| The 41st Division |  |
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| A New Army Division | ||||
| History | Units | Commanders | ||||
| Summary history of the division | ||||
This Division was formed in September 1915, and was part of the Fifth New Army, K5. Most of its units had been locally raised, often by the Mayor or Borough Councils. The Division moved to France by 6th May 1916. Commanded throughout its life by Major-General S.T.B.Lawford, who was CO of the 22nd Brigade, 7th Division in its early days, the 41st Division became a highly dependable fighting unit. All units were concentrated near Steenwerck, and the Division began familiarisation with trench warfare in the areas of Ploegsteert and the Douve valley, south of Ypres, where it remained until August 1916. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette (sixth phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) The Division remained in the line, pushing on to Courcelette over the next few days before coming out for a rest and re-fit. The Battle of Le Transloy (eighth phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916) The Battle of Pilckem (first phase of Third Battle of Ypres) The Battle of the Menin Road (third phase of the Third Battle of Ypres) The Division was selected as one of five British Divisions to be moved to Italy, as part of a reinforcement action taken by the Allies following a disastrous defeat of the Italian Army at Caporetto. The Company arrived at Mantua on 17 November 1917. The British units held a part of the line on the River Piave. However, the crisis had passed and two Divisions were hurried back to the Western Front in early March 1918, the 41st being one of them. 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Somme 1918) The First Battle of Arras, 1918 (fourth phase of the First Battles of the Somme 1918) The 41st Division was withdrawn, and sent north to Flanders where it held a sector near Ypres that was, for once, relatively quiet. The Division also fought in the subsequent Action of Ooteghem. When the Armistice was called on 11 November 1918, the advanced units of the Division were near Grammont on the River Dender. The Division was selected to be part of the Army of Occupation, in the Cologne Bridgehead. It was renamed the London Division on 15th March 1919. It suffered 32,200 casualties during the war. |
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| Order of Battle | ||||
122nd Brigade 12th (Service) Bn (Bermondsey), the East Surreys (joined October 1915) 15th (Service) Bn (2nd Portsmouth), the Hampshire (joined October 1915) 11th (Service) Bn (Lewisham), the Royal West Kents (joined October 1915, disbanded March 1918) 18th (Service) Bn (Arts and Crafts), the King's Royal Rifle Corps (joined October 1915) 122nd Brigade Machine Gun Company (joined May 1916, moved into 41 MG Bn March 1918) [War Diary] 122nd
Trench Mortar Battery (joined June 1916) 123rd Brigade 11th (Service) Bn, the Queen's (joined June 1915) 10th (Service) Bn (Kent County), the Royal West Kents (joined October 1915) 23rd (Service) Bn (2nd Football), the Middlesex (joined November 1915) 20th (Service) Bn (Wearside), the Durham Light Infantry(joined January 1916, left March 1918) 123rd Brigade Machine Gun Company (joined June 1916, moved into 41 MG Bn March 1918) 123rd
Trench Mortar Battery (joined June 1916) 124th Brigade 10th (Service) Bn, the Queen's (joined June 1915) 26th (Service) Bn, the Royal Fusiliers (joined June 1915) 32nd (Service) Bn, the Royal Fusiliers (joined December 1915, disbanded March 1918) 21st (Service) Bn (Yeomen Rifles), the King's Royal Rifle Corps (joined January 1916, disbanded March 1918) 20th (Service) Bn (Wearside), the Durham Light Infantry(joined March 1918) 124th Brigade Machine Gun Company (joined June 1916, moved into 41 MG Bn March 1918) 124th Trench Mortar Battery (joined June 1916) Divisional Troops 13th (Service) Bn (Wandsworth), the East Surreys (joined September 1915, left October 1915) 19th (Service) Bn (2nd Public Works Pioneers), the Middlesex (joined October 1915) 238th Machine Gun Company (joined July 1917, left October 1917) 199th Machine Gun Company (joined October 1917, moved into 41 MGB March 1918) No 41 Machine Gun Battalion (created March 1918) Divisional Mounted Troops B Squadron, the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (joined by 20/11/1915, left 31/5/1916) 41st Divisional Cyclist Company (joined by 20/11/1915, left 28/5/1916) CLXXXIII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA (joined November 1915, broken up November 1916) CLXXXVII Brigade, RFA (joined November 1915) CLXXXIX Brigade, RFA (joined November 1915, left January 1917) CXC Brigade, RFA (joined November 1915, left January 1917) XIII Belgian Field Artillery Regiment (joined for administrative reasons January - May 1917) 41st Divisional Ammunition Column (West Ham) (joined November 1915) V.41 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA (formed by July 1916, disbanded October 1917) X.41, Y.41 and Z.41 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA (formed May 1916; Z Bty broken up April 1918) Engineer Units 228th (Barnsley) Field Company (joined Sep 1915) 233rd (Ripon) Field Company (joined Sep 1915) 237th (Reading) Field Company (joined Sep 1915) 41st Divisional Signal Company (joined Sep 1915) Field Ambulances 138th Field Ambulance (joined December 1915) 139th Field Ambulance (joined December 1915) 140th Field Ambulance (joined December 1915) 41st Divisional Train ASC (296, 297, 298 and 299 Companies, ASC joined November 1915) 52nd Mobile Veterinary Section (joined November 1915) 84th Sanitary Section (joined November 1915, left April 1917) 41st Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop (joined November 1915, left May 1916) |
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| Divisional command | ||||
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