The 27th Division was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

raised during the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, formed in late 1914 by combining various

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

units that had been acting as

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

s about the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The division spent most of 1915 on the Western Front in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

before moving to

Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

where it remained with the

British Salonika Army The British Salonika Army was a field army of the British Army during World War I. After the armistice in November 1918, it was disbanded, but component units became the newly formed Army of the Black Sea, and General Milne remained in command. Fi ...

for the duration of the war. In 1916 its commander Hurdis Ravenshaw was captured by an Austrian submarine whilst sailing to England. In 1918 in

the division took part in the Battle of Doiran. It carried out occupation duties in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

in the post-war before being withdrawn from the region in 1919.

Order of battle

The division was composed of the following units: ; 80th Brigade: * 2nd Battalion,

King's Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. In 196 ...

* 3rd Battalion,

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

* 4th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (''left June 1918'') * 4th Battalion,

Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...

(''left November 1915, joining

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from th ...

'') * 80th Machine Gun Company,

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tank ...

(''joined 16 May 1916'') * 80th Trench Mortar Battery (''joined 2 September 1916'') * 80th SAA Section Ammunition Column (''joined 28 September 1916'') ; 81st Brigade: * 1st Battalion,

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...

* 2nd Battalion,

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Al ...

(''left November 1916'') * 1st Battalion,

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

* 2nd Battalion,

Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...

(''to 82nd Brigade November 1916'') * 13th ( Scottish Horse Yeomanry) Battalion,

Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd Regiment of Foot, 42nd (Roy ...

(''from October 1916'') * 81st Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (''joined 16 May 1916'') * 81st Trench Mortar Battery (''joined 2 October 1916'') The following battalions also served with the brigade a time in 1915: * 1/9th (Highlanders) Battalion, Royal Scots (''February to November'') * 1/9th (The Dumbartonshire) Battalion, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (''February to May'') ; 82nd Brigade : * 2nd Battalion,

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd (Cornwall Light ...

* 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (''left November 1916'') * 2nd Battalion,

Royal Irish Fusiliers The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in ...

(''left November 1916'') * 1st Battalion,

Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot and the 109th Regiment of Foot ...

(''left November 1916'') * 2nd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (''joined from 81st Brigade. November 1916'') * 10th (Service) Battalion,

Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regi ...

(''joined November 1916'') * 82nd Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (''joined 16 May 1916'') * 82nd Trench Mortar Battery (''joined 2 October 1916'') The following battalions also served with the brigade a time in 1915: * 1/1st (T.F.) Battalion,

Cambridgeshire Regiment The Cambridgeshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, and was part of the Territorial Army. Originating in units of rifle volunteers formed in 1860, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First and Secon ...

(''February to November'') * 10th (

Lovat Scouts The Lovat Scouts was a British Army unit first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment of the British Army. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit and in 1916 formally became the British ...

) (T.F.) Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (''October to June'') ; 19th Brigade The brigade joined the division in May 1915 from the 6th Division leaving for the 2nd Division in August. * 2nd Battalion,

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated ...

* 1st Battalion,

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Reg ...

* 1/5th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) * 1st Battalion,

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...

* 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Division Troops *26th (Service) Battalion,

, pioneers (''joined August 1916'') *27th Divisional Train A.S.C. **95th, 96th, 97th and 98th Companies A.S.C. (''left November 1915 for 55th Division'') **483rd, 484th, 485th and 486th Companies (''joined 16 January 1916'') *16th Mobile Veterinary Section A.V.C. *818th Divisional Employment Company (''formed 14 September 1917'') *Divisional Mounted Troops **A Squadron Surrey Yeomanry (''left 27 December 1916'') **D Squadron

Derbyshire Yeomanry The Derbyshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794, which served as a cavalry regiment and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two reconnaissance regiments in the Second World Wa ...

(joined 26 March 1916, ''left June 1916'') **27th Divisional Cyclist Company

Army Cyclist Corps The Army Cyclist Corps was a corps of the British Army active during the First World War, and controlling the Army's bicycle infantry. History Formation Volunteer cyclist units had been formed as early as the 1880s, with the first complete bicy ...

(''left 7 December 1917'') ;

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

* I Brigade, R.F.A * XIX Brigade, R.F.A. * XX Brigade, R.F.A. *CXXIX Brigade (Howitzer), R.F.A. * IV Home Counties (Howitzer) Brigade (T.F.) ('' formed into the 27th Divisional Ammunition Column in December 1914'') *Attached units **130th Howitzer Battery, R.F.A. (''from 8 January to 21 February 1915'') **61st Howitzer Battery, R.F.A. (''from 21 February to June 1915'') **2nd Mountain Battery R.G.A. (''from 17 to 24 July 1916'') **Bute Mountain Battery from IV Highland (Mountain) Brigade R.G.A. ('' from 22 July to 8 September and 23 to 25 September 1918'') ;

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

* 1/1st Wessex Field Company, (T.F.), Royal Engineers (R.E.) – (''joined from the Wessex Division, on 20 November 1914'') * 1/2nd Wessex Field Company, (T.F.) R.E. – (''joined from the Wessex Division on 20 November 1914'') * 1/1st South Midland Field Company, (T.F.) R.E. – (''joined from the South Midland Division, on 4 December 1914; left 17 March 1915'') * 17th Field Company, R.E. – (''transferred from 5th Division on 24 March 1915'') * 1st Wessex Divisional Signal Company, (T.F.) R.E. – (''joined from the Wessex Division on 20 November 1914'')

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

*81st (1st Home Counties) Field Ambulance (T.F.) R.A.M.C. *82nd (2nd Home Counties) Field Ambulance (T.F.) R.A.M.C. *83rd (3rd Home Counties) Field Ambulance (T.F.) R.A.M.C. *7th Sanitary Section R.A.M.C. (''joined 9 January 1915 left 16 April 1917'')

Commanders

During its existence, 27th Division had the following commanders: * 19 November 1914 Major-General T.D'O. Snow * 16 July 1915 Major-General G.F. Milne * 13 January 1916 Brig.-General S.W. Hare (acting) * 7 February 1916 Major-General W.R. Marshall * 14 September 1916 Brig.-General H.D. White-Thomson (acting) * 15 September 1916 Major-General H.S.L. Ravenshaw * 30 November 1916 Brig.-General G.A. Weir (acting) * 22 December 1916 Major-General G.T. Forestier-Walker (invalided, 9 March 1919) * 10 March 1919 Major-General

W.M. Thomson William McClure Thomson (31 December 1806, in Springdale, Ohio – 8 April 1894, in Denver, Colorado) was an American Protestant missionary working in Ottoman Syria. After spending 25 years in the area he published a best-selling description of wha ...

(temporary) * 10 May 1919 Major-General G.N. Cory

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* The British Army in the Great War
The 27th Division
{{DEFAULTSORT:27 Infantry Division Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I Military units and formations established in 1914 1914 establishments in the United Kingdom

Order of battle

Commanders

See also

References

Bibliography

External links