The 40th 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 ...

active during the

First World 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 ...

, where it served on the Western Front. It was a division of Lord Kitchener's New Army volunteers, mostly " bantam" recruits of below regulation height. It was later briefly reformed as a deception formation in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and during the early years of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

was recreated a third time to garrison Hong Kong.

History

First World War

The 40th Division was originally formed as a

Kitchener's Army The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, as Kitchener's Mob, was an (initially) all-volunteer portion of the British Army formed in the United Kingdom from 1914 onwards following the outbreak of hostilities in the Fi ...

' Bantam' division between September and December 1915 for service in the

. 'Bantam' personnel were those who were under the Army regulation height but otherwise fit for service. It comprised the 119th, 120th, and 121st Brigades. The 40th Division moved to the Western Front in June 1916 and served there throughout the First World War. The most notable action of the division may be its participation in the Battle of Cambrai in late 1917. By 22 November the British were left exposed in a salient on the battlefield.

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Sir Douglas Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...

, Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front, wanted Bourlon Ridge and the exhausted

62nd (2nd West Riding) Division The 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that saw active service on the Western Front during the First World War. History During the First World War the division fought on the Western Front at Bullec ...

was replaced by the 40th Division, commanded by

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

John Ponsonby, on 23 November. Supported by almost a hundred

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

s and 430 guns, the 40th attacked into the woods of Bourlon Ridge on the morning of the 23rd. They made little progress. The

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

had put two divisions of Gruppe Arras on the ridge with another two in reserve and Gruppe Caudry was reinforced. The 40th Division reached the crest of the ridge but were held there and suffered over 4,000 casualties for their efforts in three days. The division was subsequently driven back in the German

counterattack A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in "war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...

s, suffering many more losses. From July 1918 until March 1919, the division was led by

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir William Peyton and took part in the Hundred Days advance through

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

Order of Battle

The following units served with the division: 119th Brigade ''(This brigade was often known as the Welsh Bantam Brigade, until February 1918.)'' *19th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Welsh 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 ...

(''disbanded February 1918'') *12th (Service) Battalion,

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. In ...

(''disbanded February 1918'') *17th (Service) Battalion,

Welsh Regiment The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of ...

(''disbanded February 1918'') *18th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment (''joined July 1915. Reduced to cadre in May 1918 and left brigade 18 June 1918'') *13th (Service) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment (''joined from 120th Brigade February 1918, left as cadre June 1918'') *21st (Service) 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 ...

(''joined February 1918, left as cadre May 1918'') *10/11th (Service) Battalion,

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusi ...

(''joined and left February 1918'') *13th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment o ...

(''converted from 13th Garrison Battalion and joined in June 1918'') *13th (Service) Battalion,

East Lancashire Regiment The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59th (2nd Nott ...

(''converted from 8th Garrison Guard Battalion and joined in June 1918'') *12th (Service) Battalion,

North Staffordshire Regiment The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was created on 21 April 1758 from the 2nd Battalio ...

(''converted from 12th Garrison Battalion and joined in June 1918'') *119th Machine Gun Company (''joined 19 June 1916, moved to 40th Battalion

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 tanks ...

(M.G.C.) March 1918'') *119th Trench Mortar Battery (''formed 25 June 1916'') 120th Brigade *11th (Service) Battalion, King’s Own (''disbanded February 1918'') *13th (Service) 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 ...

(''left February 1916'') *14th (Service) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (''left as a cadre June 1918'') * 13th (Service) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment (''joined February 1916, left for 119th Brigade February 1918'') *14th (Service) 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 ...

(''left April 1918'') *12th (Service) Battalion,

South Lancashire Regiment The South Lancashire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment, which recruited, as its title suggests, primarily from the South Lancashire area, was created as part of the Childers Re ...

(''joined January 1916, absorbed into 11th King’s Own March 1916'') *10/11th (Service) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (''joined February 1918, left as cadre June 1918'') *2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers (''joined and left April 1918'') *10th (Service) Battalion,

King’s Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own ...

(''joined June 1918'') *15th (Service) Battalion,

Yorkshire Light Infantry The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somerset and Cornwall ...

(''joined June 1918'') *11th (Service) 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 ...

(''converted from 6th Garrison Guard Battalion and joined June 1918'') *120th Machine Gun Company (''joined 19 June 1916, moved to 40th Battalion M.G.C. March 1918'') *120th Trench Mortar Battery (''joined 8 June 1916'') 121st Brigade *12th (Service) Battalion,

Suffolk Regiment The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, participating in many wars and conflicts, including the First and Second World Wars, before bein ...

(''left May 1918'') *13th (Service) Battalion,

Yorkshire Regiment The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (abbreviated YORKS) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Army 2020 defence ...

(''left June 1918'') *18th (Service) Battalion,

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to f ...

(''merged with 13th Yorkshire Regiment in April 1916'') *22nd (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (''disbanded April 1916'') *20th (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (''joined 23 February 1916, left as cadre May 1918'') *21st (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (''joined 23 February 1916, left February 1918'') *8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (''converted from 8th Garrison Battalion and joined June 1918'') *23rd (Service) Battalion,

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 28 ...

(''converted from 23rd Garrison Battalion and joined June 1918'') *23rd (Service) Battalion,

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. T ...

(''joined June 1918'') *9th (Service) Battalion,

Worcestershire Regiment The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regimen ...

(''joined as cadre June 1918, absorbed July 1918'') *121st Machine Gun Company (''joined 19 June 1916, moved to 40th Battalion M.G.C. March 1918'') *121st Trench Mortar Battery (''joined 25 June 1916'') Divisional Troops *12th (Service) Battalion,

(''divisional pioneers, left June 1918'') *17th (Service) Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (''divisional pioneers, joined June 1918'') *244th Machine Gun Company (''joined July 1917, moved to 40th Battalion M.G.C. March 1918'') *40th Battalion M.G.C. (''formed March 1918, disbanded May 1918'') *104th Battalion M.G.C. (''formed 24 August 1918, left 16 September 1918'') *39th Battalion M.G.C. (''joined 11 September 1918'') *Divisional Mounted Troops **A Sqn,

Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (RWY) was a Yeomanry regiment of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom established in 1794. It was disbanded as an independent Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when t ...

(''left 20 June 1916'') **40th 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 11 June 1916'') *40th Divisional Train Army Service Corps **225th, 226th, 227th, 228th Companies (''joined November 1915, left by April 1916'') **292nd, 293rd, 294th and 295th Companies 9 (''joined by April 1916'') *51st Mobile Veterinary Section

Army Veterinary Corps The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), known as the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) until it gained the royal prefix on 27 November 1918, is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and ca ...

*237th Divisional Employment Company (''joined April 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 ...

*CLXXVIII (Howitzer) Brigade,

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

(R.F.A.) *CLXXXI Brigade, R.F.A. *CLXXXV Brigade, R.F.A. (''broken up 31 August 1916'') *CLXXXVIII Brigade, R.F.A. (''broken up 1 September 1916'') *40th Divisional Ammunition Column R.F.A. *V.40 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, R.F.A. (''formed 4 July 1916; broken up 7 March 1918'') *X.40, Y.40 and Z.40 Medium Mortar Batteries, R.F.A. (''formed 25 June 1916, Z broken up on 7 March 1918 and distributed among X and Y batteries'')

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 ...

*224th Field Company *229th Field Company *231st Company *40th Divisional Signals Company

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 ...

*135th Field Ambulance *136th Field Ambulance *137th Field Ambulance *83rd Sanitary Section (''left April 1917'')

Second World War

The 40th Infantry Division was notionally created on 9 November 1943 as part of Operation Foynes.Chappell, p.23Holt, p. 921 Operation Foynes was a deception plan to "conceal from the Germans the weakening of the allied position in the Mediterranean". To aid in the build-up for Operation Overlord, eight veteran British and American divisions were withdrawn to the United Kingdom. They were replaced by three genuine divisions. To cover the shortfall, four phantom divisions were created in the theatre and a further two were "held in readiness to be "sent" but were never used". To recreate the 40th Division, the 43rd Infantry Brigade, formed for internal security duties in the Lines of Communication of

AFHQ Allied Force Headquarters (AFHQ) was the headquarters that controlled all Allies of World War II, Allied operational forces in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II, Mediterranean theatre of World War II from August 1942 unti ...

, was renamed as a division, for deception purposes, with the battalions playing the role of brigades.

Order of Battle

* Brigadier G H P Whitfield (''given local rank of Major General'') ** 30th battalion,

Somerset Light Infantry The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Som ...

('' 119th Brigade'') ** 30th battalion,

Royal Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

('' 120th Brigade'') ** 30th battalion,

Dorset Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 1 ...

('' 121st Brigade'') To keep up appearances, the battalion commanding officers flew brigadier pennants, and a divisional insignia adapted from the First World War's 40th Division was adopted and worn (these were manufactured locally). The deception was played out until June 1944, when the formation was disbanded.

Post war

Following the increasing success of the

Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...

in the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

, the 40th Division was reformed to bolster the defences of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

in 1949 under the command of Major-General G.C. Evans. In Hong Kong the Division comprised the 26th Gurkha, 27th and 28th Infantry Brigades, and 3rd Royal Tank Regiment. However the 27th Brigade was soon dispatched to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

in August 1950, and followed by other units of the division. The Division was later disbanded.

General Officer Commanding

* Major-General H.G. Ruggles-Brise 1915 – 1917 * Major-General John Ponsonby 1917 – 1918 * Major-General Sir William Peyton 1918 – March 1919 * Major-General G.C. Evans 1949 – 1950

References

Sources

* Chappell, Mike (1987). British Battle Insignia (2): 1939-45 Osprey * * Holt, Thaddeus. (2005) ''The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War''. Phoenix. *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:40 Infantry Division Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I Kitchener's Army divisions Military units and formations established in 1915 1915 establishments in the United Kingdom Fictional units of World War II

History

First World War

Order of Battle

Second World War

Order of Battle

Post war

General Officer Commanding

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links