On 14 January 1917, the GOC Egyptian Expeditionary Force Sir Edmund Allenby gave orders for the reorganisation of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Dismounted Brigades of Yeomanry - at the time all were serving on Suez Canal defences - and for their redesignation as the 229th, 230th and 231st Infantry Brigades. The Brigades were organised as a Division, which began to assemble on 4 March 1917 near El Arish. The Divisional artillery did not join until July, by which time the Division had already taken part in its first action, the Second battle of Gaza.

Palestine campaign

After further service in Palestine, the Division was ordered to the Western Front, landing in Marseilles May 1918. It concentrated near Abbeville by 18 May 1918.

The Battle of Bapaume (second phase of the Second Battles of the Somme 1918)

The Advance in Flanders

The Battle of Epehy (second phase of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line)

The Final Advance in Artois

The Division was in Ath (Belgium) at the Armistice. Demobilisation happened steadily throughout early 1919. The final departure of Divisional HQ was on 19 July 1919, when this unusual Division finally ended service.

 

229th Brigade

12th (Ayr and Lanark Yeomanry) Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers (joined January 1917, left June 1918)

16th (Royal 1st Devon and Royal North Devon Yeomanry) Bn, the Devons (joined January 1917)

12th (West Somerset Yeomanry) Bn, the Somerset Light Infantry (joined January 1917)

14th (Fife & Forfar Yeomanry) Bn, the Black Watch (joined January 1917)

4th Brigade Machine Gun Company (former title 2nd Dismounted Brigade MGC, joined 14 January 1917, moved into 74 MG Bn 11 April 1918)

229th Trench Mortar Battery (formed 22 May 1917)

230th Brigade

10th (Royal East Kent and West Kent Yeomanry) Bn, the Buffs (joined February 1917)

15th (Suffolk Yeomanry) Bn, the Suffolks (joined January 1917)

16th (Sussex Yeomanry) Bn, the Royal Sussex (joined January 1917)

209th Brigade Machine Gun Company (former title 3rd Dismounted Brigade MGC, joined 10 April 1917, moved into 74 MG Bn 11 April 1918)

230th Trench Mortar Battery (formed 27 May 1917)

231st Brigade

24th (Denbighshire Yeomanry) Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (joined March 1917, left June 1918)

25th (Montgomery & Welsh Horse Yeomanry) Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (joined March 1917)

24th (Pembroke & Glamorgan Yeomanry) Bn, the Welsh (joined March 1917)

10th (Shropshire & Cheshire Yeomanry) Bn, the KSLI (joined March 1917)

210th Brigade Machine Gun Company (former title 4th Dismounted Brigade MGC, joined 6 April 1917, moved into 74 MG Bn 11 April 1918)

231st Trench Mortar Battery (formed 15 May 1917)

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Divisional Troops

1/12th Bn TF (Pioneers), the Loyal North Lancs (joined 10 April 1918)

No 74 Machine Gun Battalion (created 11 April 1918)

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Divisional Mounted Troops

A Squadron, 1/2nd London Yeomanry (joined 5 April 1917, left 23 August 1917)

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Divisional Artillery

XLIV Brigade, RFA (joined 3 March 1917)

CXVII Brigade, RFA (joined 9 August 1917)

CCLXVIII Brigade, RFA (joined 23 March 1917, broken up during April 1918)

527 (How) Battery, RFA (attached 7-23 April 1918), 16th Mountain Battery, RGA (attached 7-9 March 1918)and Hong Kong and Singapore Mountain Battery, RGA (attached 31 October - 4 November 1917) all served for brief periods

74th Divisional Ammunition Column (joined August 1917)

X.74 and Y.74 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA (joined 12 April 1918)

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Engineer Units, RE

439th Field Company (joined Apr 18)

496th (2nd Kent) Field Company (attached 24 March - 25 May 1917)

74th Divisional Signal Company (formed from 2 March 1917).

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Field Ambulances, RAMC

229th (joined 14 January 1917)

230th (joined 14 January 1917)

231st (joined 14 January 1917)

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74th Divisional Train ASC (447, 448, 449 and 450 Companies joined from 53rd (Welsh) Division in April 1916)

985th Divisional Employment Company (formed 18 May 1918)

59th Mobile Veterinary Section (joined 13 April 1917)

87th Sanitary Section ( joined 22 April 1917, left for Fourth Army on 21 May 1918)