General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough ( ; 12 August 1870 – 18 March 1963) was a senior officer in the British Army in the First World War. A controversial figure, he was a favourite of Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig (Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front 1916-18), and the youngest of his Army commanders.

Gough experienced a meteoric rise during the first two years of the First World War. He commanded his 3rd Cavalry Brigade in August 1914 at the Battle of Mons and the Battle of Le Cateau. After operating in a somewhat semi-detached fashion from his division commander Edmund Allenby, his force was built up into an independent unit, initially called "Gough's Command" and soon reconstituted as the new 2nd Cavalry Division. His division fought dismounted at the First Battle of Ypres. Gough then commanded the 7th Infantry Division at the Battle of Aubers Ridge in spring 1915. He commanded I Corps at the Battle of Loos in the autumn of 1915, and was one of the senior officers who criticised Sir John French to King George V, contributing to the former's enforced resignation as Commander-in-Chief of the BEF.

Early war Cavalry brigade: Mons to the Marne

At the outbreak of war in August 1914, Gough took the 3rd Cavalry Brigade to France, under the command of Allenby (GOC Cavalry Division).Beckett & Corvi 2006, p. 77 They embarked between 14 and 16 August, and shipped directly from Ireland to Le Havre, before travelling by train to Maubeuge.Farrar-Hockley 1974, pp. 115, 117 Active operations began on 21 August, and the brigade saw action on 22 August, on which day an artillery battery under Gough's command was the first British battery in France to open fire on the Germans.Farrar-Hockley 1974, pp. 120–121 During the Battle of Mons (23 August) Gough's brigade, along with three of the other British cavalry brigades, was on the left flank (the 5th was on the right, maintaining contact with Lanrezac's Fifth Army).Farrar-Hockley 1974, p. 122

During the following days Gough detached himself from Allenby's command and linked up with Haig's I Corps on the BEF's right. Gough's version of events was that he had become dissatisfied with Allenby on 24 August after his retreat exposed Fergusson’s 5th Infantry Division to German attack on its left flank, requiring 2nd Cavalry Brigade to mount a charge and Gough's 3rd Brigade, which was to have been the rearguard, to fight dismounted. After the Germans fell back, Gough was able to resume the planned retreat, only to find that Allenby had sent the division transport, containing food, ammunition and maps, far into the rear.Farrar-Hockley 1974, p. 125 Gough later claimed (in The Fifth Army) that Allenby had been "mesmerised" by the enemy during an engagement at Solesmes on 25 August. Gough may also have been panicking, telling another officer that the British were "surrounded" and that the Germans were already in Amiens – southwest of the BEF's present position. Allenby publicly laughed this episode off as "only Gough's little way" but was privately furious both at Gough's behaviour and at the way it was tolerated by Haig and Sir John French (Commander-in-Chief of the BEF). Relations between Allenby and Gough were strained thereafter.James 1993, p. 61

During the Battle of Le Cateau (26 August) part of Gough's brigade again assisted 5th Infantry Division. After the battle, lacking orders or information, he managed to make contact with Wilson (sub chief of staff, BEF) on the civilian telephone system, who told him – by Gough's account – "As you are on the spot, do as you like, old boy."Farrar-Hockley 1974, p. 126 On 27 August, near St Quentin, Gough managed to obtain some maps from an Army Service Corps officer who happened to be driving past, and managed – again using the civilian telephone system – to make contact with the corps commanders Haig and Horace Smith-Dorrien. On 28 August he sent a message to GHQ stating that he had lost contact with Division HQ (ie. Allenby) and had received no orders for 4 days, but although he asked for orders from GHQ he received none.BEF GHQ was in chaos at this time, with the Chief of Staff Murray having suffered a breakdown On 29 August the brigade heard the artillery of the Battle of Guise in the far distance. By 1 September they were at Villers-Cotterêts, south of the Aisne, after a retreat of 180 miles (100 miles as the crow flies), and at last linked up with Haig's I Corps, assisting a rearguard of Irish Guards in the last major action of the retreat. The retreat ended south of the Marne on 5 September and Gough for the first time linked up with British transport and supplies.Farrar-Hockley 1974, pp. 127–128

By the time of the Battle of the Marne 3rd and 5th Cavalry Brigades had been formed into "Gough's Command", an ad hoc cavalry force separate from Allenby's Cavalry Division. One man wrote: "It was all push, push, push with Goughie. But he was pushing the enemy as much as he was pushing us." Gough advanced to the Aisne on 12 September, although owing to Sir John French's having failed to organise ad hoc advance guards there was neither artillery to harass the Germans nor engineers to repair the bridges, which had been blown only an hour previously.Farrar-Hockley 1974, pp. 129–131

Cavalry division

On 15 September Gough's Command, with the addition of supporting troops, was formed into 2nd Cavalry DivisionFarrar-Hockley 1974, p. 131 and he was appointed GOC on 16 September.Beckett & Corvi 2006, p76 The two cavalry divisions, now being redeployed by train to Belgium, were formed into a Cavalry Corps under Allenby (9 September), and reached the Belgian border on 11 September.Farrar-Hockley 1974, p. 133

2nd Cavalry Division was the western flank of the BEF, and after capturing Mont des Cats (12 October) and after interviews with prisoners, Gough believed that he had a chance to turn the German west flank. He gave verbal orders (13 October) to capture Mount Kemmel (also southwest of Ypres) and to cross the Lys southeast of Ypres, but was forbidden to advance further by Allenby.Farrar-Hockley 1974, pp. 135–136 The staff officer Philip Howell wrote to his wife at this time that Gough was "like a cat on hot bricks" (14 October 1914). On 14 October Gough linked up with Rawlinson's IV Corps (Byng's 3rd Cavalry Division and Thompson Capper's 7th Infantry Division) which were moving down from the coast – as there was no longer any danger of being cut off Gough ordered his division to advance, while Allenby (15 October) at last persuaded Sir John French to try to take Lille and turn the German west flank – instead they clashed with new forces being brought up by Erich von Falkenhayn (the new German Chief of Staff).

On 16 and 17 October Gough's attempts to cross the Lys were beaten back by German forcesFirst Ypres was an encounter battle in which the BEF attempt to turn the German flank ran into strong attack from newly arrived German forces, who were trying to do the same to the British Entrenchment began on 20 October – local workers had to be rounded up, as British cavalry were not equipped with entrenching tools. Gough's division, sometimes with as few as 2,000 officers and men in the front line, was defending an area around Messines and Wytschaete. At one point he had to gallop to the front lines to order certain regiments to hold their positions – this had been caused by confused staff work, in which Gough's orders to draw up "contingency plans" for retreat had been misunderstood.Gough's chief of staff at the time was Lt-Col Bob Greenly, who later, Gough told Haig on 29 March 1918, went "off his head" with strain commanding a division in March 1918 (Farrar-Hockley p. 311)Farrar-Hockley 1974, pp. 138–140

Gough was promoted major-general on 26 October 1914. The promotion was backdated to 15 September, the date on which his division had been formed.Farrar-Hockley 1974, p. 141 During this period Gough formed the practice of rotating units through the front lines as quickly as possible, to avoid any single unit being damaged beyond the point of effectiveness, and of holding the front lines thinly to maintain the largest possible reserve. On 27 October Gough offered some of his reserves to Haig's I Corps (he made the offer privately to his brother Johnnie, Haig's chief of staff at the time), but this was countermanded by Allenby.

At 11.30am on 29 October Gough was able to send 5 squadrons out of his reserve to assist Byng's cavalry division.Harris 2009, p. 99Farrar-Hockley 1974, pp. 143–146 On 30 October, 31 October and the following night Gough's division (3,250 officers and men, assisted by two companies of Baluchis, Wilde's Rifles (an Indian battalion) and the London Scottish territorial battalion) was strongly attacked from the south-east by German forces under von Fabeck, who were trying to capture Messines-Wytschaete Ridge. He held off the assault, assisted by a cavalry charge by Chetwode's 5th Cavalry Brigade to his north and a counterattack by two battalions of Allenby's corps reserve to his south-west. He later reflected that he served his "apprenticeship in India and during the Boer War" but that at First Ypres "the Germans gave me my trade test."ie. the test which an apprentice had to pass to become a fully-qualified craftsmanSheffield & Todman 2004, p73-4Beckett & Corvi 2006, p77

Gough's Division returned to the front line at Hooge, near Ypres, on 12 February. On 13 February he was offered a command in the expedition intended for Salonika (in the event these troops were sent to Gallipoli) but declined after consulting his brother and BEF Chief of Staff "Wully" Robertson.Farrar-Hockley 1974, pp. 149–150 Johnnie Gough was wounded and died later in February. Haig, a shy man, liked Gough for his wit and open personality, and to some extent he replaced his dead brother as Haig's confidant.Bond&Cave 1999, p. 88Sheffield & Todman 2004, p. 76 Haig specifically asked (10 March 1915) for Gough to be attached to his forces in case he succeeded in "breaking the enemy line" at Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March).Sheffield 2005, p. 105 In the event, Gough's division was in GHQ Reserve (ie. reporting to Haig's Army HQ rather than to c corps commander) for the battle.Farrar-Hockley 1974, p. 151 Philip Howell wrote to his wife that Gough liked "to fight with everyone above him as well as with the Boches" (19 March 1915).Robbins 2005, p. 32

Infantry division

Gough was appointed GOC of the 7th Division on 18 April 1915, after its previous commander, Thompson Capper, had been wounded.Beckett & Corvi 2006, pp. 76, 77 The division was part of Rawlinson's IV Corps, itself part of Haig's First Army; on giving him his new appointment, Haig informed him (Haig diary 18 April 1915) about how Rawlinson had attempted to have Joey Davies sacked from command of 8th Division after Neuve Chapelle and how Davies and his staff did not trust Rawlinson.Sir John French had almost relieved Rawlinson of command for this, and Haig had interceded on his behalf; Robin Prior argued that Rawlinson was therefore reluctant to argue with Haig in the planning of the Battle of the Somme. See Prior & Wilson "Command on the Western Front" (1992) and "The Somme" (2005)Sheffield 2005, p. 116 Gough may have been appointed as a counterbalance to Rawlinson, with whom Haig had a wary relationship.Sheffield & Todman 2004, p. 77 Gough and his division were in reserve at Second Ypres (22 April).Farrar-Hockley 1974, p. 153