From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Commander of ceremonial military units in London
Badge of the
Household Division
Edward Smyth-Osbourne in the full-dress uniform of a Major-General, on duty at the
State Opening of Parliament in 2015
The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the
Household Division of the
British Army and is also the
General Officer Commanding
London District . In British Army parlance, "The Major-General" always refers to the Major-General commanding the Household Division. The Major-General has sole responsibility for the
Service aspect of all State and ceremonial occasions within London District. The office holds executive command of the Household Division and of any other units brought into London for providing military security to the
Sovereign , the Royal Palaces as well as for ceremonial purposes and is the main channel of communication between the Household Division and the Monarch. He or she is appointed by The Sovereign, and will previously have commanded a Regiment or Battalion within the Household Division.
[1]
List of Commanders
The holders of this office include:
[2]
[3]
Commanding Home District
Major-General Commanding the Brigade of Guards (1856–1870)
Before 1856, orders for the Foot Guards were communicated to the
Field Officer in Brigade Waiting , a rotational appointment.
Major-General Commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding Home District (1870–1906)
Major-General Commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding London District (1906–1950)
Major-General Sir
Frederick Stopford ,
KCVO
CB 1906–1909 late Grenadier Guards
Major-General Sir
Alfred Codrington ,
GCVO
KCB 1909–1913 late Coldstream Guards
Lieutenant-General Sir
Francis Lloyd
GCVO
KCB
DSO 1913–1918 late Grenadier Guards
Major-General Sir
Geoffrey Feilding
KCB
KCVO
CMG
DSO 1918–1920 late Coldstream Guards
Major-General Sir
George Jeffreys
KCVO
CB
CMG 1920–1924 late Grenadier Guards
Major-General
Lord Ruthven of Freeland ,
CB
CMG
DSO 1924–1928 late Scots Guards
Major-General Sir
Charles Corkran ,
KCVO
CB
CMG 1928–1932 late Grenadier Guards
Major-General
Albemarle Cator ,
CB
DSO April – November 1932 late Scots Guards
Major-General Sir
Charles Grant ,
KCB
KCVO
DSO 1932–1934 late Coldstream Guards
Major-General Sir
Bertram Sergison-Brooke ,
KCB
KCVO
CMG
DSO 1934–1938 late Grenadier Guards
Lieutenant-General Sir
Andrew Thorne ,
KCB
CMG
DSO 1938–1939 late Grenadier Guards
Lieutenant-General Sir
Bertram Sergison-Brooke ,
KCB
KCVO
CMG
DSO 1939–1942 late Grenadier Guards
Lieutenant-General Sir
Arthur Smith ,
KCB
KBE
DSO
MC 1942–1944 late Coldstream Guards
Lieutenant-General Sir
Charles Loyd ,
GCVO
KCB
DSO
MC 1944–1947 late Coldstream Guards
Major-General Sir
John Marriott ,
KCVO
CB
DSO
MC 1947–1950 late Scots Guards
Major-General Commanding the Household Brigade and General Officer Commanding London District (1950–1968)
Major-General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District (1968–)
Major-General
Lord Michael Fitzalan-Howard ,
GCVO
CB
CBE
MC 1968–1971 late The Life Guards
Major-General Sir
James Bowes-Lyon ,
GCVO
CB
OBE
MC 1971–1973 late Grenadier Guards
Major-General Sir
Philip Ward ,
KCVO
CBE 1973–1976 late Welsh Guards
Major-General Sir
John Swinton ,
KCVO
OBE 1976–1979 late Scots Guards
Major-General Sir
Desmond Langley ,
KCVO
MBE 1979–1983 late The Life Guards
Major-General Sir
James Eyre ,
KCVO
CBE 1983–1986 late Royal Horse Guards
Major-General Sir
Christopher Airy ,
KCVO
CBE 1986–1989 late Scots Guards
Major-General Sir
Simon Cooper ,
GCVO 1989–1991 late The Life Guards
Major-General Sir
Robert Corbett ,
KCVO
CB 1991–1994 late Irish Guards
Major-General Sir
Iain Mackay-Dick ,
KCVO
MBE 1994–1997 late Scots Guards
Major-General Sir
Evelyn Webb-Carter ,
KCVO
OBE 1997–2000 late Grenadier Guards
Major-General Sir
Redmond Watt ,
KCB
KCVO
CBE 2000–2003 late Welsh Guards
Major-General Sir
Sebastian Roberts ,
KCVO
OBE 2003–2007 late Irish Guards
Major-General Sir
William Cubitt ,
KCVO
CBE 2007–2011 late Irish Guards 1998–2011 (commissioned into Coldstream Guards, 1977–98)
Major-General Sir
George Norton
KCVO
CBE 2011–2013 late Grenadier Guards
[9]
Major-General Sir
Edward Smyth-Osbourne
KCVO
CBE 2013–2016 late The Life Guards
[10]
Major-General Sir
Ben Bathurst
KCVO
CBE 2016–2019 late Welsh Guards
[11]
Major General Sir
Chris Ghika
KCVO
CBE 2019–2023 late Irish Guards
[12]
Major General
James Bowder
OBE 2023 – Present late Grenadier Guards
[13]
References
^
"Queen's Regulations for the Army" (PDF) . QR Army July 2013, paragraph 8.062 . Retrieved 14 June 2016 .
^
Regiments.org
^
Army Commands
Archived 2015-07-05 at the
Wayback Machine
^
John Philippart , The Royal Military Calendar (1820) volume I,
p. 264 .
^ J. F. G. Ross-of-Bladensburg, A History of the Coldstream Guards from 1815 to 1895 (London, 1896)
p. 290 .
^ History of the Colstream Guards ,
p. 304 .
^ History of the Coldstream Guards ,
p. 307 .
^
a
b History of the Coldstream Guards ,
p. 315 .
^
The Court Circular, 29 June 2011
^
Service Appointments The Times, 8 February 2013
^
"No. 61624" .
The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 June 2016. p. 3.
^
"The Army in London - HQ London District" . Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 15 November 2019 .
^
"New appointments" . Grenadier Guards Association. Retrieved 20 August 2023 .