The 41st 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

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 ...

as part of Lord Kitchener's

New Armies The New Armies (Traditional Chinese: 新軍, Simplified Chinese: 新军; Pinyin: Xīnjūn, Manchu: ''Ice cooha''), more fully called the Newly Created Army ( ''Xinjian Lujun''Also translated as "Newly Established Army" ()), was the modernised a ...

. The division saw service on the Western Front and later on the Italian Front.

Unit history

The Battle of the Somme, July-november 1916 Q3978

The division was formed as part of the fifth wave (K5) of divisions in the New Army; it did not have a regional title, but was composed primarily of recruits from the

south of England Southern England, or the South of England, also known as the South, is an area of England consisting of its southernmost part, with cultural, economic and political differences from the Midlands and the North. Officially, the area includes Gr ...

. Several of its battalions had been raised by local communities and were named for their towns or industries. After training and home service, the 41st 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 ...

Sydney Lawford, deployed overseas to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front in the first week of May 1916; its first major combat came in September of that year, at the

Battle of Flers–Courcelette The Battle of Flers–Courcelette (, 15 to 22 September 1916) was fought during the Battle of the Somme in France, by the French Sixth Army and the British Fourth Army and Reserve Army, against the German 1st Army, during the First World War ...

, part of the larger

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

. After fighting in 1917 at the Battle of Messines and the

Battle of Passchendaele The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...

(also known as the Third Battle of Ypres) it was transferred with four other divisions to the Italian Front. It remained here for three months throughout the winter of 1917–18 before returning to the Western Front, where it arrived just before the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

launched its Spring Offensive in March. It participated in the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

" and ended the war in Flanders, from where it moved to join the Army of Occupation in Germany, following the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

. The 41st Division was commanded by Major-General Sydney Lawford throughout its existence'Douglas Haig: War Diaries & Letters 1914-1918', edited by G. Sheffield & J. Bourne (Pub. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005), pp. 103–104. and was demobilised in March 1919, with some units transferred to the 47th (1/2nd London) Division,

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located a ...

(BAOR).

Order of battle

The 41st Division was constituted as follows during the war: 122nd Brigade * 12th (Service) Battalion (Bermondsey),

East Surrey Regiment The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ...

* 15th (Service) Battalion (2nd Portsmouth),

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 ...

* 11th (Service) Battalion (Lewisham),

Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Queen' ...

(''disbanded March 1918'') * 18th (Service) Battalion (Arts and Crafts),

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 ...

*122nd Machine Gun Company (''joined May 1916, moved to 41st 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 tank ...

(M.G.C.) March 1918'') *122nd Trench Mortar Battery (''joined June 1916'') 123rd Brigade * 11th (Service) Battalion,

Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Arm ...

* 10th (Service) Battalion (Kent County), Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) * 23rd (Service) Battalion (2nd Football),

Duke of Cambridge's Own (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 Ref ...

* 20th (Service) Battalion (Wearside),

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...

(''transferred to 124th Brigade March 1918'') *123rd Machine Gun Company (''joined June 1916, moved to 41st Battalion M.G.C. March 1918'') *123rd Trench Mortar Battery (''joined June 1916'')

124th Brigade The 124th Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the First World War. It was raised as part of the new army also known as Kitchener's Army and assigned to the 41st Division (United Kingdom), 41st Division. Formation The infantry bat ...

* 10th (Service) Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) * 26th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

* 32nd (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) (''disbanded March 1918'') * 21st (Service) Battalion (Yeomen Rifles), King's Royal Rifle Corps (''disbanded March 1918'') * 20th (Service) Battalion (Wearside), Durham Light Infantry (''transferred from 123rd Brigade March 1918'') *124th Machine Gun Company (''joined June 1916, moved to 41st Battalion

(M.G.C.) March 1918'') *124th Trench Mortar Battery (''joined June 1916'') Divisional Troops *13th (Service) Battalion, (Wandsworth)

(''left October 1915'') *23rd (Service) Battalion, (2nd Public Works) Middlesex Regiment ('' joined as Divisional Pioneers October 1915'') *238th Machine Gun Company (''joined July 1917, left October 1917'') *199th Machine Gun Company (''joined October 1917, moved to 41st Battalion M.G.C. March 1918'') *41st Battalion M.G.C. (''formed March 1918 absorbing the brigade MG companies'') *Divisional Mounted Troops **B Squadron,

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 Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when the strength of the Territorial ...

(''left 31 May 1916'') **41st 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 28 May 1916'') *41st Divisional Train Army Service Corps **296th, 297th, 298th and 299th Companies *52nd 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 ...

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 ...

*CLXXXIII (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. (''broken up November 1916'') *CLXXXVII Brigade, R.F.A. *CLXXXIX Brigade, R.F.A. (''left January 1917'') *CXC Brigade, R.F.A. *41st Divisional Ammunition Column (West Ham) R.F.A. *V.41 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, R.F.A. (''formed July 1916; disbanded October 1917'') *X.41, Y.41 and Z.41 Medium Mortar Batteries, R.F.A. (''formed May 1916; in April 1918, Z broken up redistributed among X and Y batteries'') *XIII

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

Field Artillery Regiment (''attached January to May 1917'')

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 ...

*228th (Barnsley) Field Company *233rd (Ripon) Field Company *237th (Reading) Company *41st 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 ...

*138th Field Ambulance *139th Field Ambulance *140th Field Ambulance *84th Sanitary Section (''left April 1917'')

Notable people associated with the division

Walter Tull Walter Daniel John Tull (28 April 1888 – 25 March 1918) was an English professional footballer and British Army officer of Afro-Caribbean descent. He played as an inside forward and half back for Clapton, Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Tow ...

* Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, Prime Minister 1955–1957 *

Robert Cyril Morton Jenkins Robert Cyril Morton Jenkins, OBE, KPM, OStJ (1898–1973) was a senior British police officer. He served his entire working career in the force, save for a spell in the Army Infantry in the First World War, where he was a member of the Roya ...

British Senior Police Officer

References

External links

The British Army in the Great War: The 41st Division
{{DEFAULTSORT:41 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 Italian front (World War I)

Unit history

Order of battle

Notable people associated with the division

See also

References

External links