Cyril Deverell

Sir Cyril Deverell
Field Marshal Sir Cyril Deverell
Born	9 November 1874(1874-11-09) St Peter Port, Guernsey
Died	12 May 1947(1947-05-12) (aged 72) Lymington, Hampshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1895 - 1937
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands held	3rd Division 53rd (Welsh) Division Western Command Eastern Command
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Field Marshal Sir Cyril John Deverell, GCB, KBE, ADC (9 November 1874 - 12 May 1947) was a British career military officer who served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1936 and 1937.

Army career

Educated at Bedford School he was commissioned into the Prince of Wales's West Yorkshire Regiment in 1895.^[1]

Deverell received his first command assignment in 1915 during World War I, when he was asked to command the 20th Brigade, 7th Division.^[1] The division was present at the Somme.^[1] It held a position on the 21st Division's right flank during the Battle of Bazentin Ridge and attacked the Switch Line to the east of High Wood; one of Deverell's men, Theodore William Henry Veale, won the Victoria Cross during this action.^[2] Several weeks later, Deverell was given command of the 3rd Division^[1] after its commander, Sir Aylmer Haldane, took over VI Corps.

Deverell formally took command on 7 August 1916. He led the division at Arras in 1917, then participated in the latter stages of Passchendaele. He returned to the Somme in 1918, before fighting alongside the Portuguese at the Battle of the Lys. The division participated in the Hundred Days Offensive, finally leading to the German surrender on 11 November 1918.^[3]

He commanded that division until 1919, when he took over command of the 53rd (Welsh) Division.^[3] In 1921 he moved to India, where he commanded the United Provinces District, served as Quartermaster-General and finally became Chief of the General Staff of India in 1930.^[3] He became Commander-in-Chief of Western Command in 1931 and then Eastern Command in 1933^[3] and then served as Aide-de-Camp to King George V before being promoted to field marshal and assuming the position of Chief of the Imperial General Staff on 15 May 1936.^[3] He would hold the latter office for 20 months before retiring from active service. He did not serve during World War II.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Heathcote, Anthony pg 101
2. ^ Dartmouth memorial
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Heathcote, Anthony pg 102

Further reading

• The British Field Marshals 1736-1997, Tony Heathcote, Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 1999, ISBN 0-85052-696-5

External links

• Field Marshal Sir Cyril John Deverell
• The British Army in the Great War
• regiments.org

Military offices
Preceded by Aylmer Haldane	General Officer Commanding the 3rd Division 1916–1919	Succeeded by Robert Whigham
Preceded by Sir Cecil Romer	GOC-in-C Western Command 1931–1933	Succeeded by Sir Walter Kirke
Preceded by Sir Webb Gillman	GOC-in-C Eastern Command 1933–1936	Succeeded by Sir Edmund Ironside
Preceded by Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd	Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1936–1937	Succeeded by The Viscount Gort

Persondata
Name	Deverell, Sir Cyril
Alternative names
Short description	Army officer
Date of birth	1874-11-09
Place of birth	St Peter Port, Guernsey
Date of death	1947-05-12
Place of death	Lymington, Hampshire