Sir Cyril Deverell | |
|---|---|
 Major General Sir Cyril Deverell in 1920 | |
| Born | (1874-11-09)9 November 1874 |
| Died | 12 May 1947(1947-05-12) (aged 72) Lymington, Hampshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1895–1937 |
| Rank | Field marshal |
| Service number | 869 |
| Unit | West Yorkshire Regiment |
| Commands | |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
Field MarshalSir Cyril John Deverell,GCB, KBE, DL (9 November 1874 – 12 May 1947) was aBritish Army officer who served asChief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, from 1936 to 1937. Prior to his becoming CIGS, he fought in theFourth Anglo-Ashanti War and theFirst World War, during which he commanded at battalion, brigade and division level, and later advised theBritish government on the importance of maintaining the capability to mount anExpeditionary Force for operations on mainland Europe in the years leading up to theSecond World War.
Deverell was born the son of Lieutenant John Baines Seddon Deverell and Harriet Strappini Deverell (née Roberts) and educated atBedford School.[1]
Deverell wascommissioned into thePrince of Wales's West Yorkshire Regiment on 6 March 1895.[2] He served in theFourth Anglo-Ashanti War in 1896[3] and was then promoted tolieutenant on 3 August 1898.[4] He was appointed adjutant of his regiment on 9 February 1904[5] before being promoted tocaptain on 23 February 1904.[6]
Deverell served in theFirst World War initially as brigade major for85th Brigade,[7] in which role he joined theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF) and saw action at theSecond Battle of Ypres in April 1915 before being promoted to brevetmajor on 3 June 1915.[3][8]
Deverell becamecommanding officer of the1/4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment, aTerritorial Force unit, in July 1915 and was then asked to command the20th Brigade, part of the7th Division, from 29 October 1915,[3] after its previous commander, Brigadier GeneralJohn Frederick Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, had been killed. With the new command came a temporary promotion to the rank of brigadier-general.[9] Promoted to the permanent rank oflieutenant colonel on 26 August 1916, he took part in theBattle of the Somme in the autumn of 1916.[3] His brigade held a position on the21st Division's right flank during theBattle of Bazentin Ridge and attacked the Switch Line to the east ofHigh Wood. He was promoted to the temporary rank ofmajor-general in August 1916[10] (and later to the substantive rank ofcolonel in January 1917) upon being given command of the3rd Division[3] after its commander, Major-GeneralSir Aylmer Haldane, took overVI Corps.[11]
Deverell led the division atArras in the spring of 1917, then participated in the latter stages of theBattle of Passchendaele in the final weeks of the year.[12] He returned tothe Somme in 1918, before fighting alongside thePortuguese at theBattle of the Lys.[13] The division participated in theHundred Days Offensive, finally leading to theGerman surrender on 11 November 1918.[12] He was appointed a Companion of theOrder of the Bath in 1918[1] and awarded theCroix de guerre in 1919.[14]He remained in command of the 3rd Division until 1 January 1919, when, having been promoted to substantive major general,[15] he took over command of the53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division.[12]
On 13 December 1921 Deverell moved to India. where he commanded theUnited Provinces District.[16] Having been appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the1926 Birthday Honours,[17] he served as Quartermaster-General of India from 25 February 1927[18] and, having been promoted tolieutenant general on 13 March 1928[19] and advanced toKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath in theKings Birthday Honours 1929,[20] he becameChief of the General Staff in India in 1930.[12] He became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief ofWestern Command on 11 April 1931[21] and then, having been promoted togeneral on 21 April 1933,[22] he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief ofEastern Command on 8 May 1933.[23] He was appointedaide-de-camp general tothe King on 10 February 1934,[24] and promoted tofield marshal on 15 May 1936,[25] before assuming the position ofChief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS) that same day.[12] In that capacity he advised the Government on the importance of maintaining the capability to mount an expeditionary force for operations on mainland Europe.[12] He was also colonel of thePrince of Wales's West Yorkshire Regiment from 21 March 1934, taking over from Major GeneralSir William Fry.[26]
In May 1937Leslie Hore-Belisha, the newly appointedSecretary of State for War, sought to implement a new policy of limiting expenditure on the Army, particularly on the development of tanks, and when Deverell failed to show enthusiasm for that policy in the context of an increasing threat fromNazi Germany, Hore-Belisha wrote to him advising him that he had been removed from office.[1] Deverell wrote a reply to the Secretary of State, strongly objecting to the adverse comments that had been made on his own performance, and retired from the British Army on 6 December 1937.[27]
On leaving the British Army Deverell becameDeputy Lieutenant ofSouthampton.[28] His interests included local politics, he served on a borough council, and chaired the local defence committee during theSecond World War.[1] He lived at Court Lodge inLymington, where he died on 12 May 1947 at the age of 72.[12] His body was cremated atBournemouth Crematorium.[29]
In 1902 Deverell married Hilda Grant-Dalton; they had a son and a daughter.[3]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | GOC 3rd Division 1916–1919 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GOC 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division 1919–1921 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of the General Staff (India) 1930–1931 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GOC-in-C Western Command 1931–1933 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GOC-in-C Eastern Command 1933–1936 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Colonel of the West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own) 1934–1947 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1936–1937 | Succeeded by |
