Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)

Chief of General Staff

Flag of the Chief of the General Staff
Incumbent
General Sir Peter Wall
since 2010
Nominator Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Appointer Monarch of the United Kingdom
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.

The title was also used for four 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 1908. The post was then held by General Sir Neville Lyttelton.

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

The current Chief of the General Staff is General Sir Peter Wall - having succeeded his predecessor, General Sir David Richards in September 2010.

Contents

Chief of the General Staff (1904–1908)

Rank Name Image In office Notes/ref
General Sir Neville Lyttelton (1904–1908)

Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 1909–1964

Rank Name Image Assumed office Notes Reference
Field Marshal Sir William Nicholson 1908–1912
Field Marshal Sir John French 1912 – April 1914
General Sir Charles Douglas 6 April 1914– 25 October 1914
Lieutenant General Sir James Murray 30 October 1914–September 1915
General Sir Archibald Murray 26 September 1915–December 1915
General Sir William Robertson 23 December 1915–February 1918
Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson 19 February 1918–19 February 1922
Field Marshal Frederick Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan 19 February 1922-19 February 1926
Field Marshal Sir George Milne 19 February 1926–19 February 1933
Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd 1933–1936
Field Marshal Sir Cyril Deverell 1936–1937
General John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort 1937–1939
General Sir Edmund Ironside 1939–1940
Field Marshal Sir John Dill 1940–1941
Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke 1941–1946 [2]
Field Marshal Sir Bernard "Monty" Montgomery 1946–1948 [3] [4]-
Field Marshal Sir William Slim 1948–1952
Field Marshal Sir John Harding 1 November 1952 [5]
Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer 29 September 1955 [6]
Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing 29 September 1958 [7]
Field Marshal Sir Richard Hull 1 November 1961 Last CIGS and first CGS; first Army officer to be Chief of the Defence Staff, 1965–1967 [8][9][10]

Chiefs of the General Staff (post 1964)

Rank Name Image Assumed office Notes Reference
Field Marshal Sir Richard Hull (Until 8 February 1965) 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 [11]
Field Marshal Sir Geoffrey Baker 1 March 1968 Master Gunner, St James's Park, 1970–1976; Constable of the Tower of London, 1975–1980 [12][13][14]
Field Marshal Sir Michael Carver 1 April 1971 CDS, 1973–1976 [15][16]
General Sir Peter Hunt 19 July 1973 Constable of the Tower of London, 1980–1985 [17][18]
Field Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs 15 July 1976 Constable of the Tower of London, 1985–1990 [19][20]
Field Marshal Sir Edwin Bramall 14 July 1979 Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, 1986–1998; CDS, 1982–1985 [21][22][23]
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 [18][24][25]
Field Marshal Sir Nigel Bagnall 28 July 1985 [26]
Field Marshal Sir John Chapple 10 September 1988 [27]
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 [18][28][29]
General Sir Charles Guthrie 15 March 1994 CDS, 1997–2004 [29][30]
General Sir Roger Wheeler 3 February 1997 Constable of the Tower of London, 2001–2009 [31][32]
General Sir Michael Walker 17 April 2000 Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), 2003–2006 [33][34]
General Sir Mike Jackson 1 February 2003 [35]
General Sir Richard Dannatt 29 August 2006 Currently Constable of the Tower [36][37]
General Sir David Richards 28 August 2009 Currently Chief of the Defence Staff. [38][39]
General Sir Peter Wall 15 September 2010 Incumbent. [40]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Army in 1906: A Policy and a Vindication By Hugh Oakeley Arnold-Forster, Page 481 Bibliobazaar, 2008, ISBN 978-0559664991
  2. ^ David Fraser, Alanbrooke|page 174; IBID page 485
  3. ^ David Fraser, Alanbrooke|page 174; IBID page 485
  4. ^ Nigel Hamilton, Monty: Final Years of the Field Marshall 1944-1976|page 621: IBID page 725
  5. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39689. p. 5863. 4 November 1952. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  6. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 40598. p. 5555. 30 September 1955. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  7. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 41508. p. 5954. 26 September 1958. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  8. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 42503. p. 7925. 31 October 1961. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  9. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43569. p. 1361. 5 February 1965. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  10. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43712. p. 6717. 13 July 1965. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  11. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43569. p. 1361. 5 February 1965. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  12. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44539. p. 2655. 1 March 1968. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  13. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45337. p. 3336. 5 April 1971. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  14. ^ "Constable of the Tower of London". Parliament.uk. http://services.parliament.uk/hansard/Lords/ByDate/20100114/writtenanswers/part004.html. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  15. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46109. p. 12551. 23 October 1973. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  16. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45337. p. 3336. 5 April 1971. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  17. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46046. p. 9395. 7 August 1973. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  18. ^ a b c "General Sir Richard Dannatt announced as new Constable of the Tower". Historic Royal Palaces. 5 February 2009. http://www.hrp.org.uk/NewsAndMedia/Pressresources/tolpressresources/NewConstableforTowerofLondon.aspx. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  19. ^ "Field Marshal Sir Roland Gibbs". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). 2 November 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1475599/Field-Marshal-Sir-Roland-Gibbs.html. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  20. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46965. p. 9899. 19 July 1976. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  21. ^ "Lord Bramall". parliament.uk. http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/edwin-bramall/26642. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  22. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49142. p. 13571. 18 October 1982. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  23. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47916. p. 9695. 30 July 1979. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  24. ^ "Field Marshal Sir John Stanie". The Times (Times Newspapers Ltd). 13 November 2007. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2858878.ece. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
  25. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49069. p. 10134. 2 August 1982. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  26. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50226. p. 11147. 12 August 1985. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  27. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51467. p. 10255. 12 September 1988. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  28. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 52838. p. 2789. 17 February 1992. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  29. ^ a b London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 53645. p. 5799. 18 April 1994. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  30. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54726. p. 4170. 7 April 1997. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  31. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54668. p. 1419. 3 February 1997. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  32. ^ London Gazette: no. 56294. p. 1001. 6 August 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  33. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 55823. p. 4372. 18 April 2000. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  34. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56992. p. 8463. 8 July 2003. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  35. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56837. p. 1389. 3 February 2003. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  36. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58081. p. 11754. 29 August 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  37. ^ London Gazette: no. 59144. p. 13209. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  38. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59177. p. 15384. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  39. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59593. p. 21039. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  40. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59550. p. 18235. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011.

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