The 32nd Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was raised in 1914, during the First World War. The division was raised from volunteers for 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 ...

, made up of infantry ' Pals battalions' and artillery brigades raised by public subscription or private patronage. The division was taken over by the War Office in September 1915. It served in France and Belgium in the trenches of 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 ...

for the duration of the war. It saw action at the

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 ...

, the Pursuit to the Hindenburg Line, the Defence of Nieuport, the German spring offensive, and the Allied

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 ...

beginning at the Battle of Amiens. After the Armistice it marched into Germany as part of the Army of Occupation.

Formation history

The Division was one of those created for Kitchener's Fifth New Army ('K5') on 10 December 1914 and was originally numbered 38th until the six K4 divisions were converted into reserve units. It landed in France in November 1915.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 21–9. Major-General Reginald Barnes took command of the division for a short while in November 1916 before being replaced by the controversial Maj-Gen

Cameron Shute General Sir Cameron Deane Shute, (15 March 1866 – 25 January 1936), was a senior British Army officer during the First World War. Early life and education Shute was born in Dorking, Surrey, the son of Col. Deane Christian Shute of the Briti ...

.Mitchell. The division's insignia was four 'eights' arranged in an 'X' shape.

Order of Battle

The following units and formations served with the division during the war: ; 14th Brigade : The brigade joined from the

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *5th Division (Australia) * 5th Division (People's Republic of China) *5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) *5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Moto ...

in December 1915, swapping with the 95th Brigade. *1/9th Territorial Force (T.F.) Battalion Royal Scots (''left January 1916'') *1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment (''left January 1916'') *1st Battalion,

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 ...

(''left January 1916'') *1st Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (''left January 1916'') * 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment (''joined December 1915 transferred to 96th Brigade February 1918'') * 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment (''joined 7 January 1916'') * 19th (Service) Battalion (3rd Salford), Lancashire Fusiliers (''transferred from 96th Brigade January 1916 left July 1916'') * 15th (Service) Battalion (1st Glasgow), Highland Light Infantry (''transferred from 97th Brigade January 1916'') * 5th/6th Battalion, Royal Scots T.F. (''joined 29 July 1916'') *4th Machine Gun Company (''joined February 1916, moved to 32nd Battalion Machine Gun Corps (M.G.C.) 21 February 1918'') *14th Trench Mortar Battery (''joined March 1916'') ; 95th Brigade : The brigade transferred to the

on 26 December 1915, swapping with the 14th Brigade. *

14th (Service) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1st Birmingham) 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 and preceding 15. In relation to the word "four" ( 4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a stella octangula number. ...

15th (Service) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (2nd Birmingham) 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious num ...

16th (Service) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (3rd Birmingham) 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

12th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (Bristol's Own) The 12th (Service) Battalion (Bristol's Own) of the Gloucestershire Regiment (the 'Glosters') was a 'Pals battalion' of ' Kitchener's Army' raised immediately after the outbreak of World War I through the initiative of the City of Bristol. It s ...

; 96th Brigade : * 16th (Service) Battalion, (Newcastle), Northumberland Fusiliers (''disbanded February 1916'') * 15th (Service) Battalion (1st Salford), Lancashire Fusiliers * 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Salford), Lancashire Fusiliers * 19th (Service) Battalion (3rd Salford), Lancashire Fusiliers (''transferred to 14th Brigade 5 January 1916'') * 2nd 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 ...

(''joined January 1916 left February 1918'') * 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment (''transferred from 14th Brigade February 1918'') *96th Machine Gun Company (''joined 15 March 1916, moved to 32nd Battalion M.G.C. 21 February 1918'') *96th Trench Mortar Battery (''joined March 1916'') ; 97th Brigade : * 11th (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale), Border Regiment (''left May 1918'') * 15th (Service) Battalion (1st Glasgow), Highland Light Infantry (''transferred to 14th Brigade January 1916'') * 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Glasgow), Highland Light Infantry (''transferred to Divisional Pioneers February 1918'') * 17th (Service) Battalion (3rd Glasgow), Highland Light Infantry (''disbanded February 1918'') * 2nd Battalion,

King's Own 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 December 1915'') * 10th (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 ...

(''joined February 1918'') * 1/5th (Cumberland) Battalion, Border Regiment (''joined May 1918'') *97th Machine Gun Company (''joined 15 March 1916, moved to 32nd Battalion M.G.C. 21 February 1918'') *97th Trench Mortar Battery (''joined March 1916'') ;Mounted Troops *F Sqn, North Irish Horse (''joined April left June 1916'') *32nd Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps (''left 31 May 1916'') ;Pioneers * 17th (Service) Battalion ( North Eastern Railway Pioneers), Northumberland Fusiliers (''joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion June 1915, left October 1916, returned September 1917, finally left November 1917 '') *1/12th T.F. Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (''joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion November 1916, left January 1917'') *16th (Service) Battalion (Glasgow Boys Brigade), Highland Light Infantry (''joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion February 1918'') ; Machine Gun Corps *219th Machine Gun Company (''joined 25 March 1917, moved to 32nd Battalion M.G.C. 21 February 1918'') *32nd Battalion M.G.C. (''formed 21 February 1918 absorbing brigade MG companies'') ; Royal Artillery 2nd County Palatine Artillery ''Originally raised in Lancashire for 32nd Division by the Earl of Derby but did not accompany the division to France in November 1915. Later joined 31st Division. * CLXV (2nd County Palatine) 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 ...

(RFA) * CLXIX (2nd County Palatine) Brigade, RFA * CLXX (2nd County Palatine) Brigade, RFA * CLXXI (2nd County Palatine) Howitzer Brigade, RFA * 133rd (2nd County Palatine) Heavy Battery and Ammunition Column, Royal Garrison Artillery * 30th (2nd County Palatine) Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA 53rd (Welsh) Divisional Artillery ''Attached to 32nd Division in France between 22 November and 27 December 1915, later rejoining

53rd (Welsh) Division The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought in both the First and Second World Wars. Originally raised in 1908 as the Welsh Division, part of the Territorial Force (TF), the division saw service in ...

in Egypt'' * I Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA * II Welsh Brigade, RFA * Cheshire Brigade, RFA * IV Welsh Brigade, RFA * 53rd (Welsh) Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA

32nd Divisional Artillery The 32nd Divisional Artillery (32nd DA) was a Royal Artillery force raised as part of 'Kitchener's Army' in early 1915. Recruited in Yorkshire, originally for the 31st Division (United Kingdom), 31st Division, the units served with the 'Pals batt ...

''Transferred from 31st Division, joining in France between 30 December 1915 and 3 January 1916'' * CLV (West Yorkshire) Brigade, RFA (''left 20 January 1917'') * CVXI (Yorkshire) Brigade, RFA * CLXIV (Rotherham) Howitzer Brigade, RFA (''broken up September 1916'') * CLXVIII (Huddersfield) Brigade, RFA * 32nd (Hull) Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA *

32nd Divisional Trench Mortar Brigade 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

S.A. Cooper, 'Memories of V and W Batteries', in Whinyates, pp. 673–5. **32nd (Hull) Heavy Trench Mortar Battery (''formed in April 1916 from Divisional Ammunition Column, later redesignated V.32; became X.32 Medium Battery 12 February 1918'') **W.32 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, R.F.A. (''temporarily formed for Battle of the Somme; broken up 28 December 1916'') **A.32, B.32 Medium Trench Mortar Batteries (''temporarily formed for Battle of the Somme'') **X.32, Y.32 and Z.32 Medium Mortar Batteries, R.F.A. (''formed May 1916; X and Z broken up 12 February 1918 and distributed among New 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 ...

*206th (Glasgow) Field Company *218th (Glasgow) Field Company *219th (Glasgow) Field Company *32nd 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 ...

*96th Field Ambulance (''left November 1915'') *97th Field Ambulance (''left November 1915'') *98th Field Ambulance (''left November 1915'') *90th Field Ambulance (''joined November 1915'') *91st Field Ambulance (''joined November 1915'') *92nd Field Ambulance (''joined November 1915'') *72nd Sanitary Section (''left 17 April 1917'') ; Army Service Corps *32nd Divisional Train Army Service Corps (A.S.C.) **221st, 222nd, 223rd and 224th Companies A.S.C. (''remained in England in November 1915'') **202nd, 203rd, 204th and 205th Companies A.S.C. (''joined in France'') *42nd 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 ...

*229th Divisional Employment Company (''joined 25 March 1917'')

Service

The division was engaged in the following major actions:Becke, Pt 4, pp. 190–1.

1916

** Battle of Albert, 1–3 July ** Battle of Bazentin Ridge, 14–15 July **

Battle of the Ancre Heights The Battle of the Ancre Heights (1 October – 11 November 1916), is the name given to the continuation of British attacks after the Battle of Thiepval Ridge from during the Battle of the Somme. The battle was conducted by the Reserve Army (re ...

(32nd Divisional Artillery only), 23 October–11 November ** Battle of the Ancre, 17–19 November

1917

* Operations on the Ancre, 11 January–15 February ** Capture of Ten Tree Trench (97th Bde only), 10 February * German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, 14 March–14 April ** Capture of Holnon Wood, 1 April ** Capture of Fayet (14th and 97th Bdes), 14 April *

Battle of Messines Battle of Messines may refer to: *Battle of Messines (1914) *Battle of Messines (1917) The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an attack by the British Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer), on the Western Front, near the village of ...

(32nd Divisional Artillery only), 7 June * Operations on the Flanders Coast, 20 June–7 October ** Defence of Nieuport, 10–11 July

1918

* German spring offensive ** Battle of Arras (97th Bde only), 28 March ** Capture of

Ayette Ayette is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. Geography A farming village located 9 miles (14 km) south of Arras at the junction of the D7 and D919 roads. Population Sights * L'Église Sainte-Libaire, rebuilt a ...

(14th and 96th Bdes), 3 April ** Battle of the Ancre, 5 April *

** Battle of Amiens, 10–11 August **

Second Battle of the Somme 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 th ...

*** Battle of Albert, 21–23 August *** Second Battle of Bapaume, 31 August–3 September ** Battles of the Hindenburg Line *** Battle of the St Quentin Canal, 29 September–3 October *** Battle of the Beaurevoir Line, 3–4 October **

Battle of the Selle The Battle of the Selle (17–25 October 1918) was a battle between Allied forces and the German Army, fought during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. Prelude After the Second Battle of Cambrai, the Allies advanced almost and liberated ...

(32nd Divisional Artillery only), 17–25 October ** Battle of the Sambre *** Attack on the Happegarbes Spur (96th Bde only), 2 November *** Crossing of the Sambre–Oise Canal, 4 November

Postwar

32nd Division was occupying

Avesnes Avesnes () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. Geography The commune is a very small village situated some 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer, on the D 129 E 1. Population See also *Communes of ...

when the Armistice with Germany came into effect on 11 November. Two days later it was informed that it would take part in the advance to the Rhine, which began on 19 November. However, the division was halted on the Meuse between

Dinant Dinant () is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Namur Province, province of Namur, Belgium. On the shores of river Meuse, in the Ardennes, it lies south-east of Brussels, south ...

and

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

, to act as reserve for the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). On 28 January 1919 the division began entraining for Bonn and on 3 February it took over the southern sector of the Cologne bridgehead while demobilisation of individuals continued. On 15 March the division was renamed the Lancashire Division in BAOR, and war-raised units were progressively replaced by Regulars during 1919. During the war the division lost 34,226 killed, wounded and missing. CameronShute

General Officers commanding

The following served as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the division during the war: *

Maj-Gen 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 ...

William Henry Rycroft, 29 June 1915 to 22 November 1916 * Maj-Gen Reginald Barnes, 22 November 1916; sick 9–16 and 29 January 1917 * Brig-Gen James Tyler, Commander Royal Artillery (CRA), acting 9–16 January and 29 January–19 February 1917 * Maj-Gen

, 19 February to 24 May 1917 and 20 June 1917 to 27 April 1918 * Maj-Gen Hon Richard Montagu-Stuart-Wortley, temporary 24 May to 20 June 1917 * Brig-Gen James Tyler, CRA, acting 27 April 1918 * Maj-Gen J. Campbell, 27 April to 6 May 1918 * Brig-Gen Frederick Lumsden, VC, GOC 14th Bde, acting 6 May 1918 * Maj-Gen R.J. Bridgford, 7 to 31 May 1918 * Maj-Gen

Thomas Stanton Lambert Major-General Thomas Stanton Lambert (1870/71 – 20 June 1921) was a British Army officer of the First World War era. He joined the East Lancashire Regiment in 1891 and held a succession of regimental and staff positions in the pre-war period. ...

, 31 May 1918 to 1919

Notes

References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3b: New Army Divisions (30–41) and 63rd (R.N.) Division'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1939/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, .
Stuart Bruce Taylor Mitchell, ''An Inter-Disciplinary Study of Learning in the 32nd Division on the Western Front, 1916–1918'', University of Birmingham PhD thesis, 2013.
* ''Instructions Issued by The War Office During July, 1915'', London: HM Stationery Office. * R. Whinyates (ed), ''Artillery and Trench Mortar Memories: 32nd Division'', 32nd Divisional (RA) Trench Mortar Association, 1932/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2004, .

External links

Anglo-Boer War

The Long, Long Trail
{{DEFAULTSORT:32 Infantry Division Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I Kitchener's Army divisions Military units and formations established in 1915 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 1915 establishments in the United Kingdom