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A Regular Army Division
Summary history of the Division
The all seeing eye symbol adopted by the DivisionThis Division has the distinction of being formed in France in August 1915. The various Guards units that had been with other Divisions were withdrawn to be brought together to create this fine formation. It remained on the Western Front throughout the war and was engaged in the operations listed below. The Guards were regarded as being among the elite units of the British Army.
1915
The Battle of Loos and the subsequent Action of Hohenzollern Redoubt
1916
The Battle of Flers-Courcelette (sixth phase of the Battle of the Somme 1916)
The Battle of Morval in which the Division captured Lesboeufs
1917
The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line
The Battle of the Pilkem (first phase of the Third Battle of Ypres)
The Battle of the Menin Road
The Battle of Poelcapelle
The First Battle of Passchendaele
The Battle of Cambrai
The Guards advanced towards the camera on this road to Gouzeaucourt in their recapture of the village during the Battle of Cambrai
Gouzeaucourt
1918
The Battle of St Quentin (first phase of the First Battles of the Somme 1918)
The First Battle of Bapaume
The First Battle of Arras, 1918
The Battle of Albert (first phase of the Second Battles of the Somme 1918)
The Battle of Bapaume
The Battle of Havrincourt (first phase of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line)
The Battle of the Canal du Nord
The Battle of Cambrai 1918
The Pursuit to the Selle
The Battle of the Selle
The Battle of the Sambre
The Division, which was in and around Maubeuge at the Armistice, was rejoined by the 4th (Guards) Brigade from 31st Division on 17th November 1918. The Division was then ordered to the Rhine and crossed the frontier on 11th December. Battalions began to return to England on 20th February 1919, and the final moves of the Division were completed by 29th April 1919.
Order of Battle
1st Guards Brigade Joined as complete 4th (Guards) Brigade from 2nd Division on 20 August 1915 and renumbered two days later.
2nd Bn, the Grenadier Guards  
2nd Bn, the Coldstream Guards  
3rd Bn, the Coldstream Guards left 8 February 1918
1st Bn, the Irish Guards  
1st Guards Brigade Machine Gun Company formed by 19 September 1915, moved into 4th Bn Guards MG Regiment 1 March 1918
1st Guards Mortar Battery formed by 18 May 1916
   
2nd Guards Brigade  
3rd Bn, the Grenadier Guards joined 19 August 1915
1st Bn, the Coldstream Guards joined 25 August 1915
1st Bn, the Scots Guards joined 25 August 1915
2nd Bn, the Irish Guards joined 17 August 1915, left 8 February 1918
2nd Guards Brigade Machine Gun Company formed by 19 September 1915, moved into 4th Bn Guards MG Regiment 1 March 1918
2nd Guards Mortar Battery formed in April 1916
   
3rd Guards Brigade  
1st Bn, the Grenadier Guards joined 4 August 1915
4th Bn, the Grenadier Guards joined 19 August 1915, left 18 February 1918
2nd Bn, the Scots Guards joined 9 August 1915
1st Bn, the Welsh Guards joined 20 August 1915
2nd Guards Brigade Machine Gun Company formed by 19 September 1915, moved into 4th Bn Guards MG Regiment 1 March 1918
3rd Guards Mortar Battery formed 24 March 1916
   
Divisional Troops  
4th Bn, the Coldstream Guards joined as Divisional pioneer battalion 15 August 1915
4th (Foot Guards) Bn, the Guards Machine Gun Regiment joined 27 March 1917 as 4th Guards MG Company, became Bn 1 March 1918
Guards Divisional Employment Company formed by 30 June 1917
   
Divisional Mounted Troops  
The Household Cavalry Divisional Squadron joined 5 August 1915, broken up 20 June 1916
   
Divisional Artillery  
LXI (Howitzer) Brigade joined 24 August 1915, broken up 14 November 1916
LXXIV Brigade, RFA joined 30 August 1915
LXXV Brigade, RFA joined 4 September1915
LXXVI Brigade, RFA joined 4 September 1915, left 19 January 1917
Guards Divisional Ammunition Column joined 3 September 1915, from 16th Division. The four Brgade Ammunition Columns amalgamated into DAC on13 May 1916
V.Gds Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA formed May 1916, left 8 February 1918
X.Gds, Y.Gds and Z.Gds Medium Mortar Batteries RFA formed March 1916; on 8 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each
   
Royal Engineers  
55th Field Company joined September 1915
75th Field Company joined August 1915
76th Field Company joined August 1915
Guards Divisional Signals Company joined August 1915 from 16th Division
   
Royal Army Medical Corps units  
3rd Field Ambulance joined 25 August 1915
4th Field Ambulance joined 19 August 1915
9th Field Ambulance joined 28 August 1915
45th Sanitary Section joined August 1915, transferred to XVII Corps on 9 April 1917
   
Other Divisional Troops  
4th Divisional Train ASC 11, 124, 168, 436 Companies, joined 24 August 1915
46th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC joined 17 August 1915
Guards Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop joined from England 23 August 1915, transferred to Divisional Train 9 April 1916
Divisional commanders
Br-Gen. F. Heyworth (Temp. 15/8/1915).
 Cavan Maj-Gen. Earl of Cavan (18/8/1915)  
Maj-Gen. G.Fielding (3/1/1916)  
Maj-Gen. T.Matheson (11/9/1918)  
 
Further reading