Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough | |
---|---|
Born | London, England | 12 August 1870
Died | 18 March 1963 London, England | (aged 92)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1888–1922 |
Rank | General |
Commands | Fifth Army I Corps 7th Division 3rd Cavalry Brigade 16th (Queen's) Lancers |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |
Relations | Sir Charles Gough (father) Sir Hugh Gough (uncle) Sir John Gough (brother) |
General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough GCB, GCMG, KCVO (/ɡɒf/ GOF; 12 August 1870 – 18 March 1963) was a senior officer in the British Army in the First World War. A controversial figure, he was a favourite of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, and the youngest of his Army commanders.
Gough experienced a meteoric rise during the first two years of the First World War. He commanded his 3rd Cavalry Brigade in August 1914 at the Battle of Mons and the Battle of Le Cateau. After operating in a somewhat semi-detached fashion from his division commander Edmund Allenby, his force was built up into an independent unit, initially called "Gough's Command" and soon reconstituted as the new 2nd Cavalry Division. His division fought dismounted at the First Battle of Ypres. Gough then commanded the 7th Infantry Division at the Battle of Aubers Ridge in spring 1915. He commanded I Corps at the Battle of Loos in the autumn of 1915, and was one of those who criticised Sir John French to King George V, contributing to the former's enforced resignation as Commander-in-Chief of the BEF.