| The 40th Division |  |
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| A New Army Bantam Division | ||||||||
| History | Units | Commanders | ||||||||
| Summary history of the division | ||||||||
This Division was formed between September and December 1915, composed of bantam units and others which had a mixture of regulation-height and shorter men. Weeding out of very under-sized or unfit men delayed the training programme, and it was not until late Spring 1916 that the Division was ready to proceed on active service. The Division moved to France between 1st and 9th June, and served on the Western Front throughout the war. The Division served between June and late October 1916 on the front near Loos. Thereafter, it took part in the following actions: The Battle of the Ancre (tenth phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) (120th Brigade) The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line The Division played an important role in the attack on Bourlon Wood. 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 Battle of Estaires (first phase of the Battles of the Lys) The Battle of Hazebrouck (third phase of the Battles of the Lys) Following losses in the defence of Hazebrouck, the Division was reduced to a training cadre. A major reorganisation took place, with battalions that had been Garrison Guard units joining and being converted to fighting units. The Division was ready for front-line action again by 18th July 1918. The Division was demobilised by May 1919, having suffered 19,200 casualties during the war. |
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| Order of Battle | ||||||||
119th Brigade (Welsh Bantams) 19th (Service) Bn , the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (joined September 1915, disbanded February 1918) 12th (Service) Bn (3rd Gwent), the South Wales Borderers (joined September 1915, disbanded February 1918) 13th (Service) Bn , the East Lancashire (joined 1918 as 8th Garrison Guard Bn) 13th (Service) Bn (Wandsworth), the East Surreys (joined February 1918, left as cadre June 1918) 17th (Service) Bn (1st Glamorgan), the Welsh (joined July 1915, disbanded February 1918) 18th (Service) Bn (2nd Glamorgan), the Welsh (joined July 1915, left as a cadre May 1918) 21st (Service) Bn (Islington), the Middlesex (joined February 1918, left as a cadre May 1918) 12th (Service) Bn, the North Staffords (joined June 1918 as 12th (Garrison) Bn) 10/11th (Service) Bn, the Highland Light Infantry (joined and left February 1918) 119th Brigade Machine Gun Company (joined 19 June 1916, moved into 40 MG Bn March 1918) 119th Trench Mortar Battery (joined 25 June 1916) 120th Brigade 11th (Service) Bn , the King's Own (joined August 1915, disbanded February 1918) 2nd Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers (joined April 1918, left April 1918) 10th (Service) Bn, the King's Own Scottish Borderers (joined June 1918) 13th (Service) Bn, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (joined September 1915, left February 1916) 13th (Service) Bn (Wandsworth), the East Surreys (joined February 1916, left February 1918) 12th (Service) Bn, the South Lancashire (joined January 1916, absorbed by 11th King's Own March 1916) 15th (Service) Bn, the KOYLI(joined June 1918) 10/11th (Service) Bn, the Highland Light Infantry (joined February 1918, left as a cadre June 1918) 14th (Service) Bn, the Highland Light Infantry (joined September 1915, left as a cadre June 1918) 11th (Service) Bn, the Cameron Highlanders (joined as 6th Garrison Guard Bn June 1918) 14th (Service) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (joined February 1916, left April 1918) 120th Brigade Machine Gun Company (joined 19 June 1916, moved into 40 MG Bn March 1918) 120th
Trench Mortar Battery (joined 8 June 1916) 121st Brigade 12th (Service) Bn, the Suffolks (joined November 1915, left May 1918) 8th (Service) Bn, the Royal Irish (joined as 8th Garrison Bn, June1918) 13th (Service) Bn, the Yorkshire (joined July 1915, left June1918) 23rd Garrison Bn , the Lancashire Fusiliers (joined June 1918, becoming 23rd Bn July 1918 ) 23rd TF Bn, the Cheshires (joined June 1918) 9th (Service) Bn, the Worcesters (joined as a cadre June 1918, absorbed July 1918) 18th (Service) Bn, the Sherwood Foresters (joined October 1915, merged with 13th Yorks. April 1916) 20th (Service) Bn (Shoreditch), the Middlesex (joined February 1916, left as cadre May 1918) 21st (Service) Bn (Islington), the Middlesex (joined February 1916, left February 1918) 22nd (Service) Bn, the Middlesex (joined October 1915, disbanded April 1916) 121st Brigade Machine Gun Company (joined 19 June 1916, moved into 40 MG Bn March 1918) 121st Trench Mortar Battery (joined 25 June 1916) Divisional Troops 12th (Service) Bn, the Yorkshire (joined October 1914, left June 1918) 17th (Service) Bn, the Worcesters (joined June 1918) 244th Machine Gun Company (joined July 1917, moved into 40 MGB March 1918) No 40 Machine Gun Battalion (created March 1918, disbanded May 1918) No 104 Machine Gun Battalion (joined 24 August 1918, left 16 September 1918) No 39 Machine Gun Battalion (joined 11 September 1918) Divisional Mounted Troops A Squadron, the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (joined by 20 Nov 1915, left 20 June 1916) 40th Divisional Cyclist Company (joined by 20 Nov 1915, left 11 June 1916) Divisional Artillery CLXXVIII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA (joined November 1915) CLXXXI (joined November 1915) CLXXXV ( Joined November 1915, broken up 31 August 1916) CLXXXVIII (joined November 1915, broken up 1 September 1916) 40th Divisional Ammunition Column (Hammersmith) (joined November 1915) V.40 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA (formed 4 July 1916, broken up 7 March 1918) X.40, Y.40 and Z.40 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA (formed 25 June 1916; Z Bty broken up 7 March 1918) Engineer Units 224th Field Company (joined Nov 1915) 229th Field Company (joined Nov 1915) 231st Field Company (joined Nov 1915) 40th Divisional Signal Company (joined Nov 1915) Field Ambulances 135th Field Ambulance (joined December 1915) 136th Field Ambulance (joined December 1915) 137th Field Ambulance (joined December 1915) 40th Divisional Train ASC (225, 226, 227, 228 Companies joined November 1915 but were replaced by 292, 293, 294 and 295 Companies by April 1916) 237th Divisional Employment Company (joined April 1917) 51st Mobile Veterinary Section (joined November 1915) 83rd Sanitary Section (joined November 1915, left April 1917) 40th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop (joined November 1915, left after June 1918) |
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| Divisional command | ||||||||
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