South-Eastern District was a district command 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 ...

from the mid-19th century until 1903. It was in existence again between 1967 and 1995.

History

Early formation

Historically troops based in the South-Eastern counties had reported direct to Army Headquarters in London but in July 1856 South-Eastern District was formed under Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell. Campbell was recalled to become

Commander-in-Chief, India During the period of the Company rule in India and the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...

just three months later and Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Love was appointed to the command in his place. The headquarters of the command was established at

Dover Castle Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent, England and is Grade I listed. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. Some sources say it is the ...

Re-formation

The district was formed from

Aldershot Command Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

as part of the Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve in 1967. It had its headquarters at

Aldershot Garrison Aldershot Garrison, also known as Aldershot Military Town, is a major garrison in South East England, between Aldershot and Farnborough in Hampshire. The garrison was established when the War Department bought a large area of land near the villa ...

, and was placed under the command of HQ UK Land Forces in 1972. It was disbanded again on the formation of HQ

Land Command Land Command (or 'HQ Land') was a military command and part of the structure of the British Army from 1995 to 2008. Its headquarters was at Erskine Barracks, at Fugglestone St Peter, some four kilometres northwest of Salisbury in Wiltshire. It ass ...

in 1995.

Commanders

General officers commanding included:
South-Eastern District *July-September 1856 Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell *1856-1857 Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Love *1857-1861 Lieutenant-General

Robert Mansel Sir Robert Mansell (1573–1656) was an admiral of the English Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament (MP), mostly for Welsh constituencies. His name was sometimes given as Sir Robert Mansfield and Sir Robert Maunsell. Early life Mansel was a W ...

*1861-1865 Lieutenant-General the Hon. Arthur Dalzell *1865-1866 Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Garrett *1866-1867 Major-General William McCleverty *1867-1868 Major-General

Charles Ellice General Sir Charles Henry Ellice (10 May 1823 – 12 November 1888) was a former Adjutant-General to the Forces. Life He was born at Florence on 10 May 1823, was second son of General Robert Ellice, the brother of the Right Hon. Edward Ellice, ...

*1868-1872 Lieutenant-General

Sir David Russell Sir David Russell FRSE FLS FSA LLD (1872–1956) was a 20th century Scottish paper manufacturer and philanthropist, remembered as an amateur botanist, photographer and antiquary. His donation of 18,000 photographs to the University of St Andr ...

*1872-1874 Major-General Sir Alfred Horsford *1874-1877 Major-General William Parke *1877-1880 Lieutenant-General

Lord Alexander Russell General Lord Alexander George Russell (16 September 1821 – 10 January 1907) was a British Army general. He served during the Siege of Sevastapol in the Crimean War. Background Russell was born at Woburn, Bedfordshire, the son of John Rus ...

*1880-1885 Major-General Edward Newdigate *1885-1887 Lieutenant-General the Hon. Percy Feilding *1887-1891 Major-General Alexander Montgomery Moore *1891-1896 Major-General Lord William Seymour *1896-1898 Major-General Sir William Butler *1898-1899 Major-General

Leslie Rundle General Sir Henry Macleod Leslie Rundle, (6 January 1856 – 19 November 1934) was a British Army general during the Second Boer War and the First World War. Military career Born in Newton Abbot, Devon, to Captain Joseph Sparkhall Rundle, a Roy ...

*1899-1902 Major-General Henry Hallam Parr *1902-1903 Major-General

South East District *1967-1969 Major-General Charles Stainforth *1969-1972 Major-General Bernard Penfold *1972 Lieutenant-General Sir Allan Taylor *1972-1974 Lieutenant-General Sir Terence McMeekin *1974-1977 Lieutenant-General Sir James Wilson *1977-1979 Lieutenant-General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley *1979-1981 Lieutenant-General Sir George Cooper *1981-1982 Lieutenant-General Sir Paul Travers *1982-1983 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Trant *1983-1985 Lieutenant-General Sir Geoffrey Howlett *1985-1988 Lieutenant-General Sir Michael Gray *1988-1990 Lieutenant-General Sir Peter de la Billière *1990-1994 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Swinburn Southern District *1994-1995 Lieutenant-General Sir Anthony Denison-Smith

References

{{British Army District Commands Districts of the British Army Military units and formations established in 1856 Military units and formations disestablished in 1903 Military units and formations established in 1972 Military units and formations disestablished in 1995