The British XV Corps in France and Flanders

XV Corps was formed on 22 April 1916. It took over part of the front from XIII Corps on 29 April 1916.

Headquarters locations

  • Formation: Vignacourt
  • 29 April 1916: Heilly
  • 30 October 1916: Long
  • 7 December 1916: Etinehem
  • 29 March 1917: Poste de Commandement Chapeau de Gendarme (northwest of Curlu)
  • 17 April 1917: a camp on Haute Allaines – Moislains road (map C.29.central)
  • 2 June 1917: Villers-Bretonneux
  • 12 June 1917: Malo-les-Bains (near Dunkirk)
  • 29 June 1917: Bray-Plage
  • 2 September 1917: La Panne
  • 19 September 1917: Bray-Dunes-Plage
  • 19 November 1917: Lillers
  • 22 November 1917: Hinges
  • 30 January 1918: La Motte-au-Bois
  • 11 April 1918: Wardreques
  • 25 May 1918: Q Branch of headquarters to Blaringhem
  • 22 September 1918: Blaringhem
  • 21 October 1918: Mouvaux

Commanding Officers

Lieutenant-General Henry S. Horne

(Date tbc: after 13 September but before before Oct 1916) Lieutenant-General Sir John P. Du Cane

(Date tbc: late April 1918) Lieutenant-General Sir Henry de Beauvoir de Lisle (from XIII Corps)

Lieutenant-General Sir Henry de Beauvoir de Lisle commanded the corps through the final battles in Flanders. Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, with thanks and under Creative Commons Licence.

Battles and Engagements

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

Fourth Army

The Battles of the Somme, 1916:

The Battle of Albert (1-13 July 1916) including the capture of Mametz

The Battle of Bazentin (14-17 July 1916)

Attacks on High Wood (20-25 July 1916)

The Battle of Delville Wood (15 July – 3 September 1916)

The Battle of Guillemont (3-6 September 1916)

The Battle of Ginchy (9 September 1916)

The Battle of Flers-Courcelette (15-22 September 1916)

The Battle of Morval (25-28 September 1916)

The Battle of Le Transloy (1-18 October 1916)

Fourth Army

The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line (14 March – 5 April 1917)

Fourth Army

The German attack on Nieuwpoort (Operation “Strandfest”) (10-11 July 1917)

First Army

The Battles of the Lys:

The Battle of Estaires (9-11 April 1918)

The Battle of Hazebrouck (12-15 April 1918)

Second Army

The Action of La Becque (28 June 1918)

The Capture of Méteren (19 July 1918)

The Action of Outtersteene Ridge (18 August 1918)

The Final Advance in Flanders:

The Battle of Ypres, 1918 (28 September -2 October 1918)

The Battle of Courtrai (14-19 October 1918)

Links

The British Corps headquarters in France and Flanders