| The 37th Division |  |
The lucky horseshoe sign of the 37th Division | ||||||
| A New Army Division | ||||||||
| History | Units | Commanders | ||||||||
| Summary history of the division | ||||||||
Established in Andover in March 1915 as 44th Division, but renumbered 37th in May of that year. Replaced 16th (Irish) Division in Second New Army. The infantry battalions had already been serving as Army Troops attached to other Divisions and were already at a reasonably advanced stage as far as training was concerned when this Division was formed. 21 April 1915 : moved to Colderton Late July - early August 1915 : landed in France and concentrated near St Omer on 2 August 1915; the Division served with distinction on the Western Front for the remainder of the war, taking part in many of the significant actions, as listed below. The Attack on the Gommecourt Salient (first phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) Two of the Division's infantry Brigades (111 and 112) and the Divisional pioneers were attached to 34th Division (that had suffered very heavy losses in the attack on La Boiselle in the opening phase of the Somme battle) between 6 July and 22 August 1916. They took part in a number of actions while attached. The Battle of the Ancre (tenth phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) The First Battle of the Scarpe (first phase of the Arras Offensive) In the above action, the Division captured Monchy le Preux.
The fine memorial to the Division in Monchy-le-Preux. The Second Battle of the Scarpe (second phase of the Arras Offensive) The Battle of Arleux (third phase of the Arras Offensive) The Battle of the Menin Road (third phase of the Third Battle of Ypres) The Battle of the Polygon Wood (fourth phase of the Third Battle of Ypres) The Battle of Broodseinde (fifth phase of the Third Battle of Ypres) The Battle of Poelcapelle (sixth phase of the Third Battle of Ypres) The First Battle of Passchendaele (seventh phase of the Third Battle of Ypres) The Second Battle of Passchendaele (eighth phase of the Third Battle of Ypres) The Battle of Albert (first phase of the Second Battles of the Somme 1918) The Battle of Havrincourt (first phase of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line) The Battle of the Canal du Nord (third phase of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line) The Battle of Cambrai 1918 (sixth phase of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line) At the armistice on 11 November 1918, the Division was in the area of Le Quesnoy. After moving back to the Bethencourt - Caudry area, it moved forward on 1 December 1918 to Charleroi. By 20 December, units were billeted between Charleroi and the Maubeuge-Nivelles road. Demobilisation began on Boxing Day, and by 25 March 1919 the Division ceased to exist. The Division suffered a total of 29,969 casualties during the war. |
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| Order of Battle | ||||||||
Order of Battle 110th Brigade 7 July 1916 : Brigade transferred to 21st Division 6th (Service) Bn, the Leicesters (joined April 1915) 7th (Service) Bn, the Leicesters (joined April 1915) 8th (Service) Bn, the Leicesters (joined April 1915) 9th (Service) Bn, the Leicesters (joined April 1915) 110th Company, Machine Gun Corps (joined 4 March 1916) 110th Trench Mortar Battery (formed from two sections that arrived in March 1916, on 13 June 1916) 111th Brigade Brigade was attached to 34th Division between 6 July and 22 August 1916 10th (Service) Bn, the Royal Fusiliers (joined March 1915) 13th (Service) Bn, the Royal Fusiliers (joined March 1915, moved to 112th Bde 4February 1918) 13th (Service) Bn, the King's Royal Rifle Corps (joined April 1915) 13th (Service) Bn, the Rifle Brigade (joined April 1915) 111th Company, Machine Gun Corps (joined 4 March 1916, merged into No. 37 Machine Gun Battalion 4 March 1918) 111th Trench Mortar Battery (formed from two sections that arrived in May 1916, on 2 July 1916) 112th Brigade Brigade was attached to 34th Division between 6 July and 22 August 1916 11th (Service) Bn, the Royal Warwicks (joined April 1915, disbanded 7 February 1918) 6th (Service) Bn, the Bedfords (joined March 1915, left 21 May 1918) 8th (Service) Bn, the East Lancashire (joined March 1915, disbanded 4 February 1918) 10th (Service) Bn, the Loyal North Lancs (joined April 1915, disbanded 4 February 1918) 13th (Service) Bn, the Royal Fusiliers (joined from 111th Bde 4 February 1918) 1st Bn, the Essex (joined 4 February 1918) 1/1st Bn, the Hertfordshire (joined 11 May 1918) 112th Company, Machine Gun Corps (joined 4 March 1916, merged into No. 37 Machine Gun Battalion 4 March 1918) 112th Trench Mortar Battery (formed from two sections that arrived in May and June 1916, on 1 July 1916) 63rd Brigade 8 July 1916 : the Brigade was transferred from 21st Division 8th (Service) Bn, the Lincolns 8th (Service) Bn, the Somerset Light Infantry 4th Bn, the Middlesex 10th (Service) Bn, the York and Lancaster (disbanded 4 February 1918) 63rd Company, Machine Gun Corps (merged into No. 37 Machine Gun Battalion 4 March 1918) 63rd Trench Mortar Battery Divisional Troops 9th (Service) Bn (Pioneers), the North Staffords (joined 20 April 1915; was attached to 34th Division between 6 July and 22 August 1916) Divisional Artillery The three field gun Brigades (CCXXIII, CCXXIV and CCXXV) were raised for the original 31st Division but when this was broken up they joined the artillery reserve. They joined this Division by 15 April 1915. CCXVI (Howitzer) Brigade was raised for the original 32nd Division which was also broken up, and it too oined by 15 April 1915. CXXIII Brigade, RFA CXXIV Brigade, RFA CXXV Brigade, RFA (broken up 31 August 1916) CXXVI (H) Brigade, RFA (broken up January 1917) 37th Heavy Battery RGA (raised for the Division but did not proceed to France with it) 37th Divisional Ammunition Column Divisional Engineers 152nd Field Company, RE (joined by 14 April 1915) 153rd Field Company, RE (joined by 14 April 1915) 154th Field Company, RE (joined by 14 April 1915) 37th Divisional Signal Company, RE (was 40th Divisional Signal Company, joined this Division 17 June 1915) Divisional Mounted Troops RHQ and B Squadron, the Yorkshire Dragoons (joined early1915, left May 1916) 37th Divisional Cyclist Company, ACC, formed 4 May 1915, left for VII Corps Cyclist Battalion 12 May 1916) Field Ambulances, RAMC 48th Field Ambulance (joined from 16th Division, June 1915) 49th Field Ambulance (joined from 16th Division, June 1915) 50th Field Ambulance (joined from 16th Division, June 1915 Other Divisional Troops 37th Divisional Train (288, 289, 290 and 291 Companies ASC) 247th Company, Machine Gun Corps (joined 19 July 1917, merged into No. 37 Machine Gun Battalion 4 March 1918) 37th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps (formed 4 March 1918) 234th Divisional Employment Company (formed by 16 June 1917) 28th Mobile Veterinary Section, AVC (joined by 7 May 1915) 16th Motor Machine Gun Battery (joined 26 July 1915, left 9 May 1916) 37th Sanitary Section (left to join XVIII Corps by 20 April 1917) 37th Motor Ambulance Workshop (absorbed by the 37th Divisional Supply Column, 6 April 1916) |
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