The British I Corps in France and Flanders

I Corps was part of the original British Expeditionary Force. Its headquarters landed at Le Havre on 15 August 1914.

Also known as “A” Corps.

Headquarters locations

14 August 1914: Southampton
15 August 1914: Le Havre, France
17 August 1914: Wassigny
21 August 1914: Marbaix
22 August 1914: Maubeuge
23 August 1914: Bonnet
24 August 1914: Vieux Mesnil
25 August 1914: Landrecies
26 August 1914: Hannapes
27 August 1914: Mont d’Origny
28 August 1914: Saint-Gobain
30 August 1914: Vauxbuin
31 August 1914: Villers-Cotterêts
1 September 1914: Mareuil-sur-Ourcq
2 September 1914: Meaux
3 September 1914: La Fringale
4 September 1914: Faremoutiers
5 September 1914: Chaumes
6 September 1914: Chaubuisson
7 September 1914: Choisy
8 September 1914: Les Jardins
9 September 1914: Charly
10 September 1914: Hautevesnes
11 September 1914: Breny
12 September 1914: Jouaignes
by 21 September 1914: Mont du Bas
28 September 1914: Monthussart Farm
4 October 1914: Belleme Chateau
17 October 1914: Chateaux at Nieppe and La Crosse
19 October 1914: Cassel (Villa Ste Marie and Chateau Vandamme)
20 October 1914: Poperinge
22 October 1914: advanced Corps HQ to Ypres
26 October 1914: advanced report centre to Hooge chateau
31 October 1914: Dickebusch
3 November 1914: Brielen (Chateau les Trois Tours, 1st Echelon) and Poperinge (2nd Echelon)
21 November 1914: Hazebrouck
22 December 1914: Hinges
3 January 1915: Béthune (numbers 9 and 11 rue Eugène Haynaut)
25 January 1915: Hinges
28 January 1915: Chocques (Chateau Filliette)
1 June 1915: Labuissière
29 June 1915: Chocques
24 September 1915: Fouquières-lès-Béthune
6 October 1915: Chocques
11 March 1916: Labuissière (where it then remained for 2.5 years!)
17 October 1918: Mazingarbe
20 October 1918: Thumeries
10 November 1918: Rongy
2 December 1918: Cysoing

On 26 March 1919 I Corps ceased to exist. It became “Douai Cadre A”.

I Corps headquarters was located at Labuissière, SW of Béthune and in the Bruay coalfield area, for well over two years.

Corps HQ was established in the chateau, which traces its origins as far back as 1217. There is only a vestige of ruin there now.

This wonderful sketch map of the corps headquarters is contained in the late 1918 war diary of the adjutant of XI Corps. Crown Copyright. National Archives WO95/887. It details every builing and hut in Labuissière that was used to accomodate the various functions of the HQ. A separate page lists the occupants of each building and revleals what a sizeable and complex operation it was.

Commanding Officers

Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig (to command First Army, 27 December 1914)
27 December 1914: Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro (to command Third Army, 14 July 1915)
14 July 1915: Lieutenant-General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough (to 28 March 1916 when went on leave preparatory to transfer to Reserve Corps)
1 April 1916: Major-General (soon Lieutenant-General) Charles Toler MacMorrough Kavanagh (from 5th Division; to Cavalry Corps, 4 September 1916)
30 September 1916: Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Alexander Anderson (to 11 February 1917)
19 February 1917: Lieutenant-General Arthur Edward Aveling Holland (from role as MGGS Third Army; knighted 1918)
26 March 1919: “Douai Cadre A” passed to the command of Brigadier-General Frederick Guy Maunsell.

Battles and Engagements

The Battles Nomenclature Committee of 1921 defined I Corps as participating in the following:

Under direct command of General Headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force

Retreat from Mons (23 August – 5 September 1914) including the Battle of Mons (23-24 August)

The advance to the Aisne (6 September – 1 October 1914) including the Battle of the Marne (7-10 September), the Battle of the Aisne (12-15 September) and the Actions on the Aisne Heights (20 September 1914)

The First Battles of Ypres, 1914:

The Battle of Langemarck (21-24 October 1914)

The Battle of Gheluvelt (29-31 October 1914)

The Battle of Nonne Bosschen (11 November 1914)

First Army

The First Action of Givenchy (25 January 1915)

The Affairs of Cuinchy (29 January, 1 and 6 February 1915)

The Battle of Aubers (9 May 1915)

The Battle of Festubert (15-25 May 1915)

The Battle of Loos (25 September – 8 October 1915)

First Army

The Battles of Arras, 1917: