British Expeditionary Force

E660527

The British Expeditionary Force was the British Army's professional field force sent to the Western Front at the start of World War I, playing a crucial role in early battles such as those of 1914 in Belgium and France.

All labels observed (10)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf field army ⓘ
alliedWith Belgian Army ⓘ
French Army ⓘ
alsoKnownAs BEF ⓘ
branch land forces ⓘ
casualties suffered heavy losses in 1914 campaigns ⓘ
commander Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig ⓘ
linked to: Douglas Haig

Field Marshal Sir John French ⓘ
component Kitchener's New Army units (later in war) ⓘ
linked to: Kitchener's Army

Territorial Force units (later in war) ⓘ
regular army troops ⓘ
conflict World War I ⓘ
country United Kingdom ⓘ
doctrine emphasis on rifle fire and small-unit tactics ⓘ
endTime 1918 ⓘ
garrisonLocation Belgium ⓘ
France ⓘ
headquartersLocation initially near Maubeuge, France ⓘ
later near Saint-Omer, France ⓘ
language English ⓘ
militaryAlliance Allies of World War I ⓘ
notableBattle Battle of Le Cateau ⓘ
Battle of Mons ⓘ
Battle of the Aisne (1914) ⓘ
First Battle of Ypres ⓘ
First Battle of the Marne ⓘ
notableCommander General Sir Edmund Allenby ⓘ
linked to: Edmund Allenby

General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien ⓘ
notableEngagement Great Retreat (1914) ⓘ
Race to the Sea ⓘ
notableFor high level of pre-war professional training ⓘ
key role in halting German advance in 1914 ⓘ
operatedIn Belgium ⓘ
France ⓘ
opposedBy German Army ⓘ
partOf British Army ⓘ
replacedBy British Armies in France and Flanders ⓘ
role professional field force ⓘ
startTime 1914 ⓘ
strength approximately 80,000 men at outset ⓘ
subordinateUnit Cavalry Corps (British Army) ⓘ
I Corps (British Army) ⓘ
II Corps (British Army) ⓘ
III Corps (British Army) ⓘ
IV Corps (British Army) ⓘ
V Corps (British Army) ⓘ
linked to: British V Corps
theatre Western Front ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (105)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

First Battle of Ypres → combatantForce → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
I Corps → raisedFor → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
I Corps → subordinateTo → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Aisne 1914 → associatedWith → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
II Corps (British Army) → subordinateTo → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
III Corps (British Army) → partOf → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
III Corps (British Army) → componentOf → British Expeditionary Force in France ⓘ
linked to: British Expeditionary Force
Commander of the Third Army → usedBy → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Commander of the Third Army → associatedWith → British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front ⓘ
linked to: British Expeditionary Force
Third Army (United Kingdom) → higherCommand → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Second Battle of the Somme (1918) → involves → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Louis Lipsett → servedIn → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
subject linked to: Major-General Louis Lipsett
Hubert Gough → memberOf → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
British Expeditionary Force (World War II) → precededBy → British Expeditionary Force (World War I) ⓘ
subject linked to: BEF
linked to: British Expeditionary Force
Battle of Le Cateau → belligerent → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Royal Pioneer Corps → associatedWith → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
subject linked to: The Pioneers
British I Corps → service → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
No. 2 Squadron AFC → operationalControl → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
British VIII Corps → partOf → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
British XII Corps → subordinateTo → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
German 4th Army → engagedAgainst → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
51st (Highland) Infantry Division → partOf → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Battle of Cambrai (1918) → involvement → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
James Welch → partOf → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
subject linked to: Lance-Corporal James Welch
British First Army → service → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
British First Army → commandStructure → British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front ⓘ
linked to: British Expeditionary Force
Australian Corps → subordinateTo → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Newfoundland Regiment → service → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Fourth Army → subordinateTo → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
IV Corps → subordinateTo → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
8th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom) → partOf → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
8th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom) → associatedWith → British Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders ⓘ
linked to: British Expeditionary Force
Archibald Murray → partOf → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Kaiserschlacht → involves → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Fifth Army → higherCommand → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Fifth Army → commandStructure → British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front ⓘ
linked to: British Expeditionary Force
Great Retreat → participant → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Race to the Sea → belligerent → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
54th (East Anglian) Division → componentOf → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
29th Division → formedPartOf → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
John Vereker, 4th Viscount Gort → commanded → British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium ⓘ
linked to: British Expeditionary Force
John Vereker, 2nd Viscount Gort → commanded → British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium ⓘ
subject linked to: John Vereker, Baron Gort
linked to: British Expeditionary Force
German 1st Army → engagedAgainst → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
German 2nd Army → opposedBy → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Vimy 1917 → involves → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
No. 9 Squadron RFC → associatedWith → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
Great Retreat (1914) → involves → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort → militaryUnit → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ
subject linked to: John Vereker
Battle of Alexandria → combatantStrength → British expeditionary force ⓘ
linked to: British Expeditionary Force
French Army on the Western Front → alliedWith → British Expeditionary Force ⓘ