X Corps ( United Kingdom ) The X Corps was a British Army formation in the First World War and was later re - formed in 1942 during the North African campaign of the Second World War as part of the Eighth Army . First World War . X Corps was formed in France in July 1915 under Thomas Morland . In the autumn of 1916 the corps took part in the Battle of the Somme and in 1917 X Corps , formed a part of the Second Army and included the 29th and 30th Division s followed by others as the Second Army was reinforced for the Flanders operations after the Battle of Arras . In June 1917 it took part in the Battle of Messines . and participated in the Battles of Ypres 31 July – 10 November . In May and June 1918 , it was commanded by William Peyton . Later in 1918 it came under the command of Reginald Stephens . Second World War . Home Defence . X Corps was reformed in 1940 as part of Home Forces in the UK . Order of Battle Autumn 1940 North Africa . X Corps first went on active service in Syria under the command of Major General William Holmes . In 1942 , Lieutenant - General Bernard Montgomery decided it should join Eighth Army to become a mobile corps to exploit infantry breakthroughs in North Africa . It then comprised two armoured divisions ( 1st and 10th ) with parts of a third ( 8th ) divided between them , and the New Zealand Division . From 1942 , its commander was Lieutenant General Herbert Lumsden , albeit not Montgomery ' s preferred choice . Lumsden was later dismissed because of a perceived reluctance to pursue the retreating Afrika Korps and replaced by Brian Horrocks . X Corps were heavily involved at the Second Battle of El Alamein . The original plan was to be simultaneous attacks by XXX Corps and XIII Corps to clear corridors for X Corps ' armour to exploit . Events affected the plan and on the 5 October , it was decided to attack simultaneously with both XXX and X Corps . The New Zealanders rapidly captured Miteirya Ridge . While XIII Corps pressed forward , X Corps was to strike northwestwards to distract and defeat Rommel ' s Panzer s . By November 4 , X Corps was in full pursuit , but heavy rain bogged the armour down and Rommel escaped . The corps was active through the remainder of the campaign with Eighth Army until the Axis forces surrender in Tunisia in May 1943 . Italy and Greece . The Corps was not involved in the Sicily campaign but became part of Lieutenant - General Mark Clark ' s US Fifth Army to take part in the landings at Salerno , Italy on 9 September 1943 . Here it was commanded by Lieutenant - General Richard McCreery . After Salerno it continued to fight on the Fifth Army ' s left wing including taking part in the first Battle of Monte Cassino in January 1944 . In the spring of 1944 the corps was relieved by the French Expeditionary Corps ( 1943 - 1944 ) and switched back to the Eighth Army taking position on the right of British XIII Corps . The corps had a minor role in the fourth and decisive battle of Cassino but was involved in the Allied advance north through the summer to the German Gothic Line defences . In September 1944 the corps played a holding role on the left flank of Eighth Army during " Operation Olive " , the autumn offensive on the Gothic Line . In November 1944 command of X Corps was taken by Lieutenant - General John Hawkesworth when Richard McCreery was promoted to command Eighth Army . When the Axis forces withdrew from Greece , from October British troops under Lieutenant - General Ronald Scobie were sent there to maintain internal stability . In late 1944 Hawkesworth and X Corps HQ were sent to Greece to assume control of military operations so that Scobie could concentrate more on the highly complex and sensitive political aspects of the British involvement . By March 1945 Hawkesworth and his HQ had returned to Italy . X Corps was in a reserve role and not involved in the Allies ' final offensive in April 1945 culminating with the surrender of Axis forces in Italy in early May . By this time it had become apparent that Hawkesworth was suffering from a serious heart condition . He died on the way home to Britain , when he suffered a heart attack while on board his troopship which lay at Gibraltar , on 3 June 1945 . General Officers Commanding . Commanders have included :