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.

Chief of the General Staff (1904–1908)

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

Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 1909–1964

Rank	Name	Image	Assumed office	Notes	Reference
Field Marshal	Sir William Nicholson		1908–1912		[citation needed]
Field Marshal	Sir John French		1912 – April 1914		[citation needed]
General	Sir Charles Douglas		6 April 1914– 25 October 1914		[citation needed]
Lieutenant General	Sir James Murray		30 October 1914–September 1915		[citation needed]
General	Sir Archibald Murray		26 September 1915–December 1915		[citation needed]
General	Sir William Robertson		23 December 1915–February 1918		[citation needed]
Field Marshal	Sir Henry Wilson		19 February 1918–19 February 1922		[citation needed]
Field Marshal	Frederick Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan		19 February 1922-19 February 1926		[citation needed]
Field Marshal	Sir George Milne		19 February 1926–19 February 1933		[citation needed]
Field Marshal	Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd		1933–1936		[citation needed]
Field Marshal	Sir Cyril Deverell		1936–1937		[citation needed]
General	John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort		1937–1939		[citation needed]
General	Sir Edmund Ironside		1939–1940		[citation needed]
Field Marshal	Sir John Dill		1940–1941		[citation needed]
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		[citation needed]
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

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

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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