Hubert Gough

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough, GCB, GCMG, KCVO (August 12, 1870 – 1963) was a British World War I general who commanded the British Fifth Army from 1916 to 1918.

Gough was a cavalry officer who, as a favourite of the British Commander-in-Chief, General Sir Douglas Haig, experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks during the war. At the outbreak of war in August 1914, Gough was commanding a brigade and later commanded the 7th Division, known as "Gough's Mobile Army". By the time of the Battle of Loos in September 1915, he was commanding I Corps and, at the start of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916, Gough was in charge of the Reserve Army, despite only being a lieutenant general.

At the end of October 1916, Gough's Reserve Army was renamed the Fifth Army. The 16th (Irish) Division and the 36th (Ulster) Division moved under his command. He had little regard for the Irish and in July 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres , although both divisions were totally exhausted after 13 days of moving heavy equipment under heavy shelling he ordered their battalions advance to the east of Ypres through deep mud towards well fortified German positions left untouched by totally inadequate artillery preparation. By mid August, the 16th (Irish) had suffered over 4,200 casualties and the 36th (Ulster) had suffered almost 3,600 casualties, or more than 50% of their numbers, which General Haig was very critical of him for "playing the Irish card" (Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson: Passchendaele, the untold truth (1997) pp 102-105).

It was Gough's Fifth Army that bore the brunt of the German Operation Michael offensive on 21 March 1918 and the failure of his army to hold the line and stem the German advance led to his dismissal. He retired as a general in 1922.

From 1936 until 1943, he was honorary colonel of the 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers. Sir Hubert was also the older brother of General John Gough VC.