The 16th (Irish) 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 mar ...

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 Gurkha ...

, raised for service during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The division was a voluntary 'Service' formation of Lord Kitchener's New Armies, created in Ireland from the ' National Volunteers', initially in September 1914, after the outbreak of the

Great 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 ...

. In December 1915, the division moved to France, joining the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), under the command of Irish

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 ...

William Hickie Major General Sir William Bernard Hickie, (21 May 1865 – 3 November 1950) was an Irish-born senior British Army officer and an Irish nationalist politician. As a British Army officer Hickie saw active service in the Second Boer War from 1899 ...

, and spent the duration of the war in action 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 maj ...

. Following enormous losses at the Somme, Passchendaele and Ypres, the 16th (Irish) Division required a substantial refit in England between June and August 1918, which involved the introduction of many non-Irish battalions.

History

Moved by the fate of Belgium, a small and Catholic country,

John Redmond John Edward Redmond (1 September 1856 – 6 March 1918) was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, and MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was best known as leader of the moderate Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) from ...

had called on Irishmen to enlist "in defence of the highest principles of religion and morality and right". More Catholic Irish enlisted than Protestants.Jeffery 2006, pp. 156–8 The 16th Division began forming as part of the K2 Army Group towards the end of 1914 after Irish recruits in the early days of the war from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

first filled the ranks of the

10th (Irish) Division The 10th (Irish) Division, was one of the first of Kitchener's New Army K1 Army Group divisions (formed from Kitchener's 'first hundred thousand' new volunteers), authorized on 21 August 1914, after the outbreak of the Great War. It included ...

before being assigned to the 16th Division,Grayson, Richard S.: pp. 14–18 formed around a core of National Volunteers. Initial training began in Ireland at

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. It is located in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, and is in the Dá ...

, Munster; recruits also trained at

Buttevant Buttevant ( or ''Ecclesia Tumulorum'' in the Latin) is a medieval market town, incorporated by charter of Edward III, situated in North County Cork, Ireland. While there may be reason to suggest that the town may occupy the site of an earlie ...

. The division moved to

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

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

, England for more intensive training in September 1915. After thirteen weeks, the division was deployed to Étaples in France, joining the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), then commanded by

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 John French Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, (28 September 1852 – 22 May 1925), known as Sir John French from 1901 to 1916, and as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a senior British Army officer. Born in Kent ...

, but later replaced by

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

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 unti ...

. From there the division left on 18 December for that part of the front in the Loos salient, under the command of Irish

and spent the rest of the war on the

. Until March 1916 the 16th Division was part of IV Corps, commanded by the staunch unionist,

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

Sir Henry Wilson Field Marshal Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, 1st Baronet, (5 May 1864 – 22 June 1922) was one of the most senior British Army staff officers of the First World War and was briefly an Irish unionist politician. Wilson served as Commandant of the S ...

. Wilson, who had called the division "Johnnie Redmond's pets", inspected them over the course of a few days over Christmas 1915, noting that they "appear to be inferior" and that "at least 50p.c. are quite useless, old whiskey-sodden militiamen". Hickie agreed that he had "a political Divn of riff raff Redmondites". Wilson thought the 47th Brigade had "old officers, old & useless men, ''very'' bad musketry, rotten boots, and altogether a very poor show". Wilson reported to the Army Commander, Lieutenant General Sir Charles Monro (6 January) that the division, despite having been training since September–October 1914, would not be fit to serve in an active part of the line for six weeks. Although–in the opinion of Wilson's biographer Keith Jeffery–political prejudice probably played a part in these views, Wilson also attributed much of the difference in quality between his divisions to training, especially of officers, in which he took a keen personal interest, opposing Haig's wish to delegate training from corps to division level. Hickie was–in public–much more diplomatic and tactful and spoke of the pride which his new command gave him. The Battle of the Somme, July-november 1916 Q4200

The Battle of the Somme, July-november 1916 Q4200

At Loos, in January and February 1916, the division was introduced to

trench warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising Trench#Military engineering, military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artille ...

and suffered greatly in the Battle of Hulluch. Personnel raided German trenches all through May and June.Duffy, Christopher: ''Through German Eyes: The British & the Somme 1916'' p.101, Phoenix of Orion Books (2007) In late July they were moved to the

Somme Valley The Somme ( , , ) is a river in Picardy, northern France. The river is in length, from its source in the high ground of the former at Fonsomme near Saint-Quentin, to the Bay of the Somme, in the English Channel. It lies in the geologica ...

where they were intensively engaged in 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 be ...

. Lieutenant General

Hubert Gough General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough ( ; 12 August 1870 – 18 March 1963) was a senior officer in the British Army in the First World War. A favourite of the British Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, he experienced a meteor ...

, the

British Fifth Army The Fifth Army was a field army of the British Army during World War I that formed part of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918. The army originated as the Reserve Corps during the preparations for the Bri ...

commander, had asked, at the end of 1915, for the division to be placed under his command, and had established the first corps school for the training of young officers. The 16th Division played an important part in capturing the towns of

Guillemont Guillemont () is a commune approximately east of Albert in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It, like much of the surrounding area, is primarily an agricultural community, but is known for its large Commonwealth War ...

and Ginchy, although they suffered massive casualties. During these successful actions between 1 and 10 September casualties amounted to 224 officers and 4,090 men; despite these very heavy losses the division gained a reputation as first-class shock troops. Out of a total of 10,845 men, it had lost 3,491 on the Loos sector between January and the end of May 1916, including heavy casualties from bombardment and a gas attack at Hullach in April. Bloodletting of this order was fatal to the division's character, for it had to be made good by drafts from England. In early 1917, the division took a major part in the Battle of Messines alongside the

36th (Ulster) Division The 36th (Ulster) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Lord Kitchener's New Army, formed in September 1914. Originally called the ''Ulster Division'', it was made up of mainly members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, ...

, adding to both their recognition and reputation. Their major actions ended in the summer of 1917 at 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 ...

after, again, coming under the command of Gough and the Fifth Army. In July 1917, during 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 ...

, although both divisions were completely exhausted after 13 days of moving weighty equipment under heavy shelling, Gough ordered the battalions to advance through deep mud towards well fortified German positions left untouched by totally inadequate artillery preparation. By mid August, the 16th had suffered over 4,200 casualties, the 36th almost 3,600, or more than 50% of their numbers. Haig, now a

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 ...

, was very critical of Gough for "playing the Irish card". The Official Visits To the Western Front, 1914-1918 Q6153

The 16th Division held an exposed position from early 1918 at

Ronssoy Ronssoy () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Ronssoy is situated north of Saint-Quentin, on the D6 road Population See also *Communes of the Somme department The following is a list of ...

where they suffered more heavy losses during 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 ...

's Spring Offensive in March and being practically wiped out in the retreat which followed

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 t ...

.Bowman, Timothy: ''Irish Regiments in the Great War'' p.171, Manchester Uni. Press (2003) Haig wrote in his diary (22 March 1918) that the division was "said not to be so full of fight as the others. In fact, certain Irish units did very badly and gave way immediately the enemy showed". In fact the division's casualties were the highest of any BEF division at this time, and records of the German 18th and 50th Reserve Divisions show that the Irish fought hard. The corps commander, Lieutenant General

Walter Congreve General Sir Walter Norris Congreve, (20 November 1862 – 28 February 1927), was a British Army officer in the Second Boer War and the First World War, and Governor of Malta from 1924 to 1927. He received the Victoria Cross, the highest award f ...

, wrote "the real truth is that their reserve brigade did not fight at all and their right brigade very indifferently". One battalion was greeted at the rear with cries of "There go the Sinn Feiners!" A report by Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson, now the

Chief of the Imperial General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board. Prior to 1964, the title was Chief of the Imperial G ...

(CIGS), concluded that there was no evidence that the men had not fought well, but pointed out that only two-thirds of the men were of Irish birth. The matter affected the debate over the introduction of conscription of Ireland. The remnants of the division were later transferred to XIX Corps of the Third Army. The 16th helped to finally halt the German attack prior to the

Battle of Hamel The Battle of Hamel was a successful attack by Australian Army and US Army infantry, supported by British tanks, against German positions in and around the town of Le Hamel, in northern France, during World War I. The attack was planned and co ...

. The decision was then made to break up the division, the three surviving Service battalions were posted to other formations. On 14 June the division returned to England for reconstitution. The

Conscription Crisis of 1918 The Conscription Crisis of 1918 stemmed from a move by the British government to impose conscription (military draft) in Ireland in April 1918 during the First World War. Vigorous opposition was led by trade unions, Irish nationalist parties an ...

in Ireland meant that fewer Irish recruits could be raised so that the 16th Division which returned to France on 27 July contained five English battalions, two Scottish battalions and one Welsh battalion. The only original battalion left was the 5th

Royal Irish Fusiliers The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in ...

. The dispersion of the Irish battalions throughout the BEF in 1918, despite its practical considerations, appears to suggest that the Irish units were increasingly distrusted by the military authorities.

Order of battle

16th Irish Division Memorial Glasnevin Cemetery

The 16th Division was composed of the following during World War I:

47th Brigade

* 8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers (New Army) (''disbanded 23 November 1916'') * 6th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (''disbanded 9 February 1918'') * 7th (Service) Battalion,

Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot and the 109th Regiment of Foot ...

; (''disbanded 31 July 1922'') * 6th (Service) Battalion,

Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Foot (wh ...

(''left June 1918'') * 1st Battalion,

Royal Munster Fusiliers The Royal Munster Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1922. It traced its origins to the East India Company's Bengal European Regiment raised in 1652, which later became the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Beng ...

(''joined 22 November 1916 left 20 April 1918'') * 2nd Battalion, Leinster Regiment (''joined 2 February 1918 left 23 April 1918'') * 18th (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 ...

(2nd

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Mot ...

), (''joined May 1918'') * 14th (Service) Battalion,

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...

(''joined 26 June 1918'') * 9th (Service) Battalion,

Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

(''joined 2 July 1918'') * 47th Machine Gun Company,

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a Regiment, 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 (World War I), Western Front in the World War I, First World War. Th ...

(M.G.C.) (''joined 28 April 1916, moved to 16th Battalion, M.G.C. 9 March 1918'') *47th Trench Mortar Battery (''formed by 16 June 1916, reformed in England 1918'') The 47th Brigade was known as the "Nationalist Brigade" as the majority were men from Redmond's

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers ( ga, Óglaigh na hÉireann), sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Force or Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists and republicans. It was ostensibly formed in respon ...

48th Brigade

* 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers (New Army) (''disbanded 30 May 1916'') * 7th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Irish Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal County D ...

(''left 23 August 1917'') * 8th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Dublin Fusiliers The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was an Irish infantry Regiment of the British Army created in 1881, one of eight Irish regiments raised and garrisoned in Ireland, with its home depot in Naas. The Regiment was created by the amalgamation of two Brit ...

(''merged with 9th Battalion 24 October 1917 renamed 8th/9th Battalion, disbanded 10 February 1918'') * 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers (''merged with 8th Battalion 24 October 1917, '') * 1st Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers (''joined 28 May 1916 left 22 November 1916'') * 10th (Service) Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers (''joined 23 June 1917, left 13 February 1918'') * 1st Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers (''joined 19 October 1917 left 26 April 1918'') * 2nd Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers (''joined 3 February 1918 left 19 May 1918'') * 22nd (Service) Battalion,

Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution ...

(''joined 2 June 1918'') * 11th (Service) Battalion,

(''joined 2 June 1918 left August 1918'') * 18th (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 Re ...

(''joined 2 July 1918'') * 5th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers (''joined 24 August 1918'') * 48th Machine Gun Company (''joined 28 April 1916, moved to 16th Battalion, M.G.C. 9 March 1918'') *48th Trench Mortar Battery (''formed by 24 June 1916, reformed in England 1918'')

49th Brigade

* 7th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers (''merged with 8th Battalion 15 October 1916, renamed as 7th/8th Battalion, disbanded February 1918'') * 8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers (''merged with 7th Battalion 15 October 1916'') * 7th (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 ...

(''merged with 8th Battalion 23 August 1917, renamed as 7th/8th Battalion, left 17 June 1918'') * 8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (''merged with 7th Battalion 23 August 1917'') * 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (''joined 14 October 1916 left 23 April 1918'') * 7th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (

South Irish Horse The South Irish Horse was a Special Reserve cavalry regiment of the British Army. Formed as an Imperial Yeomanry regiment in 1902 as the South of Ireland Imperial Yeomanry, it perpetuated a unit formed during the Second Boer War. It transferred t ...

) Battalion,(''joined 17 October 1917 left 17 July 1918'') * 34th (Service) Battalion, London Regiment (County of London) Battalion (''joined 27 June 1918'') * 18th (Service) Battalion,

Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...

(''joined 2 July 1918'') * 6th (Service) Battalion, Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry)- (''joined 4 July 1918'') * 49th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (''joined 29 April 1916, moved to 16th Battalion, M.G.C 9 March 1918'') *49th Trench Mortar Battery (''formed by 16 June 1916, reformed in England 1918'')

Divisional troops

*11th (Service) 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 regim ...

(''joined 20 September 1914 as divisional pioneers'') *269th Machine Gun Company M.G.C. (''joined 18 January 1918, moved to 16th Battalion M.G.C. 9 March 1918'') *16th Machine Gun Battalion M.G.C. (''formed 9 March 1918, broken up 8 May 1918. A new 16th MG Battalion joined on 2 August 1918'') *19th Entrenching Battalion (''joined 4 April 1918, disbanded 5 May 1918. Troops went to 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers'') *Divisional Mounted Troops **16th 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 ...

(''joined 11 December 1914, disbanded 1 June 1916.'') **C Squadron,

(''joined January 1915, left 17 May 1916'') *16th Divisional Train Army Service Corps **142nd, 143rd, 144th and 145th Companies *217th Divisional Employment Company (''formed by 30 June 1917'') *47th 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 ...

*LXXIV 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 ...

(R.F.A.) (''left in July 1915 to join

Guards Division The Guards Division is an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the training and administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Guards reserve battalion. The Guards Division is responsible for providing two b ...

'') *LXXV Brigade R.F.A. (''as for LXXIV Brigade'') *LXXVI Brigade R.F.A. (''as for LXXIV Brigade'') *LXXVII (H) Brigade R.F.A. (''left in July 1915 but rejoined 22 February 1916, left 22 February 1917'') *CLXXVII Brigade R.F.A. (''joined 22 February 1916'') *CLXXX Brigade R.F.A. (''joined 22 February 1916'') *CLXXXII Brigade R.F.A. (''joined 22 February 1916, broken up 27 August 1916'') *16th Divisional Ammunition Column R.F.A. (''left in August 1915 to join Guards Division. Replaced 22 February 1916'') *16th Heavy Battery

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (R ...

(''raised for the Division but moved independently to France in July 1915'') *X.16, Y.16 and Z.16 Medium Trench Mortar Batteries R.F.A. (''joined by June 1916. Z.16 broken up 27 February 1918. X.16 and Y.16 broken up 20 April 1918'') *V.16 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery R.F.A. (''joined 5 September 1916, left February 1918'')

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 head ...

*75th Field Company (''left 13 August 1915 to join Guards Division'') *76th Field Company (''left 13 August 1915 to join Guards Division'') *16th Divisional Signal (''left 13 August 1915 to join Guards Division, a new Company joined in September 1915'') *95th Field Company (''joined 30 January 1915 from 26th Division, left 17 August 1915 to join 7th Division'') *155th Field Company (''joined August 1915'') *156th Field Company (''joined August 1915'') *157th Field Company (''joined August 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 ...

*48th Field Ambulance (''left June 1915 and joined 37th Division'') *49th Field Ambulance (''as for 48th Coy.'') *50th Field Ambulance (''as for 48th Coy.'') *111th Field Ambulance (''joined September 1915'') *112th Field Ambulance (''joined September 1915'') *113th Field Ambulance (''joined September 1915'') *81st Sanitary Section (''joined before embarkation, left for

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 ...

in April 1917'')

General officers commanding

The following officers commanded the division at various times:

Notes

Battles

* Battle of Hulluch *

Battle of the Somme (1916) 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 betw ...

Battle of Guillemont The Battle of Guillemont (3–6 September 1916) was an attack, during the Battle of the Somme in the First World War, by the British Fourth Army against the German 2nd Army near the village of Guillemont in northern France. The village is on ...

Battle of Ginchy The Battle of Ginchy took place on 9 September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, when the 16th (Irish) Division captured the German-held village. Ginchy is north-east of Guillemont, at the junction of six roads, on a rise overlooking Com ...

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 Messines (now Mesen) in West Flanders, Belgium, during the First World War. The Nivel ...

Great War Memorials

Great War Memorial Windows, Guildhall, Derry

Irish National War Memorial Gardens The Irish National War Memorial Gardens ( ga, Gairdíní Náisiúnta Cuimhneacháin Cogaidh na hÉireann) is an Irish war memorial in Islandbridge, Dublin, dedicated "to the memory of the 49,400 Irish soldiers who gave their lives in the Great ...

, Dublin. *

Island of Ireland Peace Park The Island of Ireland Peace Park and its surrounding park ( ga, Páirc Síochána d'Oileán na hÉireann), also called the Irish Peace Park or Irish Peace Tower in Messines, near Ypres in Flanders, Belgium, is a war memorial to the soldiers of ...

Messines, Belgium. * Ulster Tower Memorial Thiepval, France. * Menin Gate Memorial Ypres, Belgium.

References and further reading

* Bartlet, Thomas & Jeffery, Keith: ''A Military History of Ireland'', Cambridge University Press (1996) (2006), * Bowen, Desmond & Jean: ''Heroic Option: The Irish in the British Army'', Pen & Sword Books (2005), . * Cooper, Bryan (1918): ''The 10th (Irish) Division in Gallipoli'', Irish Academic Press (1993), (2003). . * Denman, Terence: ''Ireland's Unknown Soldiers: the 16th (Irish) Division in the Great War'', Irish Academic Press (1992), (2003) . * Dooley, Thomas P.: ''Irishmen or English Soldiers? : the Times of a Southern Catholic Irish Man (1876–1916)'', Liverpool Press (1995), . * Dungan, Myles: ''They Shall not Grow Old: Irish Soldiers in the Great War'', Four Courts Press (1997), . * * Grayson, Dr. Richard S.: ''Belfast Boys'' – How Unionists and Nationalists fought and died together in the First World War, Continuum UK, London (2009) * Horne, John ed.: ''Our War 'Ireland and the Great War: The Thomas Davis Lectures, The

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier learned society and one its leading cultural ...

, Dublin (2008) * Jeffrey, Keith: ''Ireland and the Great War'', Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge (2000), . * * * Moore, Steven: ''The Irish on the Somme'' (2005), . * Murphy, David: ''Irish Regiments in the World Wars'', Osprey Publishing (2007), * Murphy, David: ''The Irish Brigades, 1685–2006, A gazetteer of Irish Military Service past and present'',
Four Courts Press (2007) The Military Heritage of Ireland Trust. * Prior, Robin & Wilson, Trevor. (1997). ''Passchendaele: The Untold Story''. Yale University Press. *

Maxwell Staniforth John Hamilton Maxwell Staniforth CBE (23 June 1893 – 26 December 1985), known to his family as Max, was a British soldier, railwayman, radio presenter, clergyman and scholar. Early life and education Staniforth born in Hinderwell, Yorkshire, ...

, ''At war with the 16th Irish Division 1914-1918 : the Staniforth letters'' * Walker, Stephen: ''Forgotten Soldiers; The Irishmen shot at dawn'' Gill & Nacmillan (2007),

External links

The Long, Long Trail: The 16th (Irish) Division in 1914-1918

A website with information relating to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who had battalions which were a part of the 16th (Irish) Division.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060508090432/http://www.webmatters.net/belgium/ww1_mesen_2.htm The Battle for Messines Ridge
Homepage of the Island of Ireland Peace Park Memorial

The Irish War Memorials Project – listing of monuments throughout Ireland

The Military Heritage of Ireland Trust

{{DEFAULTSORT:16 Infantry Division Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I Kitchener's Army divisions Military units and formations established in 1914 Ireland in World War I 1914 establishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 1919 disestablishments in the United Kingdom