Eastern Command (United Kingdom)
| Eastern Command | |
|---|---|
_Badge.jpg){kind=icon} |
|
| Active | 1793–1972 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Command |
| Garrison/HQ |
Colchester (1866–1905) London (1905–1939) Luton Hoo (1939–1945) Hounslow (1945–1954) Wilton Park (1954–1972) |
Eastern Command was a Command of the British Army.
Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of war with France in 1793. In the first half of the 19th century the command included the counties of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Hertfordshire. It was based in Colchester.
Disbanded after the Napoleonic Wars, the Eastern District Command was re-created in 1866 and was based at Flagstaff House in Colchester. In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in Great Britain and Ireland’ was published, with the ‘Active Army’ divided into eight army corps based on the District Commands. 1st Corps was to be formed within Eastern Command, based in Colchester. This scheme disappeared in 1881, when the districts were retitled ‘District Commands.
The 1901 Army Estimates introduced by St John Brodrick allowed for six army corps based on six regional commands. As outlined in a paper published in 1903, IV Corps was to be formed in a reconstituted Eastern Command, with HQ at London. Lieutenant General Lord Grenfell was appointed acting General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOCinC) of IV Corps in April 1903.
Army Order No 324, issued on 21 August 1914, authorised the formation of a 'New Army' of six Divisions, manned by volunteers who had responded to Earl Kitchener's appeal (hence the First New Army was known as 'K1'). Each division was to be under the administration of one of the Home Commands, and Eastern Command formed what became the 12th (Eastern) Division. It was followed by 18th (Eastern) Division of K2 in September 1914. During the First World War, Eastern Command was based at 50 Pall Mall, London.
...
Wikipedia