The 37th 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 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

World War I 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 ...

. The divisional symbol was a gold

horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...

, open end up.

History

Formed as part of the Sixth New Army (K6) - the last of wave of such divisions organised under Lord Kitchener - the division was established at

Andover, Hampshire Andover ( ) is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton, a major tributary of the Test, and is situated alongside the major A303 trunk road at the eastern end of Salisbury Plain, west of the town of Basingsto ...

as the "44th Division" in mid-March 1915. Despite the success in raising the 10th Irish Division, delays in recruitment in southern Ireland saw the 44th Division take the place of the

16th (Irish) Division The 16th (Irish) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised for service during World War I. The division was a voluntary 'Service' formation of Lord Kitchener's New Armies, created in Ireland from the 'National Volunteers', i ...

in the Second New Army. The 44th thus was redesignated as the "37th Division." This included a remuneration of its constituent brigades from the 131st, 132nd, and 133rd to the 110th, 111th, and 112th. The division's three infantry brigades were composed of the following battalions; the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Leicestershire Regiment in the 110th Brigade, the 10th and 13th

Royal Fusiliers 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 ...

, 13th

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 ...

, and 13th

Rifle Brigade 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 ...

in the 111th Brigade, and the 11th

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, 6th

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, 8th East Lancashire, and 10th

North Lancashire Regiment The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Reg ...

s in the 112th Brigade. The 9th North Staffordshire Regiment provided the divisional pioneer battalion. The divisional artillery had been raised for the original 31st and 32nd Divisions, which were broken up before being completed. The 37th Division's field ambulances (48th, 49th, and 50th) joined from the 16th Irish Division by June 1915. As a result of pushing for a rapid deployment, using unallocated battalions from the first three waves of New Army battalions alongside groups of K6 officers and men, the division was diverse in experience and training within the New Army. By 12 April 1915, the division marshalled on Salisbury Plain and its newly appointed commander, Major-General Count Edward Gleichen headquartered at Andover. Gleichen's experience included commanding the 15th Brigade in the regular

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 ...

during the opening British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) campaign of 1914. The division's unusual composition—the majority of higher-numbered New Army divisions were created from weakly officered Pals battalions and lacked any

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

of experienced soldiers—meant that its training at Cholderton in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

proceeded rapidly, and the 37th Division moved to Saint-Omer 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 ...

in July 1915, months earlier than other divisions of the fourth and fifth New Armies. The division was to remain 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 ...

for the rest of the war. The 37th Division, forming part of

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII R ...

of the Third Army, played no part in the diversionary

Attack on the Gommecourt Salient The Attack on the Gommecourt Salient was a British operation against the northern flank of the German 2nd Army. The attack took place on 1 July 1916, on the Western Front in France, during the First World War. The attack was conducted by the B ...

staged by VII Corps on 1 July 1916, during the

first day on the Somme The first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916, was the beginning of the Battle of Albert the name given by the British to the first two weeks of the 141 days of the Battle of the Somme () in the First World War. Nine corps of the French Sixth Arm ...

(1 July 1916) which began 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 ...

(1 July – 18 November). The perceived poor performance of some New Army divisions in the fighting and the many losses suffered by the 34th Division, led to changes in the organisation of the 37th Division in the first half of July. The 110th Brigade was posted to the 21st Division and the 63rd Brigade received in return. The 111th and 112th Brigades were loaned to the 34th Division from 6 July to 22 August, to replace the 102nd (Tyneside Scottish) and

103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade The Tyneside Irish Brigade was a British First World War infantry brigade of Kitchener's Army, raised in 1914. Officially numbered the 103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, it contained four Pals battalions from Newcastle upon Tyne, largely made up of m ...

s. While under command of the 34th Division, the brigades took part in the Battle of Bazentin Ridge and the

Battle of Pozières The Battle of Pozières (23 July – 3 September 1916) took place in northern France around the village of Pozières, during the Battle of the Somme. The costly fighting ended with the British in possession of the plateau north and east of the v ...

The division took part in the

Battle of the Ancre The Battle of the Ancre was fought by the British Fifth Army (Lieutenant-General Hubert Gough), against the German 1st Army (General Fritz von Below). The Reserve Army had been renamed the Fifth Army on 30 October. The battle was the last ...

, the final stage of the Battle of the Somme, under the command of

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...

in the Fifth Army in November 1916. By this time Count Gleichen had left the division and his replacement, Major-General Scrase-Dickens, had fallen sick. Major-General H. Bruce-Williams (a Royal Engineer officer) had taken over and successfully commanded the division for the rest of the war. By the year 1917, the division's brigades were rejoined as they wintered in the Artois sector. The division participated in the first three phases of the 1917 Battle of Arras, capturing the village of

Monchy-le-Preux Monchy-le-Preux () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Monchy-le-Preux is situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D33 and the D339 roads. Junction 15 of the A1 autoroute ...

during the

First Battle of the Scarpe The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the W ...

; a monument to the division stands at Monchy. The 37th Division fought in the

Third Battle of Ypres 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 ...

, under the command of

IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to: France * 9th Army Corps (France) * IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German ...

of the Second Army, taking part in the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, Battle of Polygon Wood, Battle of Broodseinde,

Battle of Poelcappelle The Battle of Poelcappelle was fought in Flanders, Belgium, on 9 October 1917 by the British Second Army and Fifth Army against the German 4th Army, during the First World War. The battle marked the end of the string of highly successful Briti ...

, the First Battle of Passchendaele and the Second Battle of Passchendaele from September to November 1917. The division took little part in the fighting begun by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Spring Offensive in March 1918, but did take part in the first

counter-offensive In the study of military tactics, a counter-offensive is a large-scale strategic offensive military operation, usually by forces that had successfully halted the enemy's offensive, while occupying defensive positions. The counter-offensive is ...

, the April 1918

, which included the world's first

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 ...

versus tank combat at

Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway. Villers-Bretonneux border ...

. At this time the division was under the command of Third Army's IV Corps, and remained part of this formation for the rest of the war. The division took part in the

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 ...

, fighting in the Battle of Amiens, the 1918

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 ...

, the

Battle of the Hindenburg Line A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, the

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 ...

and the Battle of the Sambre. The war came to an end on 11 November 1918. Demobilization began on

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

1918 and the division had ceased to exist on 25 March 1919. During its active service on the Western Front the division had suffered some 29,969 casualties, killed, wounded and missing. Immediately following the war, the division compiled a souvenir publication in the form of a trench magazine entitled ''The Golden Horseshoe'' (1919). It featured poetry, prose, art, cartoons, and brief accounts of the division's service.

Order of battle

The following units served with the division: 110th Brigade The Leicester Tigers The Battle of Arras, April-may 1917 Q5112

This brigade was exchanged with the 21st Division's, 63rd Brigade on 8 July 1916 *6th (Service) Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment *7th (Service) Battalion, the Leicestershire Regiment *8th (Service) Battalion, the Leicestershire Regiment *9th (Service) Battalion, the Leicestershire Regiment *110th Machine Gun Company (''joined 4 March 1916, moved to 37th Battalion M.G.C. February 1918'') *110th Trench Mortar Battery (''formed on 13 June 1916'') 111th Brigade This brigade was attached to 34th Division between 6 July and 22 August 1916 *10th (Service) Battalion,

*13th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (moved to 112th Brigade 4 February 1918'') *13th (Service) 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 ...

*13th (Service) Battalion,

*111th Machine Gun Company (''joined 4 March 1916, moved to 37th Battalion M.G.C. 4 March 1918'') *111th Trench Mortar Battery (''formed 2 July 1916'') 112th Brigade This brigade was attached to 34th Division between 6 July and 22 August 1916 *11th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

(''disbanded 7 February 1918'') *6th (Service) Battalion,

Bedfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the World War ...

(''left 21 May 1918'') *8th (Service) Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment (''disbanded 4 February 1918'') *10th (Service) Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (''disbanded 4 February 1918'') *112th Machine Gun Company (''joined 4 March 1916, moved to 37th Battalion M.G.C. 4 March 1918'') *112th Trench Mortar Battery (''formed 1 July 1916'') *13th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (''joined from 111th Brigade 4 February 1918'') *1st Battalion, Essex Regiment (''joined 4 February 1918'') *1/1st (T.F.) Battalion,

Hertfordshire Regiment The Hertfordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army. Originating in units of Rifle Volunteers formed in 1859, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First and Second Wor ...

(''joined 11 May 1918'') 63rd Brigade This brigade joined from 21st Division in exchange for 110th Brigade on 8 July 1916 *8th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment *8th (Service) Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry *4th (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment *10th (Service) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (''disbanded 4 February 1918'') *63rd Machine Gun Company (''moved to 37th Battalion M.G.C. 4 March 1918'') *63rd Trench Mortar Battery Divisional Troops *9th (Service) Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment Divisional Pioneer Battalion (was attached to 34th Division with 111th and 112th Brigades in 1916) *16th Motor Machine Gun Battery (''joined 26 July 1915, left 9 May 1916'') *247th Machine Gun Company (''joined 19 July 1917, moved to 37th Battalion M.G.C. 4 March 1918'') *37th Battalion M.G.C. (''formed 4 March 1918'') *Divisional Mounted Troops **RHQ and B Sqn,

Yorkshire Dragoons The Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1794 to 1956. It was formed as a volunteer cavalry force in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars. Its volunteer companies played an active role ...

(''left May 1916'') **37th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps (''left 12 May 1916'') *37th Divisional Train

A.S.C. The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinema ...

**288th, 289th, 290th and 291st Companies. *28th Mobile Veterinary Section A.V.C. *234th Divisional Employment Company (''joined 16 June 1917'') Divisional Artillery *CXXIII Brigade, R.F.A. *CXXIV Brigade, R.F.A. *CXXV Brigade, R.F.A. (''broken up 31 August 1916'') *CXVI (Howitzer) Brigade, R.F.A. (''broken up January 1917'') *37th Heavy Battery R.G.A. (''raised with the Division but was broken up at home'') *37th Divisional Ammunition Column R.F.A. *V.37 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, R.F.A. (''formed 25 May 1916, left 6 February 1918'') *X.37, Y.37 and Z.37 Medium Mortar Batteries, R.F.A. (''formed May 1916 with 4 x 6-inch weapons each; on 6 February 1918, Z.37 battery broken up, X.37 and Y.37 reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each'')

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 ...

*152nd Field Company, R.E. *153rd Field Company, R.E. *154th Field Company R.E. *37th Divisional Signals Company R.E.S.S. (''raised as 40th Divisional Signals Company, joined 17 June 1915'')

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 ...

*48th Field Ambulance *49th Field Ambulance *50th Field Ambulance *37th Sanitary Section(''left 20 April 1917'')

General officer commanding

* Major-General

Lord Edward Gleichen Major-General Lord Albert Edward Wilfred Gleichen (15 January 1863 – 14 December 1937) was a British courtier and soldier. Early life and family history Born as Count Albert Edward Wilfred von Gleichen, he was the only son of Prince Victor ...

(6 April 1915 – 22 October 1916) * Major-General S. W. Scrase-Dickens (22 October – 9 November 1916 nvalided * Major-General Hugh Bruce-Williams (9 November 1916 – 25 March 1919)

Battle insignia

The practice of wearing battalion specific insignia (often called battle patches) in the B.E.F. began in mid 1915 with the arrival of units of Kitchener's Armies and was widespread after the Somme Battles of 1916. The patches shown were worn by the division during 1917 and 1918. There was an overall division scheme for the battle patches, colours for each brigade and shapes for each battalion. This division also identified the companies within each battalion with an oblong coloured red for A company, dark blue for B Coy, purple for C Coy and green for D Coy, which could be worn above or below the battalion patch, as shown below. The patches were worn on both sleeves. In late 1917 or early 1918 the division sign of a yellow horseshoe was added above the other patches (except for the machine gun companies witch wore it below the battle patch).

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:37 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