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The original British Expeditionary Force (BEF), which crossed to France in August 1914 in accordance with pre-war military plans agreed with the French government, comprised four infantry divisions and five Brigades of cavalry. By the time of the Battle of the Aisne this force (commanded by Field Marshal Sir John French) had increased to six infantry divisions and a Cavalry Division.
The Order of Battle of the British Expeditionary Force (October 1914) [summary version]
I Corps (Lieutenant-General Sir D Haig).
1st Division (Major-General S H Lomax).
| 1st Guards Brigade |
| 1st Coldstream Guards |
1st Black Watch |
| 1st Camerons |
The London Scottish (from 7 November 1914) |
| 2nd Brigade |
| 2nd Royal Sussex |
1st Loyal North Lancs |
| 1st Northampton |
2nd King's Royal Rifle Corps |
| 3rd Brigade |
| 1st Queens |
1st South Wales Borderers |
| 1st Gloucesters |
2nd Welch |
| 4th Royal Welch Fusiliers (from 7 December 1914) |
2nd Division (Major-General C C Monro).
| 4th Guards Brigade |
| 2nd Grenadier Guards |
3rd Coldstream Guards |
| 1st Irish Guards |
1st Hertfordshires (from 19 November 1914) |
| 5th Brigade |
| 2nd Worcesters |
2nd Ox & Bucks Light Infantry |
| 2nd Highland Light Infantry |
2nd Connaught Rangers |
| 9th Highland Light Infantry (from 24 November 1914) |
| 6th Brigade |
| 1st King's |
2nd South Staffordshire |
| 1st Royal Berkshires |
1st King's Royal Rifle Corps |
| 4th Royal Welch Fusiliers (from 7 December 1914) |
II Corps (General Sir H L Smith-Dorrien).
3rd Division (Major-General Hubert I W Hamilton).
| 7th Brigade |
| 3rd Worcesters |
2nd South Lancs |
| 1st Wiltshires |
2nd Royal Irish Rifles |
| 8th Brigade |
| 2nd Royal Scots |
2nd Royal Irish Regiment |
| 4th Middlesex |
1st Devons |
| 1st Honourable Artillery Company (from 9 November 1914) |
| 9th Brigade |
| 1st Northumberland Fusiliers |
4th Royal Fusiliers |
| 1st Lincolns |
1st Royal Scots Fusiliers |
| 10th King's (from 25 November 1914) |
5th Division (Major-General Sir C Fergusson).
| 13th Brigade |
| 2nd Kings Own Scottish Borderers |
2nd Duke of Wellington's Regiment |
| 1st Royal West Kents |
2nd King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry |
| 1/9 London (Queen Victoria's Rifles - from 27 November 1914) |
| 14th Brigade |
| 2nd Suffolks |
1st East Surreys |
| 1st Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry |
2nd Manchesters |
| 15th Brigade |
| 1st Norfolks |
1st Bedfords |
| 1st Cheshires |
1st Dorsets |
| 6th Cheshires (from 11 December 1914) |
III Corps (Major-General W P Pulteney).
4th Division (Major-General H F M Wilson).
| 10th Brigade |
| 1st Warwicks |
2nd Seaforths |
| 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers |
2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers |
| 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (from 6 January 1915) |
| 11th Brigade |
| 1st Somerset Light Infantry |
1st East Lancs |
| 1st Hampshire |
1st Rifle Brigade |
| 1st London Rifle Brigade (from 6 November 1914) |
| 12th Brigade |
| 1st King's Own Regiment |
2nd Lancashire Fusiliers |
| 2nd Inniskilling Fusiliers |
2nd Essex Regiment |
| 2nd Monmouthshire Regiment (from 21 December 1914) |
6th Division (Major-General J L Keir).
| 16th Brigade |
| 1st The Buffs |
1st Leicesters |
| 1st King's Shropshire Light Infantry |
2nd York & Lancaster Regiment |
| 17th Brigade |
| 1st Royal Fusiliers |
1st North Staffordshire Regiment |
| 2nd Leinster Regiment |
3rd Rifle Brigade |
| 18th Brigade |
| 1st West Yorks |
1st East Yorks |
| 2nd Sherwood Foresters |
2nd Durham Light Infantry |
| 1/16th London (Queen's Westminster Rifles) (from 11 November 1914) |
| 19th Brigade |
| 2nd Royal Welch Fusiliers |
2nd Cameronians |
| 1st Middlesex |
2nd Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders |
| 5th Cameronians (from 19 November 1914) |
Cavalry Corps (Lieutenant-General E H H Allenby).
1st Cavalry Division (Major-General H de B de Lisle).
| 1st Cavalry Brigade |
| 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) |
5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards |
| 11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars |
1st Signal Troop |
| 2nd Cavalry Brigade |
| 4th Royal Irish (Dragoon Guards) |
9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers |
| 18th (Queen Mary's Own) Hussars |
2nd Signal Troop |
2nd Cavalry Division (Major-General H P de la Gough).
| 3rd Cavalry Brigade |
| 4th (Queen's Own) Hussars |
5th Royal Irish Lancers |
| 16th (The Queen's) Lancers |
3rd Signal Troop |
| 4th Cavalry Brigade |
| Composite Regiment of Household Cavalry |
6th Dragoon Guards |
| 3rd (King's Own) Hussars |
4th Signal Troop |
| 5th Cavalry Brigade |
| 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) |
12th (Prince of Wales's Royal) Lancers |
| 20th Hussars |
5th Signal Troop |
IV Corps (Lieutenant-General Sir H S Rawlinson).
7th Division (Major-General T Capper).
| 20th Brigade |
| 1st Grenadier Guards |
2nd Scots Guards |
| 2nd Border Regiment |
2nd Gordon Highlanders |
| 21st Brigade |
| 2nd Bedfordshire Regiment |
2nd Green Howards |
| 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers |
2nd Wiltshire Regiment |
| 22nd Brigade |
| 2nd Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment |
2nd Royal Warwickshire Regiment |
| 1st Royal Welch Fusiliers |
1st South Staffordshire Regiment |
3rd Cavalry Division (Major-General Hon J H G Byng).
| 6th Cavalry Brigade |
| 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards |
1st Royal Dragoons |
| 10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars |
| 7th Cavalry Brigade |
| 1st Life Guards |
| 2nd Life Guards |
| Royal Horse Guards [to 8th Cavalry Brigade on 20 November 1914] |
| [from 12 November 1914] Leicestershire Yeomanry (Prince Albert's Own) |
8th Division (Major-General F J Davies).
| 23rd Brigade |
| 2nd Devonshire Regiment |
2nd (Prince of Wales's Own) West Yorkshire Regiment |
| 2nd Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) |
2nd (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Middlesex Regiment |
| 24th Brigade |
| 1st Worcestershire Regiment |
2nd East Lancashire Regiment |
| 1st Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) |
2nd Northamptonshire Regiment |
| 25th Brigade |
| 2nd Lincolnshire Regiment |
2nd (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Royal Berkshire Regiment |
| 1st Royal Irish Rifles) |
2nd Rifle Brigade |
Indian Corps (Lieutenant-General Sir J Willcocks).
The Lahore Division (Lieutenant-General H B B Watkis).
| The Ferozepore Brigade |
| 1st Connaught Rangers |
9th Bhopal Infantry |
| 57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force) |
129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis |
| The Jullundur Brigade |
| 1st Manchester Regiment |
15th Ludhiana Sikhs |
| 47th Sikhs |
59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force) |
| The Sirhind Brigade |
| 1st Highland Light Infantry |
125th Napier's Rifles |
| 1/1st King George's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment) |
1/4th Gurkha Rifles |
The Meerut Division (Lieutenant-General C A Anderson).
| The Dehra Dun Brigade |
| 1st Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) |
6th Jat Light Infantry |
| 2/2nd King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) |
1/9th Gurkha Rifles |
| The Garhwal Brigade |
| 2nd Leicestershire Regiment |
1/39th Garhwal Rifles |
| 2/39th Garhwal Rifles |
2/3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles |
| The Bareilly Brigade |
| 2nd Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) |
41st Dogras |
| 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) |
2/8th Gurkha Rifles |
Indian Cavalry Corps (Lieutenant-General M F Rimington).
(formed 18th December 1914)
1st Indian Cavalry Division (Major-General H D Fanshawe; 22nd December 1914).
(arrived France 7th November 1914)
| Sialkot Cavalry Brigade |
| 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers |
6th King Edward's Own Cavalry |
| 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse) |
Signal Troop |
| Ambala Cavalry Brigade |
| 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars |
9th Hodson's Horse |
| 30th Lancers (Gordon's Horse) |
Signal Troop |
| Lucknow Cavalry Brigade |
| 8th (King's) Dragoon Guards |
29th Lancers (Deccan Horse) |
| 36th Jacob's Horse) |
Signal Troop |
2nd Indian Cavalry Division (Major-General G A Cookson).
(arrived France 14th November 1914)
| Mhow Cavalry Brigade |
| 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons |
2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) |
| 38th King George's Own Central India Horse |
Signal Troop |
| Meerut Cavalry Brigade |
| 13th Hussars |
3rd Skinner's Horse) |
| 18th King George's Own Lancers |
Signal Troop |
| Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade |
| 7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards |
20th Deccan Horse |
| 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse |
Signal Troop | BACK TO MAIN TEXT
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