| The 34th Division |  |
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| A New Army Division | ||||||||||
| History | Units | Commanders | ||||||||||
| Summary history of the division | ||||||||||
This Division was originally part of the Fifth New Army, and was numbered 41st. However, the Fourth New Army was broken up in April 1915, and the Division was renumbered 34th, part of K4. It was formed of many units that had been raised by public subscription and private projects, and was only taken over by the War Office on 15th August 1915. The Division moved to France between 7th and 15th January 1916, and served with distinction on the Western Front throughout the war. The Battle of Albert (first phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) The Division suffered very severe casualties during its part in the attack on La Boisselle. The Battle of Bazentin (second phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) The Battle of Pozieres (third phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) The Battle of Flers-Courcelette (sixth phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) (103rd Brigade) The First Battle of the Scarpe (first phase of the Arras Offensive) The Second Battle of the Scarpe (second phase of the Arras Offensive) (103rd Brigade) The Battle of Arleux (third phase of the Arras Offensive) The Battle of St Quentin (first phase of the First Battles of the Somme 1918) The Battle of Estaires (first phase of the Battles of the Lys) The Battle of Messines, 1918 (second phase of the Battles of the Lys) (102nd Brigade) The Battle of Bailleul (fourth phase of the Battles of the Lys) The First Battle of Kemmel (fifth phase of the Battles of the Lys) The Division suffered very severe casualties during its part in the defence of Kemmel, and was withdrawn and reorganised. In mid-May 1918 the Divisional infantry was reduced to a training cadre, and used for training American troops. Many reduced units were attached for short periods at this time. It was reconsituted as a full first-line Division late in June 1918. The Battle of the Soissonnais and of the Ourcq In the above action, the Division took part in the Capture of Beugneux Ridge The Division also fought in the subsequent Actions of Ooteghem and Tieghem The Division was selected to be part of the Cologne Bridgehead following the Armistice. On 15th March 1919, it was renamed the Eastern Division. The 34th suffered 41,000 casualties during the war. |
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| Order of Battle | ||||||||||
| 101st Brigade 15th (Service) Bn (1st Edinburgh) , the Royal Scots (joined June 1915, left May 1918) 16th (Service) Bn (2nd Edinburgh) , the Royal Scots (joined June 1915, left May 1918) 2/4th Bn (TF) , the Queen's (joined June 1918) 10th (Service) Bn, the Lincolns (joined June 1915, left February 1918) 11th (Service) Bn, the Suffolks (joined May 1915, left May 1918) 2nd Bn, the Loyal North Lancs (joined June 1918) 101st Brigade Machine Gun Company (joined 27 April 1916, moved into 34 MG Bn 26 February 1918) 101st Trench Mortar Battery (joined from 18 February 1916, broken up 16 May 1918 and reformed 2 July 1918) 102nd Brigade (Tyneside Scottish) The Brigade was attached to the 37th Division, between 6 July and 22 August 1916, following extremely heavy casualties incurred by the Brigade during the attack at La Boiselle 20th (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined June 1915, disbanded February 1918) 21st (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined June 1915, disbanded February 1918) 22nd (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined June 1915, left June 1918) 23rd (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined June 1915, left June 1918) 25th (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined February 1918, left June 1918) 1/4th Bn, the Lincolns (joined June 1918, left June 1918) 1/4th Bn, the Cheshires (joined July 1918) 1/7th Bn, the Cheshires (joined July 1918) 7/8th (Service) Bn, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (joined June 1918 as a cadre, left June 1918) 1/1st Bn, the Herefordshire (joined June 1918) 102nd Brigade Machine Gun Company (joined 27 April 1916, moved into 34 MG Bn 26 February 1918) 102nd
Trench Mortar Battery (joined from 18 February 1916, broken
up 16 May 1918 and reformed 10 July 1918) 103rd Brigade (Tyneside Irish) The Brigade was attached to the 37th Division, between 6 July and 22 August 1916, following extremely heavy casualties incurred by the Brigade during the attack at La Boiselle 24th (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined June 1915, disbanded February 1918) 25th (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined June 1915, left February 1918) 26th (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined June 1915, disbanded February 1918) 27th (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined June 1915, disbanded February 1918) 10th (Service) Bn, the Lincolns (joined February 1918, left June 1918) 1/5th (Dumfries and Galloway) Bn, the King's Own Scottish Borderers (joined June 1918) 1/8th Bn, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (joined June 1918) 6th (Service) Bn, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (joined and left June 1918) 1st Bn, the East Lancashire (joined February 1918, left May 1918) 1/5th (Renfrewshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (joined June 1918) 103rd Brigade Machine Gun Company (joined 27 April 1916, moved into 34 MG Bn 26 February 1918) 103rd Trench Mortar Battery (joined from 18 February 1916, broken up 16 May 1918 and reformed 1 July 1918) 111th Brigade and 112th Brigade Both Brigades were attached from the 37th Division, between 6 July and 22 August 1916, in exchange for the 102nd and 103rd Brigade, following the extremely heavy casualties incurred by those Brigades during the attack at La Boiselle Divisional Troops 18th (Service) Bn , the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined July 1915, left June 1918) 2/4th Bn, the Somerset Light Infantry (joined June 1918) 13th (Service) Bn, the Yorkshire (joined and left as a cadre, June1918) 13th (Service) Bn (Wandsworth), the East Surreys (joined and left as cadre, June 1918) 2/5th Bn, the Sherwood Foresters (joined and left as a cadre June 1918) 3/4th Bn, the Royal West Kents (joined and left June 1917) 21st (Service) Bn (Islington), the Middlesex (joined and left as a cadre June 1918) 8th (Service) Bn, the King's Royal Rifle Corps (joined and left as a cadre June 1918) 9th (Service) Bn, the King's Royal Rifle Corps (joined and left as a cadre June 1918) 1/5th Bn, the North Staffords(joined and left as a cadre June 1918) 10/11th (Service) Bn, the Highland Light Infantry(joined and left as a cadre June 1918) 14th (Service) Bn, the Highland Light Infantry(joined and left as a cadre June 1918) 6th (Service) Bn, the Connaught Rangers (joined and left as a cadre June 1918) 6th (Service) Bn, the Leinster (joined and left June 1918) 8th (Service) Bn, the Rifle Brigade (joined and left June 1918) 240th Machine Gun Company (joined 18 July 1918, moved into 34 MGB 26 February 1918) No 34 Machine Gun Battalion (created 26 February 1918) Divisional Mounted Troops E Squadron , the North Irish Horse (joined January 1915, left May 1916) 34th Divisional Cyclist Company (formed September 1915, left 11 May 1916) Divisional Artillery The Divisional Artillery was attached to 5th Division while the infantry reduced to cadre and the 34th Division was reorganised CLII Brigade, RFA (joined by April 1915) CLX Brigade, RFA (joined by April 1915) CLXXV Brigade, RFA (joined by April 1915, left 26 January 1917) CLXXVI (H) Brigade, RFA (joined by April 1915, broken up 28 August 1916) 516 Heavy Battery, RFA (joined CLXXV Brigade 7 October 1916) 130 Heavy Battery, RGA (raised with the Division but moved overseas independently) 34th Divisional Ammunition Column (Nottingham) (joined December 1914) V.34 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA (formed by 16 August 1916, moved to VI Corps 6 March 1918) X.34, Y.34 and Z.34 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA (formed by 18 June 1916; Z Bty broken up 6 March 1918) Engineer Units 105th Field Company (left Feb 1915) 106th Field Company (left Feb 1915) 207th (Norfolk) Field Company (joined Feb 1915) 208th (Norfolk) Field Company (joined Feb 1915) 209th (Norfolk) Field Company (joined Feb 1915) 34th Divisional Signals Company (joined 23 July 1915) Field Ambulances 102nd Field Ambulance (joined November 1915) 103rd Field Ambulance (joined November 1915) 104th Field Ambulance (joined November 1915) 34th Divisional Train ASC (229, 230, 231, 232 Companies ASC joined June 1915) 231st Divisional Employment Company (joined 25 May 1917) 44th Mobile Veterinary Section (joined November 1915) 74th Sanitary Section (left 31 March 1917) 34th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop (joined early 1915, disbanded 31 March 1916) |
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