Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)

Chief of General Staff
(CGS)

Flag of the Chief of the General Staff
Incumbent
General Sir Nick Carter
since 2014
Ministry of Defence
Member of Defence Council
Army Board
Reports to Chief of the Defence Staff
Nominator Secretary of State for Defence
Appointer Prime Minister
Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council
Term length Not fixed
Formation 1904, 1964

Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board. Prior to 1964 the title was Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS). Since 1959, the post has been immediately subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Staff, the post held by the professional head of the British Armed Forces.

The current Chief of the General Staff is General Sir Nick Carter – having succeeded his predecessor, General Sir Peter Wall in September 2014.

Background

The title was also used for five years between the demise of the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in 1904 and the introduction of Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1909. The post was then held by General Sir Neville Lyttelton and, briefly, by Field Marshal Sir William Nicholson.

Throughout the existence of the post the Chief of the General Staff has been the First Military Member of the Army Board.[1]

Chiefs of the General Staff (1904–1909)

Rank Name Image In office Notes Reference
General Sir Neville Lyttelton 12 February 1904 – 2 April 1908 First CGS [2]
Field Marshal Sir William Nicholson 2 April 1908 – 22 November 1909 [3]

Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff, 1909–1964

Rank Name Image In office Notes Reference
Field Marshal Sir William Nicholson 22 November 1909 – 15 March 1912 [4]
Field Marshal Sir John French 15 March 1912 – 6 April 1914 [5]
General Sir Charles Douglas 6 April – 25 October 1914 [6]
Lieutenant General Sir James Wolfe-Murray October 1914 – 26 September 1915 [7]
General Sir Archibald Murray 26 September – December 1915 [8]
General Sir William Robertson 23 December 1915 – February 1918 [9]
Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson 19 February 1918 – 19 February 1922 [10]
Field Marshal Frederick Rudolph Lambart,
10th Earl of Cavan		 19 February 1922 – 19 February 1926 [11]
Field Marshal Sir George Milne 19 February 1926 – 19 February 1933 [12]
Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd February 1933 – February 1936 [13]
Field Marshal Sir Cyril Deverell February 1936 – 6 December 1937 [14]
General John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort 6 December 1937 – 3 September 1939 [15]
General Sir Edmund Ironside 4 September 1939 – 26 May 1940 [16]
Field Marshal Sir John Dill 26 May 1940 – 25 December 1941 [17]
Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke 25 December 1941 – 25 June 1946 [18]
Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery 26 June 1946 – 1 November 1948 [18][19]
Field Marshal Sir William Slim 1 November 1948 – 1 November 1952 [20]
Field Marshal Sir John Harding 1 November 1952 – 29 September 1955 [21]
Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer 29 September 1955 – 29 September 1958 [22]
Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing 29 September 1958 – 1 November 1961 [23]
Field Marshal Sir Richard Hull 1 November 1961 – April 1964 Last CIGS and first CGS; first Army officer to be
Chief of the Defence Staff, 1965–1967		 [24][25][26]

Chiefs of the General Staff (post 1964)

Rank Name Image Assumed office Notes Reference
Field Marshal Sir Richard Hull April 1964 The post of Chief of the Imperial General Staff was renamed Chief of the General Staff in the 1960s
Field Marshal Sir James Cassels 8 February 1965 [25]
Field Marshal Sir Geoffrey Baker 1 March 1968 Master Gunner, St James's Park, 1970–1976; Constable of the Tower of London, 1975–1980 [27][28][29]
Field Marshal Sir Michael Carver 1 April 1971 CDS, 1973–1976 [30][28]
General Sir Peter Hunt 19 July 1973 Constable of the Tower of London, 1980–1985 [31][32]
Field Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs 15 July 1976 Constable of the Tower of London, 1985–1990 [33][34]
Field Marshal Sir Edwin Bramall 14 July 1979 Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, 1986–1998; CDS, 1982–1985 [35][36][37]
Field Marshal Sir John Stanier 1 August 1982 First CGS after World War II not to have served in that war; Constable of the Tower of London, 1990–1996 [32][38][39]
Field Marshal Sir Nigel Bagnall 28 July 1985 [40]
Field Marshal Sir John Chapple 10 September 1988 [41]
Field Marshal Sir Peter Inge 14 February 1992 CDS, 1994–1997; Last CGS to hold the rank of field marshal; Constable of the Tower of London, 1996–2001 [32][42][43]
General Sir Charles Guthrie 15 March 1994 CDS, 1997–2004. Promoted to the honorary rank of field marshal in June 2012.[44] [43][45]
General Sir Roger Wheeler 3 February 1997 Constable of the Tower of London, 2001–2009 [46][47]
General Sir Michael Walker 17 April 2000 Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), 2003–2006
Promoted to the honorary rank of field marshal in the Queen's 2014 Birthday Honours.		 [48][49][50]
General Sir Mike Jackson 1 February 2003 [51]
General Sir Richard Dannatt 29 August 2006 Currently Constable of the Tower [52][53]
General Sir David Richards 28 August 2009 Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), 2010–2013 [54][55]
General Sir Peter Wall 15 September 2010 [56]
General Sir Nick Carter 5 September 2014 Incumbent. [57]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Arnold-Foster (1906), p. 481
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27645. p. 939. 12 February 1904. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28125. p. 2567. 3 April 1908. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28311. p. 8662. 23 November 1909. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "John French, 1st Earl of Ypres". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28819. p. 3002. 7 April 1914. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  7. ↑ "Sir James Wolfe-Murray". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 29353. p. 10912. 5 November 1915. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29426. p. 120. 31 December 1915. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30559. p. 2867. 5 March 1918. Retrieved 28 January 2008.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 32615. p. 1489. 20 February 1922. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 33134. p. 1242. 19 February 1926. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  13. ↑ Harris, J.P. (2004). "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  14. ↑ Heathcote (1999), p. 102
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34464. p. 7917. 17 December 1937. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  16. ↑ "Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34858. p. 3175. 24 May 1940. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
  18. 1 2 Fraser (1997), pp. 174, 485
  19. ↑ Hamilton (1986), pp. 621, 725
  20. ↑ "William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  21. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39689. p. 5863. 4 November 1952. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  22. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40598. p. 5555. 30 September 1955. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  23. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41508. p. 5954. 26 September 1958. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  24. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 42503. p. 7925. 31 October 1961. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  25. 1 2 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43569. p. 1361. 5 February 1965. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  26. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43712. p. 6717. 13 July 1965. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  27. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44539. p. 2655. 1 March 1968. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  28. 1 2 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45337. p. 3336. 5 April 1971. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  29. ↑ "Constable of the Tower of London". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  30. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46109. p. 12551. 23 October 1973. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  31. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46046. p. 9395. 7 August 1973. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  32. 1 2 3 "General Sir Richard Dannatt announced as new Constable of the Tower". Historic Royal Palaces. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  33. ↑ "Field Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 2 November 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  34. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46965. p. 9899. 19 July 1976. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  35. ↑ "Lord Bramall". parliament.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  36. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49142. p. 13571. 18 October 1982. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  37. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47916. p. 9695. 30 July 1979. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  38. ↑ "Field Marshal Sir John Stanie". The Times. Times Newspapers Ltd. 13 November 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  39. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49069. p. 10134. 2 August 1982. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  40. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50226. p. 11147. 12 August 1985. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  41. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51467. p. 10255. 12 September 1988. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  42. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 52838. p. 2789. 17 February 1992. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  43. 1 2 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53645. p. 5799. 18 April 1994. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  44. ↑ "Prince Charles awarded highest military ranks by Queen". BBC. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  45. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54726. p. 4170. 7 April 1997. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  46. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54668. p. 1419. 3 February 1997. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  47. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 56294. p. 1001. 6 August 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  48. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 55823. p. 4372. 18 April 2000. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  49. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56992. p. 8463. 8 July 2003. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  50. ↑ "2014 Birthday Honours for service personnel and defence civilians". Ministry of Defence. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  51. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56837. p. 1389. 3 February 2003. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  52. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58081. p. 11754. 29 August 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  53. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 59144. p. 13209. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  54. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59177. p. 15384. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  55. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59593. p. 21039. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  56. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59550. p. 18235. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  57. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60984. p. 2. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.

Bibliography

  • Arnold-Foster, Hugh Oakeley (1906). The Army in 1906: a Policy and a Vindication. London: John Murray. 
  • Fraser, David (1997). Alanbrooke. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780006388630. 
  • Hamilton, Nigel (1986). Monty: Final Years of the Field Marshal 1944–1976. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780070258075. 
  • Heathcote, T. A. (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736–1997. Pen & Sword. ISBN 0-85052-696-5. 
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