigade Royal Field Artillery
- 43rd (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 86th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 87th (Howitzer) Battery, RFA / 24th Heavy Battery, RGA
Subordinated directly to the army
cavalry
- "North Irish Horse" (Escadrons A, B, and C)
Siege artillery
- No. 1 wins Battery
- No. 2 wins Battery
- No. 3 wins Battery
- No. 4 wins Battery
- No. 5 wins Battery
- No. 6 wins Battery
infantry
- 1st Battalion "Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders"
Royal Flying Corps (Air Force)
- Commanding Officer: Sir David Henderson - Chief of Staff: Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Sykes
- No. 2 Squadron RFC, Major Charles Burke
- No. 3rd Squadron RFC, Major John Salmond
- No. 4th Squadron RFC, Major GH Raleigh
- No. 5th Squadron RFC, Major JFA Higgins
- No. 6 Squadron RFC Major John Becke
- 1st Aircraft Park, Major AD Carden
Units for guarding and securing the communication lines
- 1st Battalion "Devonshire Regiment"
- 2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers
- 1st Battalion "Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)"
- 1st Battalion "Middlesex Regiment (The Duke of Cambridge's Own)"
- 2nd Battalion "Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)"
Sanitary
12th and 20th Field Hospital
GHQ Troops, (Royal Engineers)
The pioneers of the army groups were under the General Headquarters Troops. In 1914 they were composed as follows:
- 1st Bridging Train, Royal Engineers - 1st bridging train
- 2nd Bridging Train, Royal Engineers - 2nd bridging train
- 1st Siege Company, Royal Monmouthshire Militia, (Royal Engineers) - 1st Siege Company
- 4th Siege Company, Royal Monmouthshire Militia, (Royal Engineers) - 4th Siege Company
- 1st Siege Company, Royal Anglesey Militia, (Royal Engineers) - 1st Siege Company
- 2nd Siege Company, Royal Anglesey Militia, (Royal Engineers) - 2nd Siege Company
- 1st Ranging Section, (Royal Engineers)
- Railway Transport Establishment - railway transport division
- 8th Railway Company, (Royal Engineers) - 8th Railway Company
- 10th Railway Company, (Royal Engineers) - 10th Railway Company
- 2nd Railway Company, Royal Monmouthshire Militia, (Royal Engineers)
- 3rd Railway Company, Royal Monmouthshire Militia, (Royal Engineers) - 3rd Railway Company
- 3rd Railway Company, Royal Anglesey Militia, (Royal Engineers) - 3rd Railway Company
- 29th General Headquarters Troops Company, (Royal Engineers) - 29th General Headquarters Troops Company
- 20th Fortress Company, (Royal Engineers) - 20th Fortress Company
- 25th Fortress Company, (Royal Engineers) - 25th Fortress Company
- 31st Fortress Company, (Royal Engineers) - 31st Fortress Company
- 42nd Fortress Company, (Royal Engineers) - 42nd Fortress Company
- 1st Printing Company, (Royal Engineers) - 1st printing company
composition
The cavalry regiments consisted of four escadrons and two mitrailleuses . A battalion of infantry consisted of four companies and also had two mitrailleuses.
A Royal Horse Artillery battery had six 13-pounder cannons, while a Royal Field Artillery battery had six 18-pounder cannons and six 4.5-pounder howitzers.
A heavy battery of the "Royal Garrison Artillery" (foot artillery) carried four 60 pounder cannons.
In each battery there were two ammunition wagons per gun, and each artillery brigade had an ammunition column.
In September 1914, each division was assigned a Maxim-Nordenfelt-1-pounder rapid-fire gun (37-mm- "Pom-Pom") for defense against airships , which was used in the division artillery.
- The cavalry division consisted of 12 regiments of four escadrons each. It had a personnel strength of 9,269 men with 9,815 horses, 24 13-pounder cannons and 24 mitrailleuses.
- The infantry division consisted of three brigades of four battalions each. It had a staff of 18,073 men with 5592 horses, 76 cannons and 24 mitrailleuses.
The strength of the British Army
The British Expeditionary Force represented the majority of the available armed forces, another part was located overseas. The defense of the home area had been assigned to volunteers, territorial forces and reservists. The effective strength of the regular army in July 1914 was 125,000 men on the British Isles, plus 5,000 men in India and Burma, and 33,000 men in the other colonies. The reserves amounted to 145,000 men, 64,000 of them in the militia. The territorial forces had a strength of 272,000 men.
literature
- David Chandler: The Oxford History of the British Army . Oxford paperbacks, 2003, ISBN 0-19-280311-5 .
- Mike Chappell: The British Army in World War I: The Western Front 1914-16 . Osprey Publishing, 2003, ISBN 1-84176-399-3 .
- Paul Cornish: Machine-Guns and the Great War . Pen & Sword Military, 2009, ISBN 978-1848840478 .
- William Griffiths, Thomas Griess: The Great War . Square One Publishers, 2003.
- Roman Jarymowycz, Donn Starry: Cavalry from Hoof to Track . Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008, p. 124.
- GJ Meyer: A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 . Delacorte Press, 2006.
- Pearce, Malcolm; Stewart, Geoffrey (2002). British political history, 1867-2001: democracy and decline. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26869-9
- Gary Sheffield, Martin Pelger: War on the Western Front . Osprey Publishing, 2007.
- Ian Sumner: The Indian Army 1914-1947 . Osprey Publishing, 2001.
- Spencer Tucker, T Roberts: World War I: encyclopedia . ABC-CLIO, 2005.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Ian Sumner & Mike Chappell "The Indian army, 1914-1947" Section 5 Oxford Edition Omprey Pub / Osprey elite series N ° 75 2001 ISBN 978-1-841-76196-1
- ^ The British Army in the Great War of 1914-1918
- ↑ The name Battalion was replaced by Brigade in 1859.
- ↑ Division supply column
- ↑ Cycling company
- ↑ Ammunition column
- ↑ Telecommunication company
- ^ Royal Garrison Artillery - fortress artillery
- ^ Died on August 17, 1914 on the train journey between Rouen and Amiens . The command went to General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien in Bavai on August 21 .
- ↑ Replaced in September by 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment
- ↑ Compiled in France on August 31.
- ^ The division was landed in France on the night of August 22nd to 23rd, 1914.
- ^ The division was landed in France on the night of September 8th to 9th, 1914.
- ^ Arrived in St. Nazaire on October 5th. First used on October 16
- ^ The Corps Of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889-2018 , p. 18.