Philippe Roger Gombaud de Séréville was born September 5, 1854 in Versailles.
He entered the Special Military School on October 30, 1873 and graduated from it on October 1, 1875 with the stripe of Second Lieutenant and ranked 94th out of 281 students. Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on October 27, 1879 and assigned to the 10th Chasseurs Regiment in Moulins. Promoted to the rank of Captain on December 22, 1882, and to the rank of Squadron Leader on December 26, 1893, he was assigned to the 8th Chasseurs Regiment in Auxonne to command a group of squadrons. On January 16, 1895, he was placed out of commission and appointed chief of staff of the 7th cavalry division in Melun. On May 1, 1895, he moved to the same job in the 6th Cavalry Division in Lyon. On June 15, 1898, he was assigned to the 2nd Dragoon Regiment in Lyon to command a group of squadrons.
Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel on December 30, 1900, he was assigned to the 1st Hussar Regiment in Valence. He was detached for several months to complete an internship at the 158th infantry regiment in Lyon then, on March 28, 1901, he moved to the 7th cuirassier regiment in Lyon. Promoted to the rank of Colonel on September 23, 1904, he was given command of the 12th Cuirassier Regiment at Rambouillet. Classified by order of the 1st regiment of hussars, he received on June 24, 1910 the command of the 3rd cavalry brigade of Algeria and the subdivision of Sétif.
Promoted to the rank of Brigadier General on December 20, 1910, he remained in command until March 23, 1911, when he was appointed commander of the cavalry brigade of the 13th army corps, which he did not join because , on March 30, he was assigned to the cavalry brigade of the 10th army corps in Dinan. On October 1, 1913 he was put in charge of the 9th Light Cavalry Brigade in Tarbes. On April 15, 1914, he moved to Rennes, to the 16th Dragoon Brigade, with which he was mobilized on August 2, 1914. On August 1, 1915 he was given command of the 12th Dragoon Brigade. On August 31, 1916, he was appointed commander of the 215th territorial brigade created on the same date. Placed in the reserve section on September 5, 1916, he is maintained in his command which includes army elements of the 10th army. His brigade having been dissolved on September 5, 1917, he was placed at the disposal of the Minister and later transferred to reserve. Division General Gombaud de Séréville died on November 29, 1929 in Mouguerre (Basses-Pyrénées).
