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A Regular Army Division
 
Summary history of the Division
One of the first Divisions to move to France, arriving just in time to join the hard-pressed Divisions of II Corps at The Battle of Le Cateau. The 4th Division remained on the Western Front throughout the war. It took part in many of the major actions, as will be appreciated from the list of engagements in which it took part:.
1914
The Battle of Le Cateau
The Division fought in this action without its Mounted Troops, Heavy Battery, Divisional Ammunition Column, Field Companies RE, Signals Company RE, Field Ambulances RAMC and Divisional Train, which were all still enroute from England. 
The Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Aisne
The Battle of Messines 1914
Units of 4th Division took part in the famous Christmas Truce while they were still in this area, in trenches near Ploegsteert Wood.  
1915
The Second Battle of Ypres
1916
The Battle of Albert (first phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916)
The Battle of Le Transloy (eighth phase)
1917
The First Battle of the Scarpe (first phase of the Arras Offensive)
The Third Battle of the Scarpe (fourth phase)
The Battle of the Polygon Wood (fourth phase of the Third Battle of Ypres)
The Battle of Broodseinde (fifth phase)
The Battle of Poelcapelle (sixth phase)
The First Battle of Passchendaele (seventh phase)
1918
The First Battle of Arras, 1918 (fourth phase of the First Battles of the Somme 1918)
The Battle of Hazebrouck (third phase of the Battles of the Lys)
In this action, the Division played a part in the Defence of Hinges Ridge.
The Battle of Bethune (sixth phase)
The Advance in Flanders
The Battle of the Scarpe (first phase of the Second Battles of Arras 1918)
The Battle of Drocourt-Queant (second phase)
The Battle of the Canal du Nord (third phase of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line)
The Battle of the Selle
The Battle of Valenciennes
The Division was demobilised in Belgium in early 1919.
 
Order of Battle 
10th Brigade  
1st Bn, the Royal Warwicks  
2nd Bn, the Seaforth Highlanders  
1st Bn, the Royal Irish Fusiliers left August 1917
2nd Bn, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers left November 1916
1/7th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders joined January 1915, left March 1916
1/9th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders joined May 1915, left July 1915
The Household Battalion joined November 1916, disbanded February 1918
3/10th Bn, the Middlesex joined August 1917, disbanded February 1918
2nd Bn, the Duke of Wellington's joined February 1918
formed on 22 December 1915, moved into 4 MG Bn 26 February 1918
10th Trench Mortar Battery formed June 1916
   
11th Brigade  
1st Bn, the Somerset Light Infantry  
1st Bn, the East Lancashire left February 1918
1st Bn, the Hampshire  
1st Bn, the Rifle Brigade  
1/5th (City of London) Bn, the London Regiment joined November 1914, left May 1915
2nd Bn, the Royal Irish joined July 1915, left May 1916
11th Machine Gun Company formed on 23 December 1915, moved into 4 MG Bn 26 February 1918
11th Trench Mortar Battery formed June 1916
   
12th Brigade  
Between 4 November 1915 and 3 February 1916, the Brigade was attached to the 36th Division
1st Bn, the King's Own  
2nd Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers  
2nd Bn, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers left December 1914
2nd Bn, the Essex  
1/2nd Bn, the Monmouthshire joined November 1914, left January 1916. Absent from May to July 1915.
2nd Bn, the Royal Irish joined March 1915, left July 1915
2nd Bn, the Duke of Wellington's joined January 1916, left February 1918
1/5th Bn, the South Lancashire joined February 1915, left January 1916
12th Machine Gun Company formed on 24 January 1916, moved into 4 MG Bn 26 February 1918
12th Trench Mortar Battery formed 11 June 1916
   
107th Brigade  
From 5 November 1915 to 3 February 1916, this Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division was attached to this Division.
   
Divisional Troops  
21st (Service) Bn (Wool Textile Pioneers), the West Yorkshires joined as Divisional pioneer battalion in June 1916
234th Machine Gun Company formed on 16 July 1917, joined Divisional MG Battalion 26 February 1918
11th Entrenching Battalion formed 20 February 1918 from troops from the disbanded 3/10th Middlesex
No 4 Machine Gun Battalion created 26 February 1918
   
Divisional Mounted Troops  
B Squadron, 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars left April 1915
A Squadron, 1/1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry joined 13 April 1915, left 11 May 1916
   
Divisional Artillery  
XIV Brigade, RFA left January 1917
XXIX Brigade, RFA  
XXXII Brigade, RFA  
XXXVII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA left February 1915
CXXVII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA left May 1916
31 Heavy Battery, RFA left April 1915
No 4 Pom-Pom Section (Anti-Aircraft), RFA attached between 20 September 1914 and January 1915
2nd Mountain Battery, RFA attached between 14 December 1914 and 21 April 1915
4th Divisional Ammunition Column  
V.4 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA joined by July 1916, moved to XVII Corps on 8 February 1918
X.4, Y.4 and Z.4 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA joined in February 1916; by 8 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each
   
Royal Engineers  
7th Field Company left Apr 15
9th Field Company  
1st (West Lancs) Field Company joined Feb 15, left Feb 16
1st (Renfrew) Field Company joined May 1916, renamed 406th Field Coy
1st (Durham) Field Company joined Sep 1915, renamed 526th Field Coy
4th Divisional Signals Company  
   
Royal Army Medical Corps units  
10th Field Ambulance  
11th Field Ambulance  
12th Field Ambulance  
3A Sanitary Section joined 20 February 1915, transferred to XIX Corps 29 March 1917
   
Other Divisional Troops  
4th Divisional Train ASC comprising 18, 25, 32 and 38 Companies
4th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC  
4th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop joined by 11 April 1915, absorbed by Divisional Train on 9 April 1916
207th Divisional Employment Company joined on 17 May 1917 as 4th Divisional Employment Company; redesignated in June 1917
 
Divisional commanders  
 
Maj-Gen. T. Snow (5/8/1914)

Incapacitated
  Br-Gen. H. Wilson (Acting, 9/9/1914)  
 
Maj-Gen.Sir H. Rawlinson (23/9/1914)  
 
Maj-Gen. H. Wilson (4/10/1914)  
  Maj-Gen. Hon W. Lambton (28/9/1915) Incapacitated
  Br-Gen. R. Berners (Acting, 12/9/1917)

 
  Maj-Gen. T. Matheson (21/9/1917)

 
  Maj-Gen. Louis Lipsett (14/9/1918)

Killed in action
  Maj-Gen. C. Lucas (15/10/1918)

 

 

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