Field Marshal Sir Cyril John Deverell (9 November 1874 – 12 May 1947) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer who served as

Chief of the Imperial General Staff The 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 G ...

(CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, from 1936 to 1937. Prior to his becoming CIGS, he fought in the

Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War The Anglo-Ashanti wars were a series of five conflicts that took place between 1824 and 1900 between the Ashanti Empire—in the Akan interior of the Gold Coast—and the British Empire and its African allies. Though the Ashanti emerged vict ...

and the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, during which he commanded at battalion, brigade and division level, and later advised the British government on the importance of maintaining the capability to mount an Expeditionary Force for operations on mainland Europe in the years leading up to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Early life

Deverell was born the son of Lieutenant John Baines Seddon Deverell and Harriet Strappini Deverell (née Roberts) and educated at Bedford School.

Military career

Deverell was commissioned into the Prince of Wales's West Yorkshire Regiment on 6 March 1895. He served in the

in 1896 and was then promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 3 August 1898. He was appointed adjutant of his regiment on 9 February 1904 before being promoted to captain on 23 February 1904. He served in the

initially as brigade major for 85th Brigade, in which role he joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and saw action at the

Second Battle of Ypres During the First World War, the Second Battle of Ypres was fought from for control of the tactically important high ground to the east and south of the Flemish town of Ypres in western Belgium. The First Battle of Ypres had been fought the pr ...

in April 1915 before being promoted to major on 3 June 1915. Bagpiper Battle of Bazentin Ridge 14-07-1916 IWM Q 4012

Deverell became Commanding Officer (CO) of the 1/4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment in July 1915 and was then asked to command the 20th Brigade from 29 October 1915. Promoted to lieutenant colonel on 26 August 1916, he took part in the Battle of the Somme in the autumn of 1916. His brigade held a position on the 21st Division's right flank during the

Battle of Bazentin Ridge The Battle of Bazentin Ridge was part of the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front in France, during the First World War. On 14 July, the British Fourth Army (General Henry Rawlinson) made a dawn attack against the German 2nd Army (Gener ...

and attacked the Switch Line to the east of

High Wood The Attacks on High Wood, near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme ''département'' of northern France, took place between the British Fourth Army and the German 1st Army during the Battle of the Somme. After the Battle of Bazentin Ridge on 14 July ...

. Promoted to the substantive rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and temporary

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 1 January 1917, Deverell was given command of the 3rd Division after its commander, Sir Aylmer Haldane, took over

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...

. He led the division at Arras in 1917, then participated in the latter stages of the Battle of Passchendaele. He returned to

the Somme The Battle of the Somme (French language, French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. I ...

in 1918, before fighting alongside the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

at the Battle of the Lys. The division participated in the Hundred Days Offensive, finally leading to the German surrender on 11 November 1918. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1918 and awarded the Croix de guerre in 1919. He commanded that division until 1 January 1919, when, having been promoted to substantive major general, he took over command of the

53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought in both the First and Second World Wars. Originally raised in 1908 as the Welsh Division, part of the Territorial Force (TF), the division saw service in ...

. On 13 December 1921 he moved to India. where he commanded the United Provinces District. Having been appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the

1926 Birthday Honours The 1926 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King on 3 June, ...

, he served as Quartermaster-General of India from 25 February 1927 and, having been promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 13 March 1928 and advanced to

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

in the Kings Birthday Honours 1929, he became Chief of the General Staff in India in 1930. He became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Command on 11 April 1931 and then, having been promoted to

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

on 21 April 1933, he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command on 8 May 1933. He was appointed

aide-de-camp general Aide-de-camp general is a senior honorary appointment for generals in the British Army. The recipient is appointed as an aide-de-camp general to the head of state, currently King Charles III. They are entitled to the post-nominals "ADC (Gen.)". T ...

to the King on 10 February 1934, and promoted to field marshal on 15 May 1936, before assuming the position of

(CIGS) that same day. In that capacity he advised the Government on the importance of maintaining the capability to mount an expeditionary force for operations on mainland Europe. He was also colonel of the Prince of Wales's West Yorkshire Regiment from 21 March 1934. In May 1937

Leslie Hore-Belisha Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha, PC (; 7 September 1893 – 16 February 1957) was a British Liberal, then National Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) and Cabinet Minister. He later joined the Conservative Party. He proved highly su ...

, the newly appointed Secretary of State for War, sought to implement a new policy of limiting expenditure on the Army, particularly on the development of tanks, and when Deverell failed to show enthusiasm for that policy in the context of an increasing threat from

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, Hore-Belisha wrote to him advising him that he had been removed from office. Deverell wrote a reply to the Secretary of State, strongly objecting to the adverse comments that had been made on his own performance, and retired from the British Army on 6 December 1937.

Retirement

Memorial to Field Marshall Cyril John Deverell in York Minster

On leaving the British Army he became Deputy Lieutenant of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. His interests included local politics, he served on a borough council, and chaired the local defence committee during the

. He lived at Court Lodge in

Lymington Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a car ferry service operated by Wightlink. It is within the ...

, where he died on 12 May 1947 at the age of 72. His body was cremated at Bournemouth crematorium.

Family

In 1902 he married Hilda Grant-Dalton; they had a son and a daughter.

References

Bibliography

External links

British Army Officers
, - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Deverell, Cyril 1874 births 1947 deaths Guernsey people British field marshals British Army generals of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath People educated at Bedford School West Yorkshire Regiment officers Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff Graduates of the Staff College, Quetta