Gough was a cavalry officer who, as a favourite of the British Commander-in-Chief, General Sir Douglas Haig, experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks during the war. At the outbreak of war in August 1914, Gough was commanding a brigade and later commanded the 7th Division, known as "Gough's Mobile Army". By the time of the Battle of Loos in September 1915 he was commanding I Corps and at the start of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 Gough was in charge of the Reserve Army, despite only being a lieutenant general. At the end of October 1916, Gough's Reserve Army was renamed the Fifth Army.
It was Gough's Fifth Army that bore the brunt of the German Operation Michael offensive on 21 March1918 and the failure of his army to hold the line and stem the German advance led to his dismissal.
Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough (1870-1963) was born in Gurteen, Co. Wexford in 1870 and trained at Sandhurst.
As its commander Gough was blamed for the collapse of the Fifth Army during the great German push in March 1918 during Third Ypres, and was replaced by General Sir William Birdwood.
Gough retired as a full general in 1922, penning a self-vindication of Fifth Army in 1931.
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