| Home > Army Organisation > 3rd Division, Order of Battle | ||||||||||||||
| A Regular Army Division | ||||||||||||||
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| Summary history of the division | ||||||||||||||
The Rearguard Action of Solesmes Learning curve: 8th Brigade attack at Wytschaete, December 1914 Article: Christmas Truce 1914 The Battle of Albert (first phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) The Battle of Bazentin (second phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) In the latter action, the Division captured Longueval. The Battle of Delville Wood (third phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) 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) The Second Battle of the Scarpe (second phase of the Arras Offensive) (8th Brigade) The Battle of Arleux (third phase of the Arras Offensive) The Third Battle of the Scarpe (fourth phase of the Arras Offensive) The latter action included the Division's role in the Capture of Roeux. 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 St Quentin (first phase of the First Battles of the Somme 1918) The First Battle of Bapaume (second phase of the First Battles of the Somme 1918) The First Battle of Arras, 1918 (fourth phase of the First Battles of the Somme 1918) The Battle of Estaires (first phase of the Battles of the Lys) The Battle of Hazebrouck (third phase of the Battles of the Lys) The Battle of Bethune (sixth phase of the Battles of the Lys) The Battle of Albert (first phase of the Second Battles of the Somme 1918) The Battle of Bapaume (second phase of the Second Battles of the Somme 1918) 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) The Division was selected to be one that would advance into Germany and form part of the Occupation Force at Cologne. |
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| Order of Battle | ||||||||||||||
7th Brigade 18 October 1915 : Brigade moved to 25th Division 3rd Bn, the Worcesters (joined August 1914, left October 1915 ) 2nd Bn, the South Lancashire (joined August 1914, left October 1915 ) 1/4th Bn, the South Lancashire (joined February 1915, left October 1915 ) 1st Bn, the Wiltshires (joined August 1914, left October 1915 ) 2nd Bn, the Royal Irish Rifles (joined August 1914, left October 1915) 1/1st Bn, the Honourable Artillery Company (joined December 1914, left October 1915) 8th Brigade 2nd Bn, the Royal Scots 13th (Service) Bn, the King's (Liverpool) (joined October 1915, left April 1916) 1st Bn, the Devons (between 14 and 30 September 1914) 2nd Bn, the Suffolks (joined October 1914, left October 1915) 8th (Service) Bn, the East Yorkshires(joined November 1915, left February 1918) 2nd Bn, the Royal Irish (joined August 1914, left March 1915) 1st Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers (joined April 1916) 7th (Service) Bn, the KSLI (joined October 1915) 4th Bn, the Middlesex (joined August 1914, left November 1915) 1st Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (joined August 1914, left October 1915) 1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (joined February 1915, left October 1915) 1/1st Bn, the Honourable Artillery Company (joined November 1914, left December 1914) 1/5th (City of London) Bn, the London Regiment (joined October 1915, left February 1916) 8th Brigade Machine Gun Company (formed on 22 January 1916, moved into 3 MG Bn 6 March 1918) 8th Trench Mortar Battery (joined by 18 April 1916) 9th Brigade Brigade transferred temporarily to 28th Division between 17 February 1915 and 2 April 1915. It was replaced by the 85th Brigade from that Division. 1st Bn, the Northumberland Fusiliers 4th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers 1/10th (Scottish) Bn, the King's (Liverpool) (joined November 1914, left January 1916) 13th (Service) Bn, the King's (Liverpool) (joined April 1916) 1st Bn, the Lincolns (joined August 1914, left November 1915) 12th (Service) Bn, the West Yorkshires (joined November 1915, left February 1918) 1st Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers (joined August 1914, left April 1916) 9th Brigade Machine Gun Company (formed on 8 February 1916, moved into 3 MG Bn 6 March 1918) 9th Trench Mortar Battery (joined by 1 May 1916) 76th Brigade 15 October 1915 : Brigade moved from 25th Division 8th (Service) Bn , the King's Own (joined October 1915) 13th (Service) Bn, the King's (Liverpool) (joined October 1915) 2nd Bn, the Suffolks (joined October 1915) 10th (Service) Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (joined October 1915, disbanded February 1918) 7th (Service) Bn, the KSLI (joined and left October 1915) 1st Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (joined October 1915) 1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (joined October 1915, left February 1916) 76th Brigade Machine Gun Company (formed on 13 April 1916, moved into 3 MG Bn 6 March 1918) 76th Trench Mortar Battery (joined on 1 April 1916 as 43rd TMB and immediately redesignated) Divisional Troops 1/4th Bn, the South Lancashire (joined as Pioneers October 1915, left January 1916) 20th (Service) Bn (British Empire League Pioneers), the King's Royal Rifle Corps (joined May 1916) 233rd Machine Gun Company (formed on 18 July 1917, joined Divisional MG Battalion 6 March 1918) No 3 Machine Gun Battalion (created 6 March 1918) Divisional Mounted Troops A Squadron, 15th (King's) Hussars (joined August 1914, left April 1915) C Squadron, the North Irish Horse (joined April 1915, left June 1916) B Squadron, the Glasgow Yeomanry (between 10 May 1916 and 1 June 1916) Divisional Artillery XXX (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA (joined August 1914, left May 1916) XXIII Brigade, RFA (joined August 1914, left January 1917)) XL Brigade, RFA (joined August 1914) XLII Brigade, RFA (joined August 1914) 48 Heavy Battery, RFA (joined August 1914, left April 1915) No 5 Pom-Pom Section (Anti-Aircraft), RFA (attached between 20 August 1914 and December 1914) 5th Mountain Battery, RFA (attached between 14 December 1914 and 3 March 1915) 3rd Divisional Ammunition Column V.3 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA (joined by July 1916, moved to VI Corps on 6 March 1918) X.3, Y.3 and Z.3 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA (joined in February 1916; by 24 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each) Engineer Units 56th Field Company (joined Aug 1914) 57th Field Company (joined Aug 1914, left Apr 1915) 1st (Cheshire) Field Company (joined Dec 1914, renamed 438th Field Coy) 1st (South Midland) Field Coy (joined and left Mar 1915) 1st (East Riding) Field Company (joined Sep 1915, renamed 529th Field Coy) 3rd Divisional Signals Company (joined Aug 1914) Field Ambulances 7th (joined Aug 1914) 8th (joined Aug 1914) 9th (joined Aug 1914, left 28 Aug 1915) 142nd (joined Aug 1915) Other Divisional Troops 3rd Divisional Train ASC (15, 21, 22, 29 Companies) 206th Divisional Employment Company (Joined on 31 May 1917, as 8th Divisional Employment Company; redesignated in June 1917) 11th Mobile Veterinary Section 5th Sanitary Section ( joined as 4A on 9 January 1915, redesignated in April 1916, transferred to Arras Area 3 April 1917) 3rd Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop ( joined by 18 April 1915, absorbed by Divisional Train on 9 April 1916) |
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One
of the first Divisions to move to France, the 3rd Division remained
on the Western Front throughout the war. It took part in most
of the major actions.