The 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division was an infantry formation of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

created in 1914 as part of the massive expansion 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 ...

during the

First World War 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, ...

. It served 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 ...

during 1917 and 1918. The divisional number was reactivated for deception purposes during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Origin

On 31 August 1914 the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

authorised the formation of a reserve or 2nd-Line unit for each Territorial Force (TF) unit that was proceeding on overseas service. The 2nd West Lancashire Division came into existence in November 1914, composed of 2nd-Line duplicates of the battalions of the peacetime West Lancashire Division that were due to be sent overseas. The 1st-Line division was temporarily dispersed as its units went to France piecemeal, many of the divisional staff and support elements transferring to the new formation, which became 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division in August 1915.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 1–7.57th Division at Long, Long Trail
/ref>

History

The formations and units of 57th Division concentrated around

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

in early 1915 as part of Second Army,

Central Force In classical mechanics, a central force on an object is a force that is directed towards or away from a point called center of force. : \vec = \mathbf(\mathbf) = \left\vert F( \mathbf ) \right\vert \hat where \vec F is the force, F is a vecto ...

. Training was hampered by lack of equipment: the infantry trained on obsolete .256-inch Japanese rifles until .303-inch service rifles (many in poor condition) arrived in November 1915. In November 1915 the War Office authorised the re-formation of 1st West Lancashire Division (now designated

55th (West Lancashire) Division The 55th (West Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Force (TF) that saw extensive combat during the First World War. It was raised initially in 1908 as the West Lancashire Division. Following the out ...

), and a number of its original units returned from 57th Division, being replaced by their newly raised equivalents. The training of the 2nd-Line divisional artillery had been seriously delayed by lack of arms and equipment. One field artillery brigade had to borrow carbines from the

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

Church Lads Brigade. Only in mid-July 1915 did each field artillery brigade receive two 15-pounder BLC guns without sights. In September 1915 the 2nd-Line divisional artillery took over the obsolete 15-pounders and 5-inch howitzers when the 1st-Line artillery was re-equipped. The 2nd-Line received their modern 18-pounders and 4.5-inch howitzers in December 1915 and January 1916. Shortly afterwards the infantry battalions received their allotment of Lewis Guns. In July 1916, 57th Division was transferred to the Emergency Reserves in the

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 ...

area where it continued training. On 5 January 1917 the division was ready for overseas service, and between 7 and 22 February its units and formations crossed to France and disembarked at

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

. On 25 February it took over a section of the Front Line under the command of II ANZAC Corps. 57th Division served on the Western Front for the rest of the war, taking part in the following operations: * Second Battle of Passchendaele 26 October–7 November 1917 (under

XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to: * XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...

, then XIX Corps) * Battle of the Lys 9–29 April 1918 ''(Divisional Artillery and 505 Company ASC only)'' * Second Battle of Arras (under XVII Corps): ** Battle of the Scarpe 28–30 August 1918 ** Battle of Drocourt-Queant Line 2–3 September 1918 * Battles of the Hindenburg Line (under XVII Corps): **

Battle of the Canal du Nord The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War by the Allies against German positions on the Western Front. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion ...

27 September–1 October 1918 ** Battle of Cambrai 8–9 October 1918 ** Capture of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the ...

9 October 1918 * Final Advance in

Artois Artois ( ; ; nl, Artesië; English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras (Dutch: ''Atrecht'') ...

and

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

15 October–1 November 1918 (under

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 ...

): ** Occupation of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the No ...

17 October 1918 On 1 November 1918 57 Division went into billets at Lille, and was still resting when the

Armistice with Germany 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 ...

was signed. For the rest of 1918 its units were involved in clearing and evacuating stores from the

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 ...

area. Demobilisation began in January 1919 and units were steadily reduced to cadres. The last cadres of 57th Division left France in July 1919, completing its disbandment.

Order of battle

The following formations and units served in 57 Division during the First World War:

170th (2/1st North Lancashire) Brigade

171st (2/1st Liverpool) Brigade

172nd (2/1st South Lancashire) Brigade

Divisional Troops

Mounted Troops * 1st Lancashire Hussars – ''from 55 Division; left October–November 1915 to join 30, 31 and 35 Divisions''Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 133–9. * 1st West Lancashire Divisional Cyclist Company – ''from 55 Division; left on 7 December 1915'' * A Sqn 2/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry – ''did not go to France'' * 57th Divisional Cyclist Company – ''did not go to France'' * 1/1st Kent Cyclist Battalion – ''joined at Canterbury November 1915; left for overseas service December 1915'' Artillery * 1st West Lancashire Divisional Artillery

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) (four brigades) – ''joined April 1915; left for

2nd Canadian Division The 2nd Canadian Division (2 Cdn Div; french: 2e Division du Canada) is a formation of the Canadian Army in the province of Quebec, Canada. The present command was created 2013 when Land Force Quebec Area was re-designated. The main unit housed ...

in France September 1915'' * 1/1st Lancashire 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 ...

(RGA) – ''from 55 Division; joined April 1915; left for France December 1915'' * 2/1st Lancashire Heavy Battery RGA – '' joined November 1915; left for France July 1916'' * 57th Divisional Artillery: ** CCLXXXV (2/I West Lancashire) Brigade RFA – ''joined September 1915'' ** CCLXXXVI (2/II West Lancashire) Brigade RFA– ''joined September 1915'' ** CCLXXXVII ( 2/III West Lancashire) Brigade RFA – ''joined September 1915; broken up on disembarkation and batteries distributed among remaining field brigades'' ** 2/IV West Lancashire Howitzer Brigade RFA – ''joined September 1915; broken up July 1916 and batteries distributed among field brigades'' ** 57th (2/1st West Lancashire) Divisional Ammunition Column RFA * Divisional trench Mortar Batteries: ** X, Y, Z Medium Trench Mortar Batteries – ''joined March 1917; Z absorbed by X and Y February 1918 ** W Heavy Trench Mortar Battery – ''joined March 1917; became

XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to: * XV Corps (British India) *XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I *15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I * XV Royal Bav ...

HTM Battery February 1918 Engineers * 2/1st West Lancashire Field Company

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 ...

– ''left for 55 Division in France December 1915'' * 2/2nd West Lancashire Field Company RE – ''left for 55 Division in France December 1915'' * 1/3rd West Lancashire Field Company RE – ''joined November 1915; became 421 Field Company February 1917'' * 1/3rd Wessex Field Company RE – ''joined December 1915; became 502 Field Company February 1917'' * 2/3rd Wessex Field Company RE – ''joined February 1916; became 505 Field Company February 1917'' * 1st West Lancashire Signal Company RE – ''from 55 Division; left December 1915'' * 57th (2/1st West Lancashire) Signal Company RE – ''formed September 1915'' Pioneers * 5th Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment – ''from 170 Bde February 1918'' Machine Gun Units * 173rd Machine Gun Company – ''joined March 1917'' * No 57 Battalion

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 ...

– ''formed March 1918 from 173 Coy and Brigade MG Coys'' Medical Units * 2/1st West Lancashire Field Ambulance

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 ...

– ''left for 55 Division in France December 1915'' * 1/2nd West Lancashire Field Ambulance RAMC – ''left for 30 Division in France October 1915'' * 1/3rd West Lancashire Field Ambulance RAMC – ''left for 55 Division in France December 1915'' * 2/2nd Wessex Field Ambulance RAMC – ''joined December 1915'' * 2/3rd Wessex Field Ambulance RAMC – ''joined December 1915'' * 3/2nd West Lancashire Field Ambulance RAMC – ''joined December 1915'' * 57th (West Lancashire) Sanitary Section – ''transferred to Second Army April 1917'' Transport Units * 57th (1/1st West Lancashire) Divisional Train Army Service Corps – ''from 55 Division'' ** 505th, 506th, 507th, 508th Horse Transport Companies ''Other Units'' * 57th 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 ...

* 248th Divisional Employment Company – ''formed June 1917''

Attached Troops

Mounted Troops – ''attached October–November 1918:'' ** 1st King Edward's Horse ** 11th Cyclist Battalion Army Cyclist Corps * Portuguese Expeditionary Corps (part) – ''attached October–November 1918:'' ** IV Portuguese Field Battery ** 1st Portuguese Field Company ** 14th Portuguese Battalion ** 15th Portuguese Battalion ** 5th Portuguese Field Ambulance

Commanders

The following officers commanded 57 Division during the First World War: * Brig. Gen. F.A. Adam – ''acting from 5 November 1914'' * Maj.-Gen. J.B. Forster – ''from April 1915'' * Lieut.-Gen. R.G. Broadwood – ''from 20 October 1916; died of wounds 21 June 1917'' * Brig. Gen. J.C. Wray – ''acting'' * Maj.-Gen. Reginald W.R. Barnes – ''from 1 July 1917''

Second World War

The 57th Division was never reformed, but the number was used for deception purposes during the war. The 42nd Brigade headquarters was formed in the UK on 26 July 1943 and sent to

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

to command internal security units on the Lines of Communication under

Allied Force Headquarters Allied Force Headquarters (AFHQ) was the headquarters that controlled all Allied operational forces in the Mediterranean theatre of World War II from August 1942 until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. AFHQ was established in the Un ...

. These units had a full complement of personnel, but 80 per cent of them were below Medical Category 'A' and they were armed only with personal weapons and a skeleton allotment of transport.Joslen, p. 287. The 42nd Brigade HQ landed on 25 August 1943, and was redesignated '57th Division' on 9 November to deceive the enemy. To aid the deception, the commanding officer, Brigadier P.H. Cadoux-Hudson, was given the appropriate local rank of

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 ...

, and three of the battalions were redesignated as brigades.

Order of Battle of '57th Division'

* 30th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers – 170th Brigade' up to 30 April 1944'' * 31st Battalion,

Suffolk Regiment The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, participating in many wars and conflicts, including the First and Second World Wars, before b ...

– 171st Brigade' up to 19 June 1944'' * 30th Battalion,

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

– 172nd Brigade' up to 26 December 1943'' * 30th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment – 172nd Brigade' from 26 December 1943 to 27 July 1944'' The 'division' reused the First World War formation sign.Chappell p.36 The 42nd Brigade HQ was disbanded in North Africa on 29 July 1944, and '57th Division' ceased to exist on the same date.

References

External links

The Long, Long Trail

{{DEFAULTSORT:57 Infantry Division Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 D57 1914 establishments in the United Kingdom Fictional units of World War II