The British XVII Corps was a British infantry corps during 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 ...

History

British XVII Corps was formed in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in January 1916 under Lieutenant General

Julian Byng Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, (11 September 1862 – 6 June 1935) was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the 12th since the Canadian Confederation. Known to friends as "Bun ...

. In April 1917 the Corps attacked to the east of

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

near the River Scarpe but became bogged down in rain and snow. However the Corps held the line at Arras, continued to hold it through into 1918 and then broke the main

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...

at its strongest point in September 1918.Charles Fergusson at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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General Officers Commanding

Commanders included: * 9 December 1915 – 12 February 1916 Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Anderson * 12 February – 27 February 1916 Major-General Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley (acting) * 27 February – 25 May 1916 Lieutenant-General

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> * 25 May 1916 – November 1918 Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Fergusson

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:17 Corps British field corps Corps of the British Army in World War I