The 62nd (2nd West Riding) 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 m ...

division 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 Gur ...

that saw active service on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

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 fig ...

History

During the

the division fought on the

at Bullecourt in the Battle of Arras and Havrincourt in the Battle of Cambrai. During

Operation Michael Operation Michael was a major German military offensive during the First World War that began the German Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France. Its goal was to ...

, in 1918, they were in the line near

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the ...

and in the

Second Battle of the Marne The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, supported by s ...

, in the Ardre Valley. At the opening of

Second Battle of the Somme (1918) The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to the ...

, they fought the Battle of Havrincourt and continued across the Saint Quentin Canal at Marcoing, before beginning the fighting advance to Maubeuge on the

Sambre The Sambre (; nl, Samber, ) is a river in northern France and in Wallonia, Belgium. It is a left-bank tributary of the Meuse, which it joins in the Wallonian capital Namur. The source of the Sambre is near Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, in the Aisn ...

Order of Battle

The order of battle was as follows: Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 41–7.
;

185th (2/1st West Riding) Brigade The 185th (2/1st West Riding) Brigade was a formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army. It was assigned to the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division and served on the Western Front during the First World War. Formation The infantry battal ...

* 2/5th Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) ''(joined March 1915, left August 1918)'' * 2/6th Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) ''(joined March 1915, left January 1918)'' * 2/7th Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) ''(joined March 1915, left June 1918)'' * 2/8th Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) ''(joined March 1915, left February 1918)'' * 1/8th Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) ''(joined January 1918)'' * 1/5th (Prince of Wales's) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment ''(joined June 1918)'' * 2/20th (County of London) Battalion,

London Regiment London Regiment may refer to two infantry regiments in the British Army: * London Regiment (1908–1938) The London Regiment was an infantry regiment in the British Army, part of the Territorial Force (renamed the Territorial Army in 1921). The ...

''(joined August 1918)'' ;

186th (2/2nd West Riding) Brigade The 186th (2/2nd West Riding) Brigade was a formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army. It was assigned to the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division and served on the Western Front during the First World War. Formation The infantry battalio ...

* 2/4th Battalion,

Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he ...

''(joined March 1915)'' * 2/5th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) ''(joined March 1915, left January 1918)'' * 2/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) ''(joined March 1915, disbanded January 1918)'' * 2/7th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) ''(joined March 1915, left as a cadre June 1918)'' * 5th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) ''(joined January 1918)'' * 2/4th 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 re ...

''(joined June 1918)'' ;

187th (2/3rd West Riding) Brigade The 187th (2/3rd West Riding) Brigade was a formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army. It was assigned to the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division and served on the Western Front during the First World War. Formation * 2/4th Battalion, Ki ...

* 2/4th Battalion, King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry) ''(joined March 1915)'' * 2/5th Battalion, King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry) ''(joined March 1915, absorbed 1/5th Bn and became simply 5th Bn February 1918)'' * 2/4th

Hallamshire Battalion The Hallamshire Battalion was an infantry battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment, part of the British Army in existence from 1859. History Formation and early history Formed in 1859 as The Hallamshire Volunteer Rifle Corps with its headquart ...

York and Lancaster Regiment The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment o ...

''(joined March 1915)'' * 2/5th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment ''(joined March 1915, disbanded February 1918)'' ;

62nd (2nd West Riding) Divisional Artillery The West Riding Artillery was formed as a group of volunteer units of the British Army in 1860. Its units later formed the divisional artillery of the West Riding Division of the Territorial Force in World War I and World War II. The West Ri ...

* 2/I West Riding 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 ...

(RFA) ''(became CCCX Brigade May 1916)'' * 2/II West Riding Brigade, RFA ''(became CCCXI Brigade May 1916; left as independent Army Field Artillery Brigade January 1917)'' * 2/III West Riding Brigade, RFA ''(became CCCXII Brigade May 1916)'' * 2/IV West Riding (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA ''(broken up May 1916)''

General Officer Commanding

* Major General Sir James Trotter February 1915 – December 1915 * Major-General Walter Braithwaite December 1915 – August 1918 * Major-General

Robert Whigham General Sir Robert Dundas Whigham, (5 August 1865 – 23 June 1950) was a Scottish British Army officer and a former Adjutant-General to the Forces. Early life Whigham was born in 1865, the son of David Dundas Whigham"Death of Capt. Nicholson ...

August 1918 – 1919

References

Bibliography

* * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions,'' London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8. * Laurie Magnus, ''The West Riding Territorials in the Great War'', London: Keegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1920//Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-77-7. * *

External links