State Opening of Parliament 2015 (17982482389)

The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the

Household Division Household Division is a term used principally in the Commonwealth of Nations to describe a country's most elite or historically senior military units, or those military units that provide ceremonial or protective functions associated directly with ...

of the

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 ...

and is also the General Officer Commanding

London District London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''. History In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...

. In British Army parlance, "The Major-General" always refers to the Major-General commanding the Household Division. The Major-General has sole responsibility for the Service aspect of all State and ceremonial occasions within London District. The office holds executive command of the Household Division and of any other units brought into London for providing military security to the

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

, the Royal Palaces as well as for ceremonial purposes and is the main channel of communication between the Household Division and the Monarch. He or she is appointed by The Sovereign, and will previously have commanded a Regiment or Battalion within the Household Division.

List of Commanders

The holders of this office include:

Commanding Home District

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

the Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

1804–

Major-General Commanding the Brigade of Guards (1856–1870)

Before 1856, orders for the Foot Guards were communicated to the

Field Officer in Brigade Waiting The Field Officer in Brigade Waiting holds an appointment in the Royal Household. He performs his duties at State Ceremonies under the authority of the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Lord Chamberlain and the Earl Marshal. When dismounted he carrie ...

, a rotational appointment. *Major-General Lord Rokeby 1856–1861 *Major-General James Robertson Craufurd 1861–1863 *Major-General

Lord Frederick Paulet Lieutenant General Lord Frederick Paulet, (12 May 1810 – 1 January 1871) was a senior British Army officer. Military career Born the fifth son of the Marquess of Winchester, Paulet was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards. He served in t ...

1863–1867 *Major-General the Hon.

James Alexander Lindsay Lieutenant General Sir James Alexander Lindsay, (25 August 1815 – 13 August 1874) was a British Army officer, Conservative Party politician, and member of Clan Lindsay. Career Born at Muncaster Castle in 1815, James was the second son of Jame ...

1867–1868''History of the Coldstream Guards''
p. 315
*Major-General

Frederick William Hamilton General Sir Frederick William Hamilton, (8 July 1815 – 4 October 1890) was a British Army officer who served as Major General commanding the Brigade of Guards from 1868 to 1870. Early life Hamilton was born in London in 1815, the son of Will ...

1868–1870

Major-General Commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding Home District (1870–1906)

*Major-General

Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar Prince William Augustus Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, , PC(Ire) (11 October 1823 – 16 November 1902) was a British military officer of German parents. After a career in the Grenadier Guards, he became Major General commanding the Brigade o ...

1870–1876 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir Frederick Stephenson 1876–1879 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir George Higginson 1879–1884 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir

Reginald Gipps General Sir Reginald Ramsay Gipps, (14 May 1831 – 10 September 1908) was a senior British Army officer who served as Military Secretary from 1892 until his retirement in 1896. Military career Born the only son of Major Sir George Gipps and e ...

1884–1889 late Scots Guards *Major-General Philip Smith 1889–1892 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General The Lord Methuen 1892–1897 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir Henry Trotter 1897–1903 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir Laurence Oliphant, 1903–1906 late Grenadier Guards

Major-General Commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding London District (1906–1950)

*Major-General Sir

Frederick Stopford Lieutenant General Sir Frederick William Stopford, (2 February 1854 – 4 May 1929) was a British Army officer, best remembered for commanding the landing at Suvla Bay in August 1915, during the Gallipoli Campaign, where he failed to order ...

, 1906–1909 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir

Alfred Codrington Lieutenant-General Sir Alfred Edward Codrington, (4 May 1854 – 12 September 1945), was a British Army officer who served in colonial wars in Africa during the late nineteenth century, and later commanded a reserve army during the First World W ...

, 1909–1913 late Coldstream Guards *Lieutenant-General Sir Francis Lloyd 1913–1918 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir

Geoffrey Feilding Major General Sir Geoffrey Percy Thynne Feilding, (21 September 1866 – 21 October 1932) was a senior British Army officer who served as Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and General Officer Commanding London District from 1918 ...

1918–1920 late Coldstream Guards *Major-General Sir George Jeffreys 1920–1924 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General

Lord Ruthven of Freeland Lord Ruthven of Freeland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1651 for Thomas Ruthven. He was the grandson of Alexander Ruthven, younger son of William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven (see the Earl of Gowrie, 1581 creation, for earl ...

, 1924–1928 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir Charles Corkran, 1928–1932 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Albemarle Cator, April – November 1932 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir

Charles Grant Charles or Charlie Grant may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Charles Jameson Grant (), American editorial cartoonist * Charles L. Grant (1942–2006), American novelist * Charles Grant (actor) (born 1957), American actor * Charles Grant (dancer ...

, 1932–1934 late Coldstream Guards *Major-General Sir

Bertram Sergison-Brooke Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Sir Bertram Norman Sergison-Brooke, (born Brooke; 20 July 1880 – 26 March 1967) was an Anglo-Irish senior British Army officer who served as Major-General commanding the Household Divisi ...

, 1934–1938 late Grenadier Guards *Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Thorne, 1938–1939 late Grenadier Guards *Lieutenant-General Sir

, 1939–1942 late Grenadier Guards *Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Smith, 1942–1944 late Coldstream Guards *Lieutenant-General Sir

Charles Loyd General Sir Henry Charles Loyd, (12 February 1891 – 11 November 1973), nicknamed "Budget Loyd", was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the world wars, most notably during the Second World War as General Officer Commanding (GOC) ...

, 1944–1947 late Coldstream Guards *Major-General Sir John Marriott, 1947–1950 late Scots Guards

Major-General Commanding the Household Brigade and General Officer Commanding London District (1950–1968)

*Major-General Sir

Julian Gascoigne Major-General Sir Julian Alvery Gascoigne, (25 October 1903 – 26 February 1990) was a senior British Army officer who served in the Second World War and became Major-General commanding the Household Brigade and General Officer Commanding Lon ...

, 1950–1953 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir George Johnson, 1953–1957 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir Rodney Moore, 1957–1959 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

, 1959–1962 late Coldstream Guards *Major-General Sir John Nelson, 1962–1965 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir

Basil Eugster General Sir Basil Oscar Paul Eugster, (15 August 1914 – 5 April 1984) was a senior British Army officer who served as Commander in Chief, UK Land Forces from 1972 to 1974. Army career A British soldier of Swiss descent, Basil Oscar Paul Eugs ...

, 1965–1968 late Irish Guards

Major-General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District (1968–)

*Major-General

Lord Michael Fitzalan-Howard Major General Lord Michael Fitzalan-Howard, (22 October 1916 – 2 November 2007) was a senior officer in the British Army. He later served as Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps in the British Royal Household for ten years until 1982, and Gold Stic ...

, 1968–1971 late Life Guards *Major-General Sir

James Bowes-Lyon Major General Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon, (19 September 1917 – 18 December 1977) was a senior British Army officer who served as commandant of the British Sector in Berlin from 1968 to 1970. Early life and education Bowes-Lyon was bo ...

, 1971–1973 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir

Philip Ward Major General Sir Philip John Newling Ward, (10 July 1924 – 6 January 2003) was a Welsh Guards officer whose skilled diplomacy calmed the rulers of the Gulf States as Britain prepared to withdraw from the region. Ward served as high sheriff ...

, 1973–1976 late Welsh Guards *Major-General Sir John Swinton, 1976–1979 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir

Desmond Langley Major General Sir Henry Desmond Allen Langley, (16 May 1930 – 14 February 2008) was a senior British Army officer who served as Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District from 1979 to 1983. ...

, 1979–1983 late The Life Guards *Major-General Sir James Eyre, 1983–1986 late Royal Horse Guards *Major-General Sir

Christopher Airy Major General Sir Christopher John Airy, (born 8 March 1934) is a retired British Army officer who served as general officer commanding the London District and Major-General commanding the Household Division from 1986 to 1989. Military career ...

, 1986–1989 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir Simon Cooper, 1989–1991 late Life Guards *Major-General Sir

Robert Corbett Robert Alfred Corbett (born 14 December 1938) was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1978 to 1993. His background was in business. Corbett was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, was the son of James Ross Corbett and Helen Elma Yea ...

, 1991–1994 late Irish Guards *Major-General Sir

Iain Mackay-Dick Major General Sir Iain Charles Mackay-Dick, (born 24 August 1945) Is a retired British Army officer. He was the Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District. Military career Educated at St Edm ...

, 1994–1997 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir

Evelyn Webb-Carter Major General Sir Evelyn John Webb-Carter (born 30 January 1946) is a retired senior British Army officer. He was the last 'Colonel of the Regiment' of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) (1999–2006), before their amalgamation into ...

, 1997–2000 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir

Redmond Watt General Sir Charles Redmond "Reddy" Watt, (born 1950) is a retired senior British Army officer who was Commander-in-Chief, Land Command. Between 2011 - 2018, he was also the Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Army career Reddy Watt was ed ...

, 2000–2003 late Welsh Guards *Major-General Sir

Sebastian Roberts Major-General Sir Sebastian John Lechmere Roberts, (7 January 1954 – 9 March 2023) was a senior British Army officer who latterly served as the Senior Army Representative at the Royal College of Defence Studies. Military career Educated at A ...

, 2003–2007 late Irish Guards *Major-General Sir

William Cubitt Sir William Cubitt FRS (bapt. 9 October 1785 – 13 October 1861) was an eminent English civil engineer and millwright. Born in Norfolk, England, he was employed in many of the great engineering undertakings of his time. He invented a type of ...

, 2007–2011 late Irish Guards 1998–2011 (commissioned into Coldstream Guards, 1977–98) *Major-General Sir

George Norton Lieutenant-General Sir George Pemberton Ross Norton is a retired British Army officer. He was the UK Military Representative to NATO. He is now Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies. Military career After being educated at Radl ...

2011–2013 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir

Edward Smyth-Osbourne Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Sir Edward Alexander Smyth-Osbourne, (born 18 May 1964) is a retired senior British Army officer. Early life and education Smyth-Osbourne was born on 18 May 1964 in Plymouth, England. He wa ...

2013–2016 late Life Guards *Major-General Sir Ben Bathurst 2016–2019 late Welsh Guards *Major General Chris Ghika 2019–Present late Irish Guards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Major-General Commanding The Household Division Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom Senior appointments of the British Army Household Division (United Kingdom)