VIII Corps (United Kingdom)

VIII Corps
Active	World War I and World War II
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Field corps
Engagements	World War I Gallipoli Battle of the Somme 1916 Second Battle of Arras 1918 Final Advance in Artois World War II Operation Epsom Operation Jupiter Operation Goodwood Operation Bluecoat Operation Market Garden Operation Constellation Operation Plunder
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lt-Gen Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston Lt-Gen Sir Richard O'Connor

VIII Corps was a British Army corps formation that existed during the First and Second World Wars. In the latter, it took part in the Normandy Campaign in 1944, where it was involved in Operation Epsom and Operation Goodwood. It would later play a supporting role in Operation Market Garden and finish the war by advancing from the Rhine to the Baltic Sea.

Prior to World War I

In 1876, a Mobilisation Scheme was published for the forces in Great Britain and Ireland, which included eight army corps of the 'Active Army'. The '8th Corps' was to be headquartered at Edinburgh and was primarily militia formation. In 1880, its order of battle was as follows:

• 1st Division (Edinburgh)
  • 1st Brigade (Edinburgh)
    • Kerry Militia (Tralee), Northumberland Militia (Alnwick), Fermanagh Militia (Enniskillen)
  • 2nd Brigade
    • Antrim Militia (Belfast), Cavan Militia (Cavan), Donegal Militia (Lifford)
  • Divisional Troops
    • 50th Foot (Edinburgh), Ayrshire Yeomanry (Ayr)
  • Artillery
    • O/2nd Brigade RA (Glasgow)
• 2nd Division (Glasgow)
  • 1st Brigade (Glasgow)
    • Highland Borderers Militia (Stirling), Highland Rifles Militia (Dingwall), Scottish Borderers Militia (Dumfries)
  • 2nd Brigade (Hamilton)
    • Cumberland Militia (Carlisle), 1st Durham Militia (Barnard Castle), 2nd Durham Militia (Durham)
  • Divisional Troops
    • Queen's Own Lanarkshire Yeomanry (Glasgow)
• 3rd Division (Melrose)
  • 1st Brigade (Melrose)
    • East York Militia (Beverley), North York Militia (Richmond), Westmoreland Militia (Carlisle)
  • 2nd Brigade
    • 5th Lancashire Militia (Burnley), 6th Lancashire Militia (Richmond), 7th Lancashire Militia (Bury)
  • Divisional Troops
    • Northumberland and Newcastle Yeomanry (Newcastle)
• Cavalry Brigade
  • Westmoreland and Cumberland Yeomanry (Penrith), Lanark Yeomanry (Lanark), East Lothian Yeomanry (Dunbar)

This scheme had been dropped by 1881.

First World War

Gallipoli

VIII Corps was first formed at Gallipoli during the First World War. The main British battle front was at Cape Helles on the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula. As the battle became protracted, more British divisions arrived as reinforcements. In May 1915, these divisions were arranged as the British Army Corps, which was then redesignated as VIII Corps in June. The corps commander was Lieutenant-General Aylmer Hunter-Weston. When Hunter-Weston relinquished command due to illness, the corps was commanded on a temporary basis by General Francis Davies.

During the Gallipoli campaign, the corps contained the following units:

• 29th Division - (moved to IX Corps at Suvla in August)
• 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division
• 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division
• Royal Naval Division
• 29th Indian Infantry Brigade - (moved to Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in August)
• Corps of Royal Engineers - 13th Base Park Company, 254th Tunnelling Company and a Postal unit

Western Front

After the evacuation of Gallipoli, the corps was reformed in France in March 1916, once again under the command of Hunter-Weston, and participated in the Battle of the Somme.

VIII Corps was disbanded in June 1918 when Hunter-Weston moved to the XVIII Corps; however, this corps was then redesignated as VIII Corps in July 1918.

Second World War

Home Defence

VIII Corps formed part of Home Forces in the UK during the early part of World War II.

Order of Battle Autumn 1940

• 3rd Division
• 48th (South Midland) Division

North West Europe

VIII Corps fought on the western front in 1944 and 1945 as part of the Second Army. From January 21 to November 27, 1944, it was commanded by Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor.

At the start of the Normandy Campaign, it comprised:

• Guards Armoured Division (later transferred to XXX Corps)
• 11th Armoured Division (later transferred to XXX Corps)
• 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division (later transferred to XII Corps )
• 6 Guards Tank Brigade
• 8th Army Group, Royal Artillery
  • 25th Field Regiment, RA
  • 61st (Caernarvon & Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, RA
  • 63rd Medium Regiment, RA
  • 77th (Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, RA
  • 53rd (Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Heavy Regiment, RA
• Corps Troops:
  • 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment
  • 91st (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA
  • 121st (Leicestershire Regiment) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA
  • 10th Survey Regiment, RA
  • VIII Corps Troops Royal Engineers
  • VIII Corps Signals

It played a major role in Operations Epsom, Jupiter, Goodwood and Bluecoat, before being reduced in size and moved to the reserve prior to the breakout from Normandy.

The Corps fought in a supporting role during Operation Market Garden, capturing the Dutch towns of Deurne and Helmond, and took part in the advance on Venray and Venlo (Operation Constellation) beginning on 12 October 1944. VIII Corps later took part in Operation Plunder, crossed the Elbe and occupied Plön in Schleswig-Holstein.

Post-war

In the immediate post-war period, the corps formed VIII Corps District in Schleswig-Holstein before being disbanded in 1946. Its final composition was:

• 4th Armoured Brigade
• Jewish Infantry Brigade
• 7th Armoured Division
  • 22nd Armoured Brigade
  • 131st Infantry Brigade (detached to Berlin)
  • 13th Infantry Brigade (attached from 5th Division)
• 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division
  • 46th Infantry Brigade

General Officers Commanding

Commanders included:

• 1915-18 Lieutenant-General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston

• Jul 1940-May 1941 Lieutenant-General Harold Franklyn
• May 1941-Nov 1941 Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson
• Nov 1941-Jan 1943 Lieutenant-General Arthur Grassett
• Jan 1943-Jul 1943 Lieutenant-General Herbert Lumsden
• Jul 1943-Aug 1943 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard McCreery
• Nov 1943-Jan 1944 Lieutenant-General John Harding
• Jan 1944-Nov 1944 Lieutenant-General Sir Richard O'Connor
• Dec 1944-Apr 1946 Lieutenant-General Evelyn Barker

References

• George Forty, British Army Handbook 1939-1945, Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 1998 (ISBN 0 7509 1403 3).
• Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, The British Army in Germany (BAOR and after): An organizational history 1947-2004, Tiger Lily Publications, 2005.

External sources

• The long Long Trail
• Royal Artillery 1939-45
• Regiments.org