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

• Chief of the Defence Staff
• First Sea Lord / Chief of the Naval Staff
• Chief of the Air Staff
• Deputy Chief of the General Staff

References

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chiefs of the General Staff (United Kingdom).

Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces and Chiefs of the General Staff of the British Army Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces Duke of Albemarle Duke of Monmouth Earl of Marlborough Duke of Leinster Duke of Marlborough Duke of Ormonde Earl of Stair George Wade Duke of Cumberland Viscount Ligionier Marquess of Granby Lord Amherst Henry Conway Lord Amherst Duke of York Sir David Dundas Duke of York Duke of Wellington Viscount Hill Duke of Wellington Viscount Hardinge Duke of Cambridge Viscount Wolseley Earl Roberts Chief of the General Staff Sir Neville Lyttelton Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff Sir William Nicholson Sir John French Sir Charles Douglas Sir James Murray Sir Archibald Murray Sir William Robertson Sir Henry Wilson The Earl of Cavan Sir George Milne Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd Sir Cyril Deverell The Viscount Gort Sir Edmund Ironside Sir John Dill Sir Alan Brooke The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein Sir William Slim Sir John Harding Sir Gerald Templer Sir Francis Festing Sir Richard Hull Chiefs of the General Staff Sir Richard Hull Sir James Cassels Sir Geoffrey Baker Sir Michael Carver Sir Peter Hunt Sir Roland Gibbs Sir Edwin Bramall Sir John Stanier Sir Nigel Bagnall Sir John Chapple Sir Peter Inge Sir Charles Guthrie Sir Roger Wheeler Sir Michael Walker Sir Mike Jackson Sir Richard Dannatt Sir David Richards Sir Peter Wall Sir Nick Carter

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