List of commanders of the British 4th Division explained

The 4th Division was an infantry division of the British Army, which was first formed in 1809 and disbanded for the final time in 2012. The division was commanded by a general officer commanding (GOC). In this role, the GOC received orders from a level above him in the chain of command, and then used the forces within the division to undertake the mission assigned. In addition to directing the tactical battle in which the division was involved, the GOC oversaw a staff and the administrative, logistical, medical, training, and discipline of the division. The division had 63 different permanent GOCs over its history that spanned 203 years

Prior to 1809, the British Army did not use divisional formations. As the British military grew in size during the Napoleonic Wars, the need arose for such an implementation in order to better organise forces for administrative, logistical, and tactical reasons. The 4th Division was formed on 18 June 1809 by Lieutenant-General Arthur Wellesley, and served in the Peninsular War (part of the Napoleonic Wars). During this period, three of the division's commanding officers were wounded. Major-General Galbraith Lowry Cole was wounded on two separate occasions, while leading the division. After the Peninsular War ended in 1814, the division was disbanded only to be re-raised the following year when the War of the Seventh Coalition broke out. It then fought at the Battle of Waterloo, and was disbanded the same year when the Napoleonic Wars concluded.

It was next raised for service in the Crimean War (1853–1856). During the Battle of Inkerman (5 November 1854), the division had four different commanding officers, with two killed in action. Following the end of the war, in 1856, the division was disbanded. Forty-three years later, in 1899, the division was reformed to take part in the Second Boer War. Lieutenant-General William Penn Symons, who initially led the division, was wounded in action and subsequently taken prisoner. When the need for divisions subsided, the following year, the division was broken-up to provide garrisons for various static locations.

In 1902, a new 4th Division was formed as a permanent standing formation and not for a particular crisis. During the 20th century, the division fought in the First and Second World Wars. Major-General Louis Lipsett, the division's penultimate commander during the First World War, was killed in action shortly before the war ended in November 1918. In the post-Second World War years, it formed part of the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. During the 1960s, Major-General Jean Allard became the first Canadian to command a British Army division when he was appointed to lead the 4th.^[1] In 1978, the infantry division was transformed into an armoured formation. It maintained this role until the division was disbanded in 1993, when the British Army was downsized following the end of the Cold War. It was re-raised in 1995 as an administrative formation and maintained this role until 2012, when it was disbanded for the final time.

General officer commanding

See also: General officer commanding.

No.! width="15%" scope="col"

General officer commanding	Rank	Appointment date	class=unsortable width=45% scope="col"	Notes	class=unsortable width=5% scope="col"	Source(s)
1		Major-General		The division was formed for the first time, during the Peninsular War, from troops based in Portugal. Campbell was wounded in action at the Battle of Talavera, on 28 July 1809.
		Colonel
2		Major-General		Cole was wounded during the Battle of Albuera on 16 May 1811.
		Colonel		Promoted to Major-General during temporary tenure
2		Major-General		Cole returned to the UK on sick leave in December 1811.
3		Major-General		Colville was wounded in action during the siege of Badajoz in April 1812. His position was kept vacant following Colville's injury until June 1812.
2		Major-General		Cole was assigned as commander following his return from injury. He was again wounded, this time at the Battle of Salamanca on 22 July.
		Major-General
2		Major-General		Cole maintained this role until the conclusion of the Peninsular War, in 1814, when the division was disbanded in France.
4		Major-General		On 11 April 1815, the division was reformed in the Southern Netherlands.
3		Lieutenant-General		Following the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, the British military in France was reorganised into three divisions. The remaining forces, including the 4th Division, were stood down.
5		Lieutenant-General		The division was formed in Varna, Ottoman Bulgaria, from British troops who had been assembled, and had prepared to move to the Crimean peninsular during the Crimean War. Cathcart was killed in action at the Battle of Inkerman on 5 November 1854.
		Brigadier-General		Leigh-Goldie commanded the division's first brigade, and took over command during the Battle of Inkerman after Cathcart was killed. Leigh-Goldie was killed soon after, during the same battle.	[2]
		Brevet Colonel		Windham was the assistant adjutant general of the division, and temporarily took command during the Battle of Inkerman.
		Brevet Colonel		Horn commanded an infantry battalion within the division's first brigade. By the end of the Battle of Inkerman, command had fallen to him.
		Major-General		Campbell took command of the division once the Inkerman fighting ended. He held this position until Bentinck took command the following year.
6		Lieutenant-General		Bentinck was assigned to take command of the division following Cathcart's death. However, he was also wounded during the Battle of Inkerman and this delayed his ability to take command until June 1855.	[3]
7		Major-General		Garrett retained command of the division until 1856 and the conclusion of the war. With the end of hostilities, the division was disbanded in Crimea.	[4]
8		Lieutenant-General		A new 4th Division was formed in southern Africa, from troops based there, for service in the Second Boer War. Symons was wounded during the Battle of Glencoe on 20 October. His force soon retreated following the battle and the wounded, including Symons, were captured. Symons died from his wounds on 23 October.
		Brigadier-General		Under Yule, the division retired to Ladysmith and became part of the besieged garrison on 26 October.
9		Lieutenant-General		Following the lifting of the siege of Ladysmith, the garrison was reorganised into a new 4th Division. At the end of 1900, while still in southern Africa, the division was broken-up.
10		Major-General		This marked the first time the 4th Division was formed as a permanent formation, and not raised on an ad hoc basis for a particular war.	[5]
11		Major-General		Around May 1907, Franklyn's command was reorganised as the 3rd Division.	[6]
12		Major-General		Around May 1907, the 6th Division was reorganised as the 4th Division	[7]
13		Major-General			[8]
14		Major-General		Under Snow, the division was mobilised for the First World War and departed for France. Snow was incapacitated on 9 September 1914, during the First Battle of the Marne.
		Brigadier-General
15		Major-General
16		Major-General
17		Major-General		Lambton was incapacitated on 12 September 1917.
		Brigadier-General
18		Major-General
19		Major-General		Lipsett was killed in action on 14 October 1918.
20		Major-General		On 6 January 1919, the division was demobilised in Belgium.
21		Major-General		The division was reformed in England	[9] [10]
22		Major-General			[11]
23		Major-General			[12]
24		Major-General			[13]
25		Major-General			[14]
26		Major-General		On 13 December 1934, Brind was temporarily assigned as the commander of the peacekeeping International Force in the Saar, and held this position until 16 March 1935.	[15]
27		Major-General		Died in office
28		Major-General			[16]
	Unknown	Unknown		On this date, Liddell relinquished command of the division. A new commanding officer was not appointed until the new year.
29		Major-General		During Johnson's tenure, the division was mobilised for service in the Second World War. The division was deployed to France in 1939 and was evacuated back to the UK in 1940.
30		Major-General
31		Major-General
32		Major-General		During Hawkesworth's tenure, the division was deployed to Tunisia and fought in the Tunisian campaign.
		Brigadier
33		Major-General		During Hayman-Joyce's tenure, the division was deployed to fight in the Italian campaign.
34		Major-General		In December 1944, the division was deployed to Greece and would remain there until the end of the war.
		Brigadier
34		Major-General
		Brigadier
35		Major-General
36		Major-General		The division was disbanded, in Greece, in March 1947.	[17]
37		Major-General		In April 1956, the 11th Armoured Division, based in Germany, was reorganised as the 4th Infantry Division.	[18]
38		Major-General		During Hopkinson's tenure, the word 'infantry' was dropped from the division's title.	[19]
39		Major-General			[20]
40		Major-General		Allard was a Canadian Army officer, and the first Canadian to command a British Army division.	[21]
41		Major-General			[22]
42		Major-General			[23]
43		Major-General			[24]
44		Major-General			[25]
45		Major-General			[26]
46		Major-General			[27]
47		Major-General			[28]
48		Major-General		On 1 January 1978, the formation was redesignated as the 4th Armoured Division.	[29]
49		Major-General			[30]
50		Major-General			[31]
51		Major-General
52		Major-General			[32]
53		Major-General			[33]
54		Major-General			[34]
55		Major-General		As part of Options for Change, the division was disbanded in Germany in 1993.
55		Lieutenant-General		The division was reformed in England	[35] [36]
56		Major-General
57		Major-General	1998		[37]
58		Major General
59		Major General
60		Major General
61		Major General
62		Major General
63		Major General		During January 2012, the division was disbanded.

References

• Book: Barthorp, Michael. Michael Barthorp. The Armies of Britain, 1485–1980. National Army Museum. London. 1980. 252418281.
• Book: Becke, Archibald Frank. 1935. Order of Battle of Divisions Part 1: The Regular British Divisions. His Majesty’s Stationery Office. London. 929528172.
• Book: Creswicke, Louis. South Africa and the Transvaal War. II. Edinburgh. T. C. & E. C. Jack. 1900. 154231374.
• Book: Creswicke, Louis. South Africa and the Transvaal War. VI. Edinburgh. T. C. & E. C. Jack. 1901. 154231374.
• Book: Demchak, Chris C.. Wars of Disruption and Resilience: Cybered Conflict, Power, and National Security. The University of Georgia Press. Athens, Georgia. 2011. 978-0-82034-137-8.
• Book: Dunlop, John K.. The Development of the British Army 1899–1914. Methuen. London. 1938. 59826361.
• Book: Hare, Steuart. Steuart Hare. The Annals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps. IV. London. John Murray. 1929. 220251674.
• Book: Haythornthwaite, Philip. Philip Haythornthwaite. Picton's Division at Waterloo. Barnsley. Pen & Sword Books. 2016. 978-1-78159-102-4.
  • Book: Lord. Cliff. Graham. Watson. 2003. The Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents. West Midlands. Helion. 978-1-874622-07-9.
• Book: McGuigan, Ron. 'Into Battle!' British Orders of Battle for the Crimean War, 1854–56. Withycut House. Bowdon, Cheshire. 2001. 978-1-89924-402-7.
• Book: McGuigan . Ron . Burnham. Robert . Wellington's Brigade Commanders . 2017 . Barnsley . Pen and Sword . 978-1-47385-079-8.
• Book: Montague-Smith, Patrick W.. Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. Debrett's Peerage Limited. London. 1980. 978-0-81030-949-4.
• Book: Oman, Charles. A History of the Peninsular War. VII August 1813 – April 14, 1814. Oxford. Oxford University Press. 1930. 185228609.
• Book: Reid, Stuart. Wellington's Army in the Peninsula 1809–14. Oxford. Osprey Publishing. 2004. 978-1-84176-517-4.
• Book: Ross-of-Bladensburg, John Foster George. A History of the Coldstream Guards from 1815 to 1895. London. A.D. Inness & Co.. 1896. 1152610342.
• Book: Siborne, William. William Siborne. The Waterloo Campaign. 5th. Westminster. Archibald Constable and Co.. 1900. 672639901.
• Book: Tanner, James. The British Army since 2000. Oxford. Osprey Publishing. 2014. 978-1-78200-593-3.
• Book: Weller, Jac. Wellington at Waterloo. Barnsley. Frontline Books. 2010. 1992. 978-1-84832-586-9.

Notes and References

1. News: 30 August 1963. 55793. General Allard To Return To Canada. The Times.
2. Web site: Memorial: Brigadier General T Leigh-Goldie. Imperial War Museum.
3. Bentinck, Henry John William . 04 . Boase . George Clement . George Clement Boase . 284 . 1.
4. Garrett, Robert . 21 . Chichester . Henry Manners . Henry Manners Chichester . 15-16 . 1.
5. Web site: War Office, Monthly Army List, July 1903. July 1903. 8. His Majesty's Stationery Office. London. and
6. Web site: War Office, Monthly Army List, March 1907. March 1907. 18a. His Majesty's Stationery Office. London., and Web site: War Office, Monthly Army List, May 1907. May 1907. 18a. His Majesty's Stationery Office. London.
7. Web site: War Office, Monthly Army List, March 1907. March 1907. 18a. His Majesty's Stationery Office. London., and
8. and
9. and
10. Web site: War Office, Monthly Army List, December 1920. 1920. 33. His Majesty's Stationery Office. London.
11. and
12. and
13. and
14. and
15. ,,, and
16. and
17. News: 22 February 1980. 60557. 16. Obituary: Lieut-General Sir Ernest Down. The Times.
18. and
19. and
20. and
21. and
22. and
23. and
24. and
25. and
26. and
27. and
28. and
29. and
30. and
31. and
32. News: 6 September 1985. 62236. Latest appointments. The Times.
33. and
34. and
35. Web site: 4th Division. Ministry of Defence. https://web.archive.org/web/20100922091006/https://www.army.mod.uk/structure/2082.aspx. 28 June 2023. 22 September 2010.
36. Book: The Army List. 56. HMSO. London. 1995.
37. 1 December 2007. 1 December 2021. Who's Who. 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U36660. 978-0-19-954088-4. Sulivan, Maj.-Gen. Timothy John, (Born 19 Feb. 1946), DL; Vice-President, Customer Relations, General Dynamics (Formerly CDC Systems) UK LTD, 2001–13 . 9 December 2021 .