The 11th (Northern) 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 during the First World War The British Army during the First World War fought the largest and most costly war in its long history. Unlike the French and German Armies, the British Army was made up exclusively of volunteers—as opposed to conscripts—at the beginning ...

, raised from men who had volunteered for Lord Kitchener's New Armies. The division fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and on the Western Front. The division's insignia was an

ankh Progressive ankylosis protein homolog (ANK ilosis H omolog) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''ANKH'' gene. This gene encodes a multipass transmembrane protein that is expressed in joints and other tissues and controls pyrophosphat ...

or ankhus.

History

The division came into existence on 21 August 1914 under Army Order No. 324, which authorised the formation of the first six new divisions of Kitchener's Army. The division was composed of early wartime volunteers and assembled at Belton Park near

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

. By mid-1915, the recruits were judged to be ready for active service, and the division sailed for the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

in June-July 1915. As part of the Suvla Bay landing force, it reinforced the British expeditionary force at Gallipoli, on 7 August. The 6th (Service) Battalion,

Alexandra, Princess of Wales Own (Yorkshire Regiment) 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 variou ...

(32nd Brigade) was the first "Kitchener unit" to be involved in a major offensive operation of the war. Its action at Lala Baba Hill, on 7 August, was costly: all but three of its officers were killed, including the CO, Colonel E. H. Chapman, were killed. Afterwards the hill was known to the Allies as York Hill. The division continued to serve at Gallipoli, suffering high casualties, until the evacuation of Suvla in December 1915. It then spent a period of time in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

, guarding the Suez Canal. The division was transferred to France in mid-1916 and saw action in the Battle of the Somme. It remained on the Western Front until the

armistice of 11 November 1918 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 ...

. On 28 June 1919, exactly five years since the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the 11th (Northern) Division was officially disbanded, having sustained more than 32,100 casualties during the war.

Order of battle

The division comprised the following units and formations:Becke, pp. 19–25. ; 32nd Brigade : The British Army on the Western Front, 1914-1918 Q8460

* 9th Battalion,

Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) ) , march = ''Ça Ira'' , battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine , anniversaries = Imphal (22 June) The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was ...

– ''absorbed 1/1st Yorkshire Hussars October 1917 and became 9th (Yorkshire Hussars) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment'' * 6th Battalion,

East Yorkshire Regiment The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...

– ''became divisional pioneers 18 January 1915'' * 6th Battalion,

(Green Howards) – ''absorbed into 2nd Battalion 16 May 1918'' * 8th Battalion,

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

– ''from 34 Bde 18 January 1915; disbanded and drafted February 1918'' * 6th Battalion,

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

* 2nd Battalion, Green Howards – ''joined from 30th Division 14 May 1918'' * 32nd Brigade Machine Gun Company – ''formed March 1916; joined 11th Battalion,

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a 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 in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks ...

(MGC), 28 February 1918'' * 32nd Brigade Trench Mortar Battery – ''joined July 1917'' ; 33rd Brigade : * 6th Battalion,

Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regiments ...

* 6th Battalion,

Border Regiment The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. After service i ...

– ''disbanded and drafted February 1918'' * 7th Battalion,

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot an ...

* 9th Battalion,

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...

(

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

and

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Regiment) * 5th Battalion,

Dorsetshire Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 1 ...

– ''from Army Troops; to 34 Bde 18 January 1915'' * 33rd Brigade Machine Gun Company – ''formed March 1916; joined 11th Battalion MGC 28 February 1918 '' * 33rd Brigade Trench Mortar Battery – ''joined July 1917'' ; 34th Brigade : * 8th 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 ...

* 9th Battalion,

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 28 ...

– ''disbanded and drafted February 1918'' * 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment – ''to 32 Bde 18 January 1915'' * 11th Battalion,

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th ...

* 5th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment – ''from 33 Bde 18 January 1915'' * 34th Brigade Machine Gun Company – ''formed March 1916; joined 11th Battalion MGC 28 February 1918 '' * 34th Brigade Trench Mortar Battery – ''joined July 1917'' ; 1/2nd South-Western Mounted Brigade (Serving dismounted) – ''attached at Suvla 9 October to 15 November 1915'' * 1/1st Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry * 1/1st Royal North Devon Yeomanry * 1/1st West Somerset Yeomanry * 1/2nd South-Western Signal Troop, Royal Engineers (RE) * 1/2nd South-Western Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) ; Divisional Mounted Troops: * 11th 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 ...

– ''formed January–March 1915; to

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...

Cyclist Battalion 12 July 1916'' * B Squadron, 1/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry – ''joined 4 April 1916 in Egypt; to VI Corps in France 12 July 1916'' ; Divisional

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 ...

: * LVIII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (RFA) ** 184, 185, 186 Batteries – ''6-gun batteries reorganised by February 1915 as 4-gun batteries designated A, B, C and D'' ** LVIII Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC) * LIX Brigade, RFA ** 187, 188, 189 Batteries – ''A, B, C, D by February 1915'' ** LIX BAC * LX Brigade, RFA ** 190, 191, 192 Batteries – ''A, B, C, D by February 1915'' ** LX BAC * LXI (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA – ''remained in England when division went to Gallipoli; later joined Guards Division'' ** 193 (H), 194 (H), 195 (H) Batteries – ''A, B, C, D by February 1915'' ** LIX (H) BAC * 11th Divisional Ammunition Column – ''remained in England when division went to Gallipoli'' * 1st Hull 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 (RHA) ...

(RGA) and Ammunition Column – ''redesignated 11th (Hull) Heavy Battery May 1915; remained in England when division went to Gallipoli; later went to East Africa'' ''Also attached'': * LV Brigade, RFA – ''attached from

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 ...

at Suvla until the evacuation'' * LVII (H) Brigade, RFA – ''attached from 10th (Irish) Division at Suvla until the evacuation'' * IV Lowland (H) Brigade, RFA (TF) – ''attached from 52nd (Lowland) Division at Suvla until the evacuation'' * IV Highland (Mountain) Brigade, RGA (TF) – ''attached from 29th Division at Suvla until the evacuation'' * 10th Heavy Battery, RGA – ''attached from 10th (Irish) Division at Suvla until the evacuation'' * 91st Heavy Battery, RGA – ''attached in England; detached at Gallipoli and landed at

Cape Helles Cape Helles is the rocky headland at the southwesternmost tip of the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey. It was the scene of heavy fighting between Ottoman Turkish and British troops during the landing at Cape Helles at the beginning of the Gallipoli c ...

'' ''After 1916 reorganisations''Farndale, p. 134. * LVIII Brigade, RFA ** A, B, C Batteries ** D Battery – ''became A (H) Battery, CXXXIII (H) Brigade 26 April 1916'' * LIX Brigade, RFA ** A, B, C Batteries ** D Battery – ''became B (H) Battery, CXXXIII (H) Brigade 26 April 1916'' * LX Brigade, RFA – ''broken up 25 January 1917'' ** A, B, C Batteries ** D Battery – ''became CXXXIII BAC 26 April 1916'' * CXXXIII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA – ''formed in 26 April 1916 as 'The Howitzer Brigade, RFA', renamed 31 May 1916; broken up between LVIII and LIX Brigades November–December 1916'' ** A (H) Battery – ''from LVIII Brigade 26 April 1916'' ** B (H) Battery – ''from LIX Brigade 26 April 1916'' ** CXXXIII BAC – ''from LX Brigade 26 April; became C (H) Battery 22 June; broken up between A (H) and B (H) Batteries 29 August 1916'' ** 501 (H) Battery – ''joined 15, left 27 November 1916'' * CXVIII (H) Brigade, RFA – ''joined from

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very shor ...

15 July 1916 and broken up'' ** 458 (H) Battery – ''became D (H) Battery, LVIII Brigade'' ** 459 (H) Battery – ''became D (H) Battery, LIX Brigade'' ** 461 (H) Battery – ''became D (H) Battery, LX Brigade'' * X/11, Y/11, Z/11 Medium Trench Mortar Batteries – ''joined 9 August 1916'' * 11th Divisional Ammunition Column – ''rejoined in France 7 July 1916 and absorbed BACs'' ''After Winter 1916–17 reorganisation'' * LVIII Brigade, RFA ** A, B, C, D (H) Batteries * LIX Brigade, RFA ** A, B, C, D (H) Batteries * X/11 Medium Trench Mortar Battery * Y/11 Medium Trench Mortar Battery * Z/11 Medium Trench Mortar Battery – ''absorbed by X/11 and Y/11 on 3 February 1918'' * V/11 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery – ''left February 1918'' ;Divisional Royal Engineers: * 67th Field Company, RE * 68th Field Company, RE * 68th Field Company, RE – ''joined from 21st Division 7 February 1915'' * 11th Divisional Signal Company, RE ;Divisional Pioneers : * 6th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment ;Divisional Machine Gun Troops: * 11 Divisional Motor Machine Gun Company – ''joined 9 June 1915; remained in England when division went to Gallipoli'' * 250th Machine Gun Company, MGC - ''joined 16 November 1917'' * 11th Battalion, MGC – ''formed 28 February 1918'' ** 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 250th MG Companies ;Divisional Medical Services: * 33rd Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) * 34th Field Ambulance, RAMC * 35th Field Ambulance, RAMC * 22nd Mobile Veterinary Section, Army Veterinary Corps * 21st Sanitary Section – ''joined in Egypt; joined IV Corps 9 December 1916'' ;Divisional Transport: * 11th Divisional Train, Army Service Corps (ASC) – ''remained in England when division went to Gallipoli; later joined 26th Division in

Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

''Young, Annex Q. ** 112th, 113th, 114th 115th Companies, ASC * 11 Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop – ''remained in England when division went to Gallipoli and absorbed into Divisional Train'' * 11th Divisional Train, ASC – ''former 53rd (Welsh) Divisional Train left in England; joined 6 July 1916'' ** 479th, 480th, 481st, 482nd Companies, ASC

Commanders

The following officers served as General Officer Commanding: * Major General

Frederick Hammersley Frederick Hammersley (January 5, 1919 – May 31, 2009) was an American abstract painter. His participation in the 1959 '' Four Abstract Classicists'' exhibit secured his place in art history. Early years Frederick Hammersley was born in Salt ...

''(August 1914 – August 1915)'' * Major General Sir

Edward Fanshawe Admiral Sir Edward Gennys Fanshawe, (27 November 1814 – 21 October 1906) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth. He was a gifted amateur artist, with much of his work in the National Maritime Museum, London. ...

''(August 1915 – July 1916)'' * Lieutenant General Sir

Charles Woollcombe Lieutenant General Sir Charles Louis Woollcombe (23 March 1857 – 6 May 1934) was a British Army General during World War I. Early life and education Woollcombe was born in Devon, the eldest son of Rev. Louis Woollcombe, Rector of Petrocksto ...

''(July–December 1916)'' * Brigadier-General J. Erskine (acting) ''(December 1916)'' * Major General Archibald Ritchie (wounded in action) ''(December 1916 – May 1917)'' * Major General Henry Davies (wounded in action) ''(May 1917 – September 1918)'' * Brigadier General Sir

Ormonde Winter Brigadier-General Sir Ormonde de l'Épée Winter, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO (15 January 1875 – 13 February 1962), was a British Army officer and author who, after service in the First World War, was responsible for intelligence operations in Ire ...

(acting) ''(September 1918)'' * Major-General H. Davies ''(September–October 1918)''

Battles

The division took part in the following actions: Gallipoli Campaign
1915 *Battle of Suvla (in

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 Germ ...

) **

Landing at Suvla Bay The landing at Suvla Bay was an amphibious landing made at Suvla on the Aegean coast of the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire as part of the August Offensive, the final British attempt to break the deadlock of the Battle of Gallipol ...

, 6–15 August ** Capture of Karakol Dagh (34th Bde), 7 August **

Battle of Scimitar Hill The Battle of Scimitar Hill ( Turkish: Yusufçuk Tepe Muharebesi, literally: ''Battle of the Dragonfly Hill'') was the last offensive mounted by the British at Suvla during the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I. It was also the largest single-d ...

, 21 August ** Attack on 'W' Hills, 21 August ** Evacuation of Suvla, night 19/20 December Western Front
1916 * Battle of the Somme (in II Corps, Reserve Army) ** Capture of the Wonder Work (32nd Bde) 14 September **

Battle of Flers–Courcelette The Battle of Flers–Courcelette (, 15 to 22 September 1916) was fought during the Battle of the Somme in France, by the French Sixth Army and the British Fourth Army and Reserve Army, against the German 1st Army, during the First World War. ...

, 15–22 September ** Battle of Thiepval Ridge, 26–28 September 1917 * Operations on the Aisne, 11–19 January (in IV Corps, Fifth Army) * Battle of Messines, 9–14 June (in IX Corps, Second Army) *

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 ...

(in XVIII Corps, Fifth Army) ** Battle of Langemarck, 16–18 August ** Fighting around St Julien, 19, 22 & 27 August **

Battle of Polygon Wood The Battle of Polygon Wood took place from 26 September to 3 October 1917, during the second phase of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle was fought near Ypres in Belgium, in the area from the Menin road to Polygon Woo ...

, 26 September–3 October **

Battle of Broodseinde The Battle of Broodseinde was fought on 4 October 1917 near Ypres in Belgium, at the east end of the Gheluvelt plateau, by the British Second and Fifth armies against the German 4th Army. The battle was the most successful Allied attack of t ...

, 4 October ** Battle of Poelcappelle, 9 October 1918 * Second Battle of Arras (in XXII Corps, First Army) ** Battle of the Scarpe, 30 August ** Battle of the Drocourt-Quéant Line, 2–3 September * Battles of the

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 1916 ...

(in Canadian Corps, First Army) **

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 of ...

, 27 September–1 October ** Battle of Cambrai, 8–9 September ** Pursuit to the Selle, 9–12 October * The Final Advance in Picardy (in XXII Corps, First Army) ** Battle of the Sambre, 4 November ** Passage of the Grande Honnelle, 5–7 November

Footnotes

References

* * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3a: New Army Divisions (9–26)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1938/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Rupert Drake, ''The Road to Lindi: Hull Boys in Africa: The 1st (Hull) Heavy Battery Royal Garrison Artillery in East Africa and France 1914–1919'', Brighton: Reveille Press, 2013, . * Gen Sir

Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s. Military career Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farnd ...

, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Western Front 1914–18'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1986, . * * Lt-Col Michael Young, ''Army Service Corps 1902–1918'', Barnsley: Leo Cooper, 2000, .

External links

The Long, Long Trail

{{DEFAULTSORT:11 Infantry Division Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I Kitchener's Army divisions Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 1914 establishments in the United Kingdom

History

Order of battle

Commanders

Battles

See also

Footnotes

References

External links