Early Career
The relief column was led by Major Hubert Gough. He attended Eton College, and according to his autobiography "Soldiering On" he was terrible at Latin. But he was good at sports such as football and rugby. After leaving Eton, Gough gained entrance to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in 1888. He joined the 16th Lancers in 1889 and served in the Tirah campaign. Gough first became widely known for his command of a relief column during the siege of Ladysmith in the Second Boer War. His meeting with George Stuart White was widely portrayed.
From 1904 to 1906 he was an instructor at the Staff College and from December 1906 he commanded the 16th (Queen's) Lancers. In 1911 he returned to Ireland as a brigadier-general commanding 3rd Cavalry Brigade, which included the 16th lancers, at the Curragh.
In March 1914 Gough was a leader in the Curragh Incident, in which a number of British Army officers said that they would rather resign rather than enforce the Government's plans to realise Irish home rule.
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