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{{Short description|Infantry division of the British Army during World War I}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox military unit
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= 19th (Western) Division
|unit_name= 19th (Western) Division
|image= 19th (Western) Division Insignia WWI.svg
|image=
|caption=
|caption= 19th (Western) Division Insignia
|dates= September 1914 - March 18, 1919
|dates= 1914— 1919
|country={{flagcountry|UKGBI}}
|country={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|allegiance=
|allegiance=
|branch={{army|United Kingdom|23px}}
|branch={{army|United Kingdom}}
|type= [[Infantry]]
|type= [[Infantry]]
|role=
|role=
|size=[[Division (military)|Division]]
|size=
|command_structure=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|current_commander=
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|march=
|march=
|mascot=
|mascot=
|battles=[[World War I|First World War]]
|battles=[[World War I]]
:[[Battle of Loos]]
:[[Battle of the Somme]]
::[[Battle of Albert (1916)|Battle of Albert]]
::[[Battle of Pozières]]
::[[Battle of the Ancre Heights]]
::[[Battle of the Ancre]]
:[[Battle of Messines (1917)|Battle of Messines]]
:[[Third Battle of Ypres]]
:[[Battle of the Sambre (1918)|Battle of the Sambre]]
|notable_commanders=
|notable_commanders=
|anniversaries=
|anniversaries=
}}
}}
The '''19th (Western) Division''' was an [[infantry]] [[Division (military)|division]] of the [[British Army]], part of [[Kitchener's Army]], formed in the [[World War I|Great War]] in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. The division landed in France July 1915 and spent the duration of the First World War in action on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]].
The '''19th (Western) Division''' was an [[infantry]] [[Division (military)|division]] of the [[British Army]], part of [[Kitchener's Army]], formed in the [[World War I|Great War]].


== Unit history ==
==Formation history==
[[File:A new army battalion on the march in France near Merville (Photo 24-254).jpg|thumb|left|Men of the 8th (Service) Battalion, [[North Staffordshire Regiment|North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own)]] on the march near [[Merville, Nord|Merville]], [[France]], 5 August 1915.]]
{{Empty section|date=July 2010}}


The 19th (Western) Division was created under [[Western Command (United Kingdom)|Western Command]] in September 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the [[World War I|Great War]], from men volunteering for [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]]'s [[Kitchener's Army|New Armies]]. The division, whose first commander was [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]] [[Charles Fasken (British Indian Army officer)|Charles Fasken]], a 59-year old [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] officer brought out of retirement,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D2192963|title=Medal card of Fasken, Charles Grant Mansell Corps: 19th Divisional India Army |publisher=National Archives|access-date=18 May 2020}}</ref> was formed as part of Kitchener's Second New Army (K2) and, in common with most other newly-raised Kitchener units, there was a severe shortage of trained officers and NCO's to train the men, alongside a lack of modern equipment, training facilities and billets. However, by June 1915, training had progressed well and the division was sent to the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], where it remained for the rest of the war.<ref name=trail>{{cite web|url=https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/19th-western-division/|title=19th (Western) Division|publisher=The Long, Long Trail|access-date=18 May 2020}}</ref>
== Formation ==
; '''[[56th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|56th Brigade]]''' :
The brigade initially comprised the following four battalions which were all disbanded in February 1918 due to an Army-wide reorganisation.
* 7th (Service) Battalion, [[King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)|King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)]]
* 7th (Service) Battalion, [[East Lancashire Regiment]]
* 7th (Service) Battalion, [[South Lancashire Regiment]]
* 7th (Service) Battalion, [[Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)|Loyal North Lancashire Regiment]]


==Order of battle==
From February 1918, the brigade comprised:
The 19th (Western) Division was constituted as follows during the war:<ref name=trail/>
* 1/4th Battalion, [[King's Shropshire Light Infantry|King's (Shropshire Light Infantry)]]

* 8th (Service) Battalion, [[North Staffordshire Regiment|Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment)]] (''from 57 Bde'')
; '''[[56th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|56th Brigade]]''' :
* 7th (Service) Battalion, [[King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)|King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)]] (''disbanded February 1918'')
* 7th (Service) Battalion, [[East Lancashire Regiment]] (''disbanded February 1918'')
* 7th (Service) Battalion, [[South Lancashire Regiment]] (''disbanded February 1918'')
* 7th (Service) Battalion, [[Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)|Loyal North Lancashire Regiment]] (''disbanded February 1918'')
* [[4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment)]] (''joined 3 December 1915, left 15 December 1915'')
* 56th Machine Gun Company, [[Machine Gun Corps]] (''joined 14 February 1916, moved to 19th Machine Gun Battalion 14 February 1918'')
* 56th Trench Mortar Battery (''joined 17 June 1916, broken up 5 February 1918, reformed 6 March 1918'')
* 9th (Service) Battalion, [[Cheshire Regiment]] (''joined February 1918'')
* 1/4th Battalion, [[King's Shropshire Light Infantry|King's (Shropshire Light Infantry)]] (''joined February 1918'')
* 8th (Service) Battalion, [[North Staffordshire Regiment|Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment)]] (''joined February 1918'')


; '''[[57th Brigade (United Kingdom)|57th Brigade]]''' :
; '''[[57th Brigade (United Kingdom)|57th Brigade]]''' :
Line 57: Line 54:
* 8th (Service) Battalion, [[Gloucestershire Regiment]]
* 8th (Service) Battalion, [[Gloucestershire Regiment]]
* 10th (Service) Battalion, [[Worcestershire Regiment]] (''until June 1918'')
* 10th (Service) Battalion, [[Worcestershire Regiment]] (''until June 1918'')
* 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (''from June 1918'')
* 8th (Service) Battalion, Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment) (''until February 1918'')
* 8th (Service) Battalion, Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment) (''to 56 Bde February 1918'')
* 57th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (''joined 14 February 1916, moved to 19th Machine Gun Battalion 14 February 1918'')
* 57th Trench Mortar Battery (''joined 15 June 1916'')
* 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (''joined June 1918'')


; '''[[58th Brigade (United Kingdom)|58th Brigade]]''' :
; '''[[58th Brigade (United Kingdom)|58th Brigade]]'''
* 9th (Service) Battalion, [[Cheshire Regiment]]
* 9th (Service) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment (''left February 1918'')
* 9th (Service) Battalion, [[Royal Welch Fusiliers|Royal Welsh Fusiliers]]
* 9th (Service) Battalion, [[Royal Welch Fusiliers|Royal Welsh Fusiliers]]
* 5th (Service) Battalion, [[South Wales Borderers]] (''left December 1914'')
* 9th (Service) Battalion, [[Welch Regiment|Welsh Regiment]]
* 9th (Service) Battalion, [[Welch Regiment|Welsh Regiment]]
* 2nd Battalion, [[Wiltshire Regiment|Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment)]] (''from May 1918'')
* 6th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) (''from December 1915 until June 1918'')
* 6th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) (''from December 1915 until June 1918'')
* 58th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (''joined 14 February 1916, moved to 19th Machine Gun Battalion 14 February 1918'')
* 58th Trench Mortar Battery (''joined 15 June 1916'')
* 2nd Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) (''joined May 1918'')


; '''Pioneers''' :
; '''Divisional Troops''' :
* 5th (Service) Battalion, [[South Wales Borderers]]
* 6th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) (''left December 1914'')
* 5th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers (''joined as provisional Pioneer battalion December 1914, conversion completed February 1915'')
* 13th Motor Machine Gun Battery (''joined 14 July 1915, left 7 March 1916'')
* 246th Machine Gun Company, [[Machine Gun Corps]] (''joined 19 July 1917, moved into 19 Machine Gun Battalion 14 February 1918'')
* 19th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps (''formed 14 February 1918'')


; '''Divisional Mounted Troops''' :
== Battles ==
* C Squadron, [[Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons]] (''joined 26 June 1915, left 21 April 1916'')
* [[Battle of Loos]]
* 19th Divisional Cyclist Company, [[Army Cyclist Corps]] (''formed 19 November 1914, left 21 April 1916'')
* [[Battle of the Somme|Battle of the Somme (1916)]]

** [[Battle of Albert (1916)|Battle of Albert]]
; '''Divisional Artillery''' :
** [[Battle of Pozières]]
* LXXXVI Brigade, [[Royal Field Artillery]] (''left 23 January 1917'')
** [[Battle of the Ancre Heights]]
* LXXXVII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
** [[Battle of the Ancre]]
* LXXXVIII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
* [[Battle of Messines (1917)]]
* LXXXIX (Howitzer) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (''broken up 8–9 September 1916'')
* [[Battle of Passchendaele|Third Battle of Ypres]]
* 19th Divisional Ammunition Column Royal Field Artillery
* [[Battle of the Sambre (1918)|Battle of the Sambre]]
* 19th Heavy Battery, [[Royal Garrison Artillery]] (''raised with the division but moved independently to France on 15 July 1915 and joined XXI Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery'')
* W.19 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, Royal Field Artillery (''joined May 1916, disbanded 19 February 1918'')
* X.19, Y.19 and Z.19 Medium Mortar Batteries, Royal Field Artillery (''formed by May 1916; on 18 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each'')

; '''Royal Engineers''' :
* 81st Field Company, [[Royal Engineers]]
* 82nd Field Company, Royal Engineers
* 94th Field Company, Royal Engineers
* 19th Divisional Signals Company, Royal Engineers

; '''Royal Army Medical Corps''' :
* 57th Field Ambulance, [[Royal Army Medical Corps]]
* 58th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
* 59th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
* 36th Sanitary Section, Royal Army Medical Corps (''left 9 July 1917'')

; '''Other Divisional Troops''' :
* 19th Divisional Train [[Royal Army Service Corps|Army Service Corps]] (''154, 155, 156 and 157 Companies'')
* 31st Mobile Veterinary Section [[Royal Army Veterinary Corps|Army Veterinary Corps]]
* 220th Divisional Employment Company (''joined 19 July 1917'')
* 19th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop (''absorbed into divisional train 6 April 1916'')

==Commanders==
* Major General [[Charles Fasken (British Indian Army officer)|Charles Fasken]] September 1914 — December 1915
* Major General [[Tom Bridges]] December 1915 — September 1917
* Major General [[George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys (British Army officer)|George Geoffreys]] September 1917 — February 1919

==Victoria Cross recipients==
* [[Second lieutenant|Second Lieutenant]] [[Hugh Colvin]], 9th (Service) Battalion, [[Cheshire Regiment]]
* [[Acting (rank)|Temporary]] [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Adrian Carton de Wiart]], commanding the 8th (Service) Battalion, [[Gloucestershire Regiment]]
* Acting [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]] [[Eric Stuart Dougall|Eric Dougall]], LXXXVIII Brigade, [[Royal Field Artillery]]
* Temporary [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]] [[Julian Royds Gribble|Julian Gribble]], 10th (Service) Battalion, [[Royal Warwickshire Regiment]]
* Captain [[Manley James (VC)|Manley James]], 8th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
* [[Private (rank)|Private]] [[James Miller (VC 1916)|James Miller]], 7th (Service) Battalion, [[King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)|King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)]]
* Private [[Thomas Turrall]], 10th (Service) Battalion, [[Worcestershire Regiment]]
* [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|Lieutenant]] [[Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson|Thomas Wilkinson]], 7th (Service) Battalion, [[Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)|Loyal North Lancashire Regiment]]


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom}}
{{portal|British Army|World War I}}
* [[List of British divisions in World War I]]
* [[List of British divisions in World War I]]


==References==
== External links ==
{{reflist}}
*[http://www.1914-1918.net/19div.htm The British Army in the Great War: The 19th (Western) Division]

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Roberts |first=James |series=Wolverhampton Military Studies |title=Killer Butterflies: Combat, Psychology And Morale In The British 19th (Western) Division 1915–18 |year=2017 |publisher=Helion |location=Warwick |isbn=978-1-911512-24-0}}

==External links==
*[https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/19th-western-division/ The British Army in the Great War: The 19th (Western) Division]


{{British Army Divisions}}
{{British Army Divisions}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:19 Infantry Division}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:19 Infantry Division}}
[[Category:Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I]]
[[Category:Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I]]
[[Category:Kitchener's Army divisions]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1914]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1914]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919]]

Latest revision as of 09:23, 7 June 2024

19th (Western) Division
19th (Western) Division Insignia
Active1914— 1919
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
EngagementsWorld War I

The 19th (Western) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Kitchener's Army, formed in the Great War.

Formation history

[edit]
Men of the 8th (Service) Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) on the march near Merville, France, 5 August 1915.

The 19th (Western) Division was created under Western Command in September 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the Great War, from men volunteering for Lord Kitchener's New Armies. The division, whose first commander was Major General Charles Fasken, a 59-year old Indian Army officer brought out of retirement,[1] was formed as part of Kitchener's Second New Army (K2) and, in common with most other newly-raised Kitchener units, there was a severe shortage of trained officers and NCO's to train the men, alongside a lack of modern equipment, training facilities and billets. However, by June 1915, training had progressed well and the division was sent to the Western Front, where it remained for the rest of the war.[2]

Order of battle

[edit]

The 19th (Western) Division was constituted as follows during the war:[2]

56th Brigade
57th Brigade
  • 10th (Service) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
  • 8th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
  • 10th (Service) Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (until June 1918)
  • 8th (Service) Battalion, Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment) (until February 1918)
  • 57th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (joined 14 February 1916, moved to 19th Machine Gun Battalion 14 February 1918)
  • 57th Trench Mortar Battery (joined 15 June 1916)
  • 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (joined June 1918)
58th Brigade
  • 9th (Service) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment (left February 1918)
  • 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers
  • 5th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers (left December 1914)
  • 9th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment
  • 6th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) (from December 1915 until June 1918)
  • 58th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (joined 14 February 1916, moved to 19th Machine Gun Battalion 14 February 1918)
  • 58th Trench Mortar Battery (joined 15 June 1916)
  • 2nd Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) (joined May 1918)
Divisional Troops
  • 6th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) (left December 1914)
  • 5th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers (joined as provisional Pioneer battalion December 1914, conversion completed February 1915)
  • 13th Motor Machine Gun Battery (joined 14 July 1915, left 7 March 1916)
  • 246th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (joined 19 July 1917, moved into 19 Machine Gun Battalion 14 February 1918)
  • 19th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps (formed 14 February 1918)
Divisional Mounted Troops
Divisional Artillery
  • LXXXVI Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (left 23 January 1917)
  • LXXXVII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
  • LXXXVIII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
  • LXXXIX (Howitzer) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (broken up 8–9 September 1916)
  • 19th Divisional Ammunition Column Royal Field Artillery
  • 19th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery (raised with the division but moved independently to France on 15 July 1915 and joined XXI Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery)
  • W.19 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, Royal Field Artillery (joined May 1916, disbanded 19 February 1918)
  • X.19, Y.19 and Z.19 Medium Mortar Batteries, Royal Field Artillery (formed by May 1916; on 18 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each)
Royal Engineers
  • 81st Field Company, Royal Engineers
  • 82nd Field Company, Royal Engineers
  • 94th Field Company, Royal Engineers
  • 19th Divisional Signals Company, Royal Engineers
Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 57th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 58th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 59th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 36th Sanitary Section, Royal Army Medical Corps (left 9 July 1917)
Other Divisional Troops
  • 19th Divisional Train Army Service Corps (154, 155, 156 and 157 Companies)
  • 31st Mobile Veterinary Section Army Veterinary Corps
  • 220th Divisional Employment Company (joined 19 July 1917)
  • 19th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop (absorbed into divisional train 6 April 1916)

Commanders

[edit]

Victoria Cross recipients

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Medal card of Fasken, Charles Grant Mansell Corps: 19th Divisional India Army". National Archives. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b "19th (Western) Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 18 May 2020.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Roberts, James (2017). Killer Butterflies: Combat, Psychology And Morale In The British 19th (Western) Division 1915–18. Wolverhampton Military Studies. Warwick: Helion. ISBN 978-1-911512-24-0.
[edit]
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