The Long, Long Trail
 
The 27th Division    
A Regular Army Division
History | Units | Commanders

Summary history of the division
 

The 27th Division was formed in England in October-November 1914, from regular units returning from India, Hong Kong and Canada. On 21 December 1914 : landed in France and proceeded to the Western Front.

Action of St Eloi

The Second Battle of Ypres

November 1915 : moved to Salonika

 

 


Order of Battle 
 

80th Brigade

2nd Bn, the KSLI (joined November 1914)

3rd Bn, the King's Royal Rifle Corps (joined November 1914)

4th Bn, the King's Royal Rifle Corps (joined November 1914, left June 1918)

4th Bn, the Rifle Brigade (joined November 1914)

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (joined November 1914, left Nov 1915, to 3rd Canadian Division)

80th Brigade Machine Gun Company (formed 16 May 1916)

80th Trench Mortar Battery (formed 2 September 1916)

80th Small Arms Ammunition Section Supply Column (from 28 September 1916)

81st Brigade

1st Bn, the Royal Scots (joined November 1914)

1/9th (Highlanders) Bn, the Royal Scots (joined February 1915, left November 1915)

2nd Bn, the Gloucesters (joined November 1914, left November 1916)

13th (Scottish Horse Yeomanry) Bn, the Black Watch (joined October 1916, left July 1918)

2nd Bn, the Cameron Highlanders (joined November 1914)

1st Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (joined November 1914)

1/9th (The Dumbartonshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (joined February 1915, left May 1915)

81st Brigade Machine Gun Company (formed 16 May 1916)

81st Trench Mortar Battery (formed 16 October 1916)

81st Small Arms Ammunition Section Supply Column (from 28 September 1916)

82nd Brigade

1st Bn, the Royal Irish (joined November 1914, left November 1916)

2nd Bn, the Gloucesters (joined November 1916)

2nd Bn, the DCLI (joined November 1914)

10th (Service) Bn, the Hampshire (joined November 1916)

10th (Lovat's Scouts) Bn TF, the Cameron Highlanders (joined October 1916, left June 1918)

2nd Bn, the Royal Irish Fusiliers (joined November 1914, left November 1916)

1st Bn, the Leinster (joined November 1914, left November 1916)

1/1st Bn, the Cambridgeshire (joined February 1915, left November 1915)

82nd Brigade Machine Gun Company (formed 16 May 1916)

82nd Trench Mortar Battery (formed 31 July 1916)

82nd Small Arms Ammunition Section Supply Column (from 28 September 1916)

19th Brigade

This Brigade joined the Division from the 6th Division on 31 May 1915, and was transferred to 2nd Division on 19 August 1915.

2nd Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (joined May 1915, left August 1915)

1st Bn, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (joined May 1915, left August 1915)

1/5th Bn, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (joined May 1915, left August 1915)

1st Bn, the Middlesex (joined May 1915, left August 1915)

2nd Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (joined May 1915, left August 1915)


Divisional Troops

26th (Service) Bn (3rd Public Works Pioneers), the Middlesex (joined August 1916)


Divisional Mounted Troops

D Squadron, the Derbyshire Yeomanry (joined 26 March 1916, left June 1916)

A Squadron, the Surrey Yeomanry (joined 21 November 1914, left 27 December 1916)


Divisional Artillery

CXXIX (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA (joined August 1915)

I Brigade, RFA (joined October 1914)

XIX Brigade, RFA (joined November 1914)

XX Brigade, RFA (joined November 1914)

2nd Mountain Battery, RFA (attached between 17 July and 26 July 1915)

Bute Mountain Battery (of IV Highland Mountain Brigade), RFA (attached between 22 July and 8 September 1918, and again 23 September and 25 September 1918)

130 Howitzer Battery, RFA (attached between 8 January and 21 February 1915)

61 Howitzer Battery, RFA (attached between 21 February and June 1915)

27th Divisional Ammunition Column (formed December 1914 from the IV Home Counties (Howitzer) Brigade TF RFA; disbanded 8 January 1917)


Engineer Units

1st (South Midland) Field Company (joined Dec 14, left Mar 15)

17th Field Company (joined Mar 1915)

1st (Wessex) Field Company (joined Nov 1914, renamed 500th Field Coy)

1st (Wessex) Field Company (joined Nov 1914, renamed 501st Field Coy)

Wessex Divisional Signal Company (joined November 1914)


Field Ambulances

81st (1st Home Counties) (joined Nov 14)

82nd (2nd Home Counties) (joined Nov 14)

83rd (3rd Home Counties) (joined Nov 14)


Other Divisional Troops

27th Divisional Train ASC (95, 96, 97, 98 Companies joined November 1914. This train left to join 55th Division on 1 January 1916.)

818th Divisional Employment Company (formed 14 September 1917)

16th Mobile Veterinary Section

No 7 Sanitary Section ( joined 14 January 1915)

27th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop ( joined 7 February 1915, remained in France when Division moved to Salonika)


Divisional command  
 
Maj-Gen. T. Snow (19/11/1914)

Maj-Gen. G. Milne (16/7/1915)
Br-Gen. S. Hare (Acting, 13/1/1916)
  Maj-Gen. W. Marshall (7/2/1916)
  Br-Gen. H. White-Thomson (Acting, 14/9/1916)
  Maj-Gen. H. Ravenshaw (15/9/1916)
  Br-Gen. G. Weir (Acting, 30/9/1916)
Maj-Gen. G. Forestier-Walker (22/12/1916)
 

 

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