The Major-General commanding the Household Division commands the

Household Division The Household Division forms a part of the British Army's London District (British Army), London District and is made up of five regiments of foot guards#United Kingdom, foot guards and two Household Cavalry regiments. The division is responsible f ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and is also the

General Officer Commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

London District. 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 Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

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 that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

, 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.

History

The appointment dates from 14 July 1856, when an order was issued conveying the news that 'Her Majesty has been pleased to appoint Major-General Lord Rokeby, , to serve on the Staff of the army, with a view to his exercising a general supervision over the Battalions f Guardsin England, including those at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

; all communications having reference to the Brigade of Guards will be addressed to him in future, instead of the Field Officer in Brigade Waiting as heretofore'. When the Home District (the forerunner of London District) was created in 1870, it too was placed under the authority of the Major-General, an arrangement which has remained in place ever since.

Staff

The Major General's Staff include the Chief of Staff London District, who deputises in the Major-General's absence, and the principal staff officer of the Household Division (known by his historic title of Brigade Major), who assists the Major General and is 'responsible to the Major General for the day to day running of the Public Duties and Household Division matters worldwide'.

List of Commanders

The holders of this office include:

Commanding Home District

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge 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, a rotational appointment. *Major-General Henry Robinson-Montagu, 6th Baron Rokeby 1856–1861 *Major-General James Robertson Craufurd 1861–1863 *Major-General Lord Frederick Paulet 1863–1867 *Major-General James Alexander Lindsay 1867–1868''History of the Coldstream Guards''
p. 315
*Major-General Frederick William Hamilton 1868–1870

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

*Major-General Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar 1870–1876 late

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

*Major-General Sir Frederick Stephenson 1876–1879 late

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

*Major-General Sir George Higginson 1879–1884 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir Reginald Gipps 1884–1889 late Scots Guards *Major-General Philip Smith 1889–1892 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General

Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen Field Marshal Paul Sanford Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen, (1 September 1845 – 30 October 1932), was a British Army officer. He served in the Third Anglo-Ashanti War in 1873 and then in the expedition of Sir Charles Warren to Bechuanaland in t ...

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, 1906–1909 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir Alfred Codrington, 1909–1913 late

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

*Lieutenant-General Sir Francis Lloyd 1913–1918 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir Geoffrey Feilding 1918–1920 late Coldstream Guards *Major-General Sir George Jeffreys 1920–1924 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Walter Hore-Ruthven, 10th Lord Ruthven of Freeland, 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

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, 1932–1934 late Coldstream Guards *Major-General Sir Bertram Sergison-Brooke, 1934–1938 late Grenadier Guards *Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Thorne, 1938–1939 late Grenadier Guards *Lieutenant-General Sir Bertram Sergison-Brooke, 1939–1942 late Grenadier Guards *Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Smith, 1942–1944 late Coldstream Guards *Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Loyd, 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, 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

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, 1959–1962 late Coldstream Guards *Major-General Sir John Nelson, 1962–1965 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir Basil Eugster, 1965–1968 late Irish Guards

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

*Major-General Lord Michael Fitzalan-Howard, 1968–1971 late The Life Guards *Major-General Sir James Bowes-Lyon, 1971–1973 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir Philip Ward, 1973–1976 late Welsh Guards *Major-General Sir John Swinton, 1976–1979 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir Desmond Langley, 1979–1983 late The Life Guards *Major-General Sir James Eyre, 1983–1986 late Royal Horse Guards *Major-General Sir Christopher Airy, 1986–1989 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir Simon Cooper, 1989–1991 late The Life Guards *Major-General Sir Robert Corbett, 1991–1994 late Irish Guards *Major-General Sir Iain Mackay-Dick, 1994–1997 late Scots Guards *Major-General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter, 1997–2000 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir Redmond Watt, 2000–2003 late Welsh Guards *Major-General Sir Sebastian Roberts, 2003–2007 late Irish Guards *Major-General Sir

William Cubitt Sir William Cubitt FRS (bapt. 9 October 1785 – 13 October 1861) was an 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 windmil ...

, 2007–2011 late Irish Guards 1998–2011 (commissioned into Coldstream Guards, 1977–98) *Major-General Sir George Norton, 2011–2013 late Grenadier Guards *Major-General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne, 2013–2016 late The Life Guards *Major-General Sir Ben Bathurst, 2016–2019 late Welsh Guards *Major General Sir Chris Ghika, 2019–2023 late Irish Guards *Major General James Bowder, 2023 – Present late Grenadier 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)