2nd Cavalry Division ( United Kingdom ) The 2nd Cavalry Division was a division of the regular British Army that saw service in World War I . It also known as Gough ' s Command , after its commanding general and was part of the British Expeditionary Force which served in France in from 1914 – 1918 . It was involved in most of the major actions where cavalry were used as a mounted mobile force , and also many where the troops were dismounted and effectively served as infantry . On November 11 , 1918 , units of the division were east and north - east of Mons , in Belgium . Orders were received that the division would lead the advance of Fourth Army into Germany , a move that was to begin on November 17 , 1918 . On December 1 , it crossed the frontier south of St . Vith . The winter was spent south of Liège , and demobilisation commenced . The division ceased to exist on March 31 , 1919 . Napoleonic Wars . During the Peninsular War , Wellington organized his cavalry into one , later two , cavalry divisions . They performed a purely administrative , rather than tactical , role ; the normal tactical headquarters were provided by brigades commanding two , later usually three , regiments . On 19 June 1811 , the cavalry was reorganized as two divisions and the existing Cavalry Division was redesignated as 1st Cavalry Division with the formation of the 2nd Cavalry Division . Major General Sir William Erskine took command on formation . He was absent from 8 December 1811 to 8 April 1812 , though at this time the division only comprised one brigade . He resumed command briefly , but committed suicide in Lisbon on 13 February 1813 . The divisions were once again amalgamated as The Cavalry Division on 21 April 1813 with Lieutenant General Stapleton Cotton ( of the 1st Cavalry Division ) in command . Assigned Brigades . The division was formed on 19 June 1811 with De Grey ' s and Long ' s Brigades ; Long ' s Brigade was to remain with the division throughout its existence . Between 8 November 1811 and 23 March 1812 it commanded just one brigade and it never exceed three brigades in strength . First World War . Gough ' s Command . On 6 September , the formerly independent 5th Cavalry Brigade was joined with the 3rd Cavalry Brigade from the Cavalry Division as Gough ' s Command . Named for the commander of 3rd Cavalry Brigade , Brigadier - General Hubert Gough , it took part in the First Battle of the Aisne ( 12 – 15 September ) . On 13 September , the command was re - designated as the 2nd Cavalry Division , with the addition of divisional troops from the Royal Horse Artillery , Royal Engineers etc . The 4th Cavalry Brigade joined the division on 14 October from 1st Cavalry Division to bring it up to the standard three brigade strength . The division remained on the Western Front until the end of the war . 1914 – 1917 . In 1914 , the division took part in First Battle of Ypres , notably the battle of Gheluvelt ( 29 – 31 October ) . In 1915 , the division was in action at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle ( 10 – 12 March 1915 ) and the Second Battle of Ypres notable the Battle of St Julien ( 26 April – 3 May ) and the Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge ( 24 – 25 May ) . 1916 saw no notable actions , but in 1917 the division saw action in the Battle of Arras ( First Battle of the Scarpe , 9 – 11 April ) . and the Battle of Cambrai ( the Tank Attack of 20 and 21 November , the Capture of Bourlon Wood of 24 – 28 November and the German Counter - Attack of 30 November – 3 December ) . At other times , the brigades formed dismounted units and served in the trenches as regiments under the command of their brigadiers . War of movement . 1918 saw the return of the war of movement and the division took part in the First Battle of the Somme notably the Battle of St Quentin ( 21 – 23 March ) , the Battle of the Lys ( Battle of Hazebrouck of 14 – 15 April ) , the Battle of Amiens ( 8 – 11 August ) and the Second Battle of the Somme ( Battle of Albert of 21 – 23 August and the Second Battle of Bapaume of 31 August – 3 September ) . The division was then split up with the 3rd Cavalry Brigade serving with First Army , 4th Cavalry Brigade with Third Army and 5th Cavalry Brigade with Fourth Army . The brigades variously took part in the battles of the Hindenburg Line : the battles of Canal du Nord ( 27 September – 1 October ) , St . Quentin Canal ( 29 September – 2 October ) , Beaurevoir Line ( 3 – 5 October ) and Cambrai ( 8 – 9 October ) and the Pursuit to the Selle ( 9 – 12 October ) . Its final action was to take part in the Advance in Picardy ( 17 October – 11 November ) including the Battle of the Sambre ( 4 November ) and the capture of Mons ( 11 November , 3rd Canadian Division with 5th ( Royal Irish ) Lancers and one section of D Battery , RHA ) . Armistice . At the Armistice , units of the division had reached Clairfayts ( 5th Cavalry Brigade with Fourth Army ) , Erquelinnes ( 4th Cavalry Brigade with Third Army ) and Havré and St . Denis ( 3rd Cavalry Brigade with First Army ) . On 15 November , the division was re - assembled near Maubeuge and ordered to advance into Germany as an advance screen for Fourth Army and form part of the Occupation Force . The move began on 17 November , Ciney and Rochefort were reached five days later and the 5th Cavalry Brigade crossed the German border south of St . Vith on 1 December . In late December , the division moved to winter quarters south and south - east of Liège . It remained here until 30 January 1919 when it exchanged regiments with 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions then gradually moved back to England . The Division ceased to exist at midnight 31 March / 1 April 1919 . Order of battle . 3rd Cavalry Brigade . The brigade joined Gough ' s Command on 6 September from The Cavalry Division and remained with the division until the end of the war . 4th Cavalry Brigade . The brigade joined the division on 14 October from 1st Cavalry Division and remained with the division until the end of the war . 5th Cavalry Brigade . The brigade , formerly independent , joined Gough ' s Command on 6 September and remained with the division until the end of the war . Divisional Troops . The division was supported by the following units : Commanders . The 2nd Cavalry Division had the following commanders :