The 31st 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 ...

. It was raised in 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 ...

by volunteers from

Kitchener's Army The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, as Kitchener's Mob, was an (initially) all-volunteer portion of the British Army formed in the United Kingdom from 1914 onwards following the outbreak of hostilities in the Fi ...

and formed in April 1915 as part of the K4 Army Group and taken over by 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 ...

on 10 August 1915. Comprising mainly infantry

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

s from

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

and

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

, the division was sent to Egypt in December 1915 before moving to France in March 1916 and spent the remainder of the First World 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 ...

. The 31st Division was the quintessential New Army division, being made up entirely of

Pals battalion The Pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who had enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbour ...

s. The 31st Division's first major action was on 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 ...

(1 July 1916). The division suffered 3,600 casualties and failed to reach any of its objectives. Later it served at 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 ...

and at Oppy Wood. It took part in the defence against the German spring offensive in early 1918, and finally in the victorious battles of 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 ...

Recruitment

On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war,

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

, and on 11 August the newly-appointed

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

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 ...

Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. The flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the army to absorb and organise them, and by the time the Fifth New Army (K5) was authorised, many of its constituent units were being organised as '

s' under the auspices of mayors and corporations of towns up and down the country.

Training

In late May and early June 1915 the units of the 31st Division began to assemble at South Camp,

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

, where brigade training began in earnest. Musketry training was finally begun in August, and in September the division moved to

Hurdcott Winterbourne is a civil parish in south east Wiltshire, England, about northeast of Salisbury. The parish encompasses the contiguous villages of Winterbourne Dauntsey, Winterbourne Earls and Winterbourne Gunner, together with the hamlet of Hu ...

Camp at

Fovant Fovant is a village and civil parish in southwest Wiltshire, England, lying about west of Salisbury on the A30 Salisbury-Shaftesbury road, on the south side of the Nadder valley. History The name is derived from the Old English ''Fobbefu ...

where the brigade received SMLE service rifles and carried out final intensive battle training on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wit ...

Service

Egypt

On 29 November 1915 the division received warning orders to join the British Expeditionary Force in France, and advance parties set out for the embarkation ports of

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

and

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. At the last minute, the destination was changed to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

, the advance parties were recalled, and on 7 December the troops embarked at Devonport. The division reached

Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...

between 24 December and 23 January 1916 and went into the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...

defences at

Qantara Qanater (plural of Qantara, the Arabic word for bridge) may refer to: Places Algeria * El Kantara *El Kantara District Egypt * El Qantara, Egypt, a city on both sides of the Suez Canal Giza Governorate * Manshiyat al Qanater Qalyubia Governora ...

. On 26 February orders arrived to reverse the process and on 1 March the division began re-embarking at Port Said. It unloaded at

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

between 6 and 16 March and then concentrated in the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

area as part of the BEF. It remained on the

for the rest of the war.

Somme

The division was introduced to trench warfare in March in front of

Beaumont-Hamel Beaumont-Hamel () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. During the First World War, Beaumont-Hamel was close to the front line, near many attacks, especially during the Battle of the Somme, one of the larg ...

and Y Ravine. Although this was a quiet sector of the line, the troops suffered their first casualties during this short tour, mainly from German ''

Minenwerfer ''Minenwerfer'' ("mine launcher" or "mine thrower") is the German name for a class of short range mine shell launching mortars used extensively during the First World War by the Imperial German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by engine ...

''s (trench mortars). Shortly afterwards the 31st Division formed its own light trench mortar batteries (TMBs). It also provided working parties to assist the

252nd Tunnelling Company The 252nd Tunnelling Company was one of the tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers created by the British Army during World War I. The tunnelling units were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placing and maintaining of ...

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 ...

, digging the Hawthorn Ridge mine that was to be exploded to launch the forthcoming

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 ...

. Over the following weeks the battalions took their turns in the routine of trench holding, working parties, patrolling and trench raiding, with a constant drain on manpower from shelling and snipers. The 92nd Brigade held the front line trenches during the British bombardment in the days leading up to the battle, suffering significant casualties from the German counter-bombardment. The night before the battle, working parties from the 92nd Brigade were out in

No man's land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

cutting lanes through the British

barbed wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is ...

for the assaulting troops to pass through. It then withdrew into the support trenches, to hold the front line while the other two brigades attacked on 1 July. Despite all the preparation and high hopes, 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 ...

was a disaster for 31st Division. 93 and 94 Brigades went 'over the top' at 07.30 on 1 July, 10 minutes after the explosion of the nearby Hawthorn Ridge mine had alerted the enemy. Their objective was the village of Serre. The advancing lines were almost annihilated by German machine guns and shellfire, and only a few parties got into the enemy front line, where they remained pinned down. The division was unable to get any support to them across the fire-swept No man's land for the rest of the day. On 2 July the shattered division was pulled out of the line and sent north to a quiet sector for rest and refit, though there was the usual trickle of casualties associated with trench holding and raiding.

Ancre

The Somme Offensive was still going on at the end of October when the 31st Division returned to the sector for the

, which was to be the last big operation of the year. Serre had still not been taken, and the 92nd Brigade was assigned to the attack alongside 3rd Division (the rest of 31st Division was still too shattered to take part). A 48-hour preliminary bombardment began on 11 November, and the brigade moved into the trenches on the night of 12/13, along communication trenches clogged with mud. Zero hour was 05.30 on 13 November, and fog, light rain and a smokescreen reduced visibility to a few yards, so that the leading battalions initially had little difficulty, but the 3rd Division on their right made no progress. Small-scale fighting went on all day, and Private John Cunningham of the 12th East Yorks won a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

(VC) for fighting on alone when all the rest of his team of

bombers A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an aircra ...

became casualties. At the end of the day the brigade had been driven back to its starting positions and suffered over 800 casualties. The Division remained on the Ancre through the winter of 1916–17, following up the Germans when they retired to 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 the Spring of 1917.

Oppy Wood

In 8 April 1917, the division left the Ancre and moved to 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 ...

sector for the Arras Offensive. After a period of training and trench-holding, the division moved into assembly trenches opposite Oppy during the night of 2/3 May, under shellfire. The British

creeping barrage In military usage, a barrage is massed sustained artillery fire ( shelling) aimed at a series of points along a line. In addition to attacking any enemy in the kill zone, a barrage intends to suppress enemy movements and deny access across th ...

started at 03.45 and the 92nd and 93rd Brigades set off, in the dark and mist, into severe machine gun fire from Oppy Wood. 92 Brigade was held up in No man's land and suffered severe casualties.

2nd Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

Jack Harrison of the 11th East Yorks was awarded a posthumous VC. Photography_Q28787

Casualties in the 12th East Yorks had been so severe that it was temporarily reduced to two composite companies attached to the 10th and 11th Battalions respectively. A fresh attack on Oppy Wood was arranged for 28 June. This time the attack was to be made by the 94th Brigade with the 92nd Brigade in support. The attack was made in the evening of 28 June and successfully took the trenches, completing the

Capture of Oppy Wood The Capture of Oppy Wood was an engagement on the Western Front during the First World War on 28 June 1917. The Battle of Arras of 1917 ended with the Germans in possession of a fortified wood to the west of the village of Oppy, which overloo ...

Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1974-051-22,_Frankreich,_Oppy,_Zerstörungen

The 31st Division was not committed to the Third Ypres Offensive, which culminated in the dreadful

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 ...

, possibly because it was not considered to have recovered from its ordeal on the Somme a year before. By the beginning of 1918 the BEF was suffering a severe manpower crisis: brigades were reorganised on a three-battalion basis in February, with the surplus men being drafted to bring other units up to strength. In the 31st Division, however, this process was even more severe, with the whole of the 94th Brigade disappearing, to be replaced temporarily by the 4th Guards Brigade, and later by a reformed 94th Brigade composed of

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army Reserve, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of different military roles. History Origins In the 1790s, f ...

units recalled from Palestine.

Ervillers and Ayette

When the German spring offensive opened on 21 March 1918, 31st Division was in reserve until it was sent up on 23 March; even then the 92nd Brigade remained in reserve at

Ervillers Ervillers is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A farming village situated south of Arras at the junction of the N17, D36 and D9 roads. History Prehistoric fossils have been found her ...

, improving the defences. Ervillers was attacked on the evening of 24 March, the defence being confused by British troops retreating from the forward defences. There was fighting in the village streets, but the next day the combined fire of 92nd Brigade and part of

42nd (East Lancashire) Division The 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force (TF), originally as the East Lancashire Division, and was redesignated as the 42nd (Ea ...

stopped the German advance. However, events elsewhere meant that the 31st and 42nd Divisions were ordered to retire on the morning of 27 March. 92 Brigade then defended

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

aerodrome against repeated attacks until, with both flanks 'in the air', it pulled back to the partly-dug 'Purple Line' in front of Ayette village.

Basil Horsfall of the 11th East Lancs was awarded a posthumous VC. During the night, a composite battalion of troops from the 92nd Brigade's quartermaster details arrived to take over part of the Purple Line. The division was relieved on 31 March.

Hazebrouck

While resting in the

Monchy-Breton Monchy-Breton is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Monchy-Breton is situated northwest of Arras, at the junction of the D77 and the D86 roads. Population Places of interest * The chu ...

area the division received large numbers of reinforcements, mainly under the age of 19. The bombardment for the second phase of the German offensive (the Battles of the Lys) opened on 7 April, and on 11 April the division had been called forward in ex-London buses to form a defensive line near

Estaires Estaires (; vls, Stegers) is a commune in the Nord department of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. The town gives its name to a type of chicken bred in the area: the Estaires chicken. Geography Estaires is located in French Fla ...

through which retreating British and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

troops could withdraw. Next day the Germans threw in all their reserves to try to take Hazebrouck. Over successive days confused fighting went on, units fighting rearguards often finding their flanks left in the air and being forced to retire until on 14 May the division withdrew through a new line held by fresh Australian and British troops, who defeated the attacks and ensured the safety of Hazebrouck. A temporary 92nd Composite Battalion was formed from the 92nd Brigade to assist the Australians.

Le Becque and Ploegsteert

Once out of the line the division began training for offensive operations. 31st Division took part in Operation Borderland, a limited attack on La Becque and other fortified farms in front of the Forest of Nieppe on 28 June, in what was described as 'a model operation' for artillery cooperation. Individual units continued to make small advances through aggressive patrolling and seizing strongpoints (so-called 'peaceful penetration') until the Allies began a coordinated offensive in August. The division captured

Vieux-Berquin Vieux-Berquin (; nl, Oud-Berkijn) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The c ...

on 13 August 1918 and pushed forward until running into serious opposition south of

Ploegsteert Ploegsteert ( pcd, Ploster) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Comines-Warneton, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the most westerly settlement of Wallonia. It is approximately north of the French bo ...

on 21 August, where fighting continued into September. A formal attack was arranged for the morning of 28 September (the opening day of the

Fifth Battle of Ypres The Fifth Battle of Ypres, also called the Advance in Flanders and the Battle of the Peaks of Flanders (french: Bataille des Crêtes de Flandres) is an informal name used to identify a series of World War I battles in northern France and sout ...

). Although suffering heavy casualties, the 92nd Brigade and a battalion from the 93rd Brigade took their objectives, though they were shelled out part of

Ploegsteert Wood Ploegsteert Wood was a sector of the Western Front in Flanders in World War I, part of the Ypres Salient. It is located around the Belgian village of Ploegsteert, Wallonia. After fierce fighting in late 1914 and early 1915, Ploegsteert Wood be ...

. The rest of the 93rd Brigade then crossed the Douve stream accompanied by artillery and engineers, the 94th (Yeomanry) Brigade was held up the rear). The general retirement of the Germans along the whole line then allowed the division to push on through Ploegsteert Wood and advance up to the River Lys on 3 October.

Pursuit

Returning to the line on 12 October, patrols from the 92nd Brigade slipped across the Lys on a raft during the night of 14/15 October and established posts on the far bank. The following afternoon further parties crossed and advanced under a barrage to the

Deûlémont Deûlémont (; from nl, Deulemonde) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Situated at the confluence of the rivers Deûle and Lys, it is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord ...

–

Warneton Warneton (; nl, Waasten) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Bounding communes and places *Warneton, Belgium (part of Comines-Warneton) * Comines, east * Quesnoy-sur-Deûl ...

road. The brigade continued the advance on 16 and 17 October, liberating several villages. By 18 October the battalions were advancing in company columns screened by

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 ...

cyclist battalion, leap-frogging forward to liberate

Tourcoing Tourcoing (; nl, Toerkonje ; vls, Terkoeje; pcd, Tourco) is a city in northern France on the Belgian border. It is designated municipally as a commune within the department of Nord. Located to the north-northeast of Lille, adjacent to Roubaix, ...

. Pressure was kept up through 19 and 20 October, until the brigade was squeezed out of the advancing line between Second Army and Fifth Army and went into support, while the 93rd Brigade held the junction between the two armies and continued up to the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

. The division was back in the line from 28 October, with the 92nd Brigade in the lead continuing to advance slowly against machine gun and shell fire, from rearguards who 'did not appear disposed to give ground'. The division then made an attack at Tieghem on 31 October 1918 that was so successful that the 92 Brigade in reserve was not required while the 94th (Yeomanry) Brigade drove the enemy behind the Scheldt. The 31st Division returned to the line on the night of 6/7 November, crossing the Scheldt and sending forward the 11th East Yorks as part of a pursuit force including a field artillery battery and companies from the divisional machine gun battalion, the Motor Machine Gun Corps and XIX Corps cyclists. 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 ...

came into force on 11 November, the 11th East Lancs were leading the division, and scouts reported that there were no enemy in front.

Disbandment

The division began to pull back on 13 November, and by the end of the month was established in camps south of

St-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audomar, ...

and engaged in road repair.

Demobilisation Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milit ...

(chiefly of coal miners) began on 11 December and proceeded at a steadily increasing rate during January 1919. On 29 January the two East Yorks Battalions were sent by rail to

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

to deal with possible riots by men working in the Ordnance depot. Demobilisation accelerated in February and by April the battalions had been reduced to cadres, which left for England on 22 May. During the war the division's casualties amounted to 30,091 killed, wounded, and missing.

Order of Battle

The composition of the division was as follows:Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 11–19.31 Division at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> ; 92nd Brigade : * 10th (Service) Battalion (1st Hull),

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 ...

* 11th (Service) Battalion (2nd Hull), East Yorkshire Regiment * 12th (Service) Battalion (3rd Hull), East Yorkshire Regiment – ''disbanded February 1918'' * 13th (Service) Battalion (4th Hull), East Yorkshire Regiment – ''disbanded February 1918'' * 11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington),

East Lancashire Regiment The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59th (2nd Nottingh ...

– ''from 94th Brigade February 1918'' * 92/1 and 92/2 Light Trench Mortar Batteries (TMBs) – ''formed by 11 April 1916, merged as 92nd TMB 12 June 1916'' * 92nd Brigade Machine Gun Company – ''joined on 20 May 1916, to No 31 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 ...

(MGC) 3 March 1918'' ; 93rd Brigade : * 15th (Service) Battalion ( 1st Leeds), 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) wa ...

) * 16th (Service) Battalion ( 1st Bradford), Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) – ''disbanded February 1918'' * 18th (Service) Battalion ( 2nd Bradford), Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) – ''disbanded February 1918'' * 18th (Service) Battalion ( 1st County),

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...

* 13th (Service) Battalion ( 1st Barnsley),

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 ...

– ''from 94th Brigade February 1918'' * 93/1 and 93/2 Light TMBs – ''formed by 12 April 1916, merged as 93rd TMB 12 June 1916'' * 93rd Brigade Machine Gun Company – ''joined on 20 May 1916, to No 31 Battalion MGC 3 March 1918'' In April 1918 heavy casualties led to the brief amalgamation of the 92nd and 93rd brigades into the 92nd Composite Brigade ; 94th Brigade : * 11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington), East Lancashire Regiment – ''to 92nd Brigade February 1918'' * 12th (Service) Battalion (

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

), York and Lancaster Regiment – ''disbanded February 1918'' * 13th (Service) Battalion ( 1st Barnsley), York and Lancaster Regiment – ''to 93rd Brigade February 1918'' * 14th (Service) Battalion ( 2nd Barnsley), York and Lancaster Regiment – ''disbanded February 1918'') * 2nd 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 ...

– ''from May 1918 to June 1918'' * 94/1 and 94/2 Light TMBs – ''formed by 12 April 1916, merged as 94th TMB 14 June 1916, to 4th Gds Bde 12 February 1918'' * 94th Brigade Machine Gun Company – ''joined on 21 May 1916, to 4th Gds Bde 11 February 1918'' The brigade was disbanded in February 1918 then began reforming in May. In June it was brought up to strength with the addition of

battalions from the

74th (Yeomanry) Division The 74th (Yeomanry) Division was a Territorial Force infantry division formed in Palestine in early 1917 from three dismounted yeomanry brigades. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War, mostly as part of XX Co ...

and renamed the 94th (Yeomanry) Brigade * 12th (

Norfolk Yeomanry The Norfolk Yeomanry was a volunteer cavalry ( Yeomanry) regiment of Britain's Territorial Army accepted onto the establishment of the British Army in 1794. After seeing action in the Second Boer War, it served dismounted at Gallipoli, in Pale ...

) Battalion,

Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

* 12th (

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of ...

and Lanarkshire Yeomanry) Battalion,

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Ma ...

* 24th (

Denbighshire Hussars The Denbighshire Hussars was a Welsh Yeomanry regiment of the British Army formed in 1794. It saw service in the First World War before being converted into a unit of the Royal Artillery. The lineage has been continued by 398 (Flint & Denbighshi ...

) Battalion,

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...

* 94th TMB – ''reformed 29 June 1918'' ; 4th Guards Brigade : This brigade was attached to the division during February 1918 following the breakup of the 94th Brigade. It left when the 94th Brigade began reforming in May. * 4th Battalion,

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

* 3rd Battalion,

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

* 2nd Battalion,

Irish Guards ("Who Shall Separate s") , colors = , identification_symbol_2 Saffron (pipes), identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = Tactical Recognition F ...

* 94th TMB – ''attached 12 February 1918'' * 4th Gds TMB – ''took over 19 March 1918'' * 94th MG Co – ''attached 11 February 1918, to No 31 Battalion MGC 3 March 1918'' ; Divisional Mounted Troops : * HQ, Machine Gun Section and B Squadron, 1/

Lancashire Hussars The Lancashire Hussars was a British Army unit originally formed in 1798. It saw action in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1969, the regiment reduced to a cadre and the Yeomanry lineage discontinued. Histor ...

– ''joined 27 November 1915; left on 9 May 1916'' * 31st Divisional Cyclist Company – ''formed by 13 August 1915; joined

VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars *VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army ...

Cyclist Battalion,

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 ...

, 9 May 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 ...

: The artillery originally assigned to the division was as follows (all batteries comprised four

18-pounder The Ordnance QF 18-pounder,British military traditionally denoted smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile, in this case approximately or simply 18-pounder gun, was the standard British Empire field gun of the First World Wa ...

guns or 4.5-inch howitzers): * CLV (West Yorkshire) 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 ...

(RFA) – A, B, C, D Batteries and Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC) * CLXI (Yorkshire) Brigade, RFA – A, B, C, D Batteries and BAC * CLXIV (Huddersfield) (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA – A (H), B (H), C (H), D (H) Batteries and BAC * CLXVIII (Rotherham) Brigade, RFA – A, B, C, D Batteries and BAC * 31st (Hull) Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA * 124th (2nd 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 (R ...

When 31st Division embarked for Egypt, the divisional artillery (DA) did not accompany it. Instead, 32nd Division Artillery was attached to 31st Division, and served with it for the rest of the war. (31st DA later joined 32nd Division in France). The 2nd County Palatine Artillery was originally raised in Lancashire by the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

: * CLXV (2nd County Palatine) Brigade, RFA – A, B, C, D Batteries and BAC * CLXIX (2nd County Palatine) Brigade, RFA – A, B, C, D Batteries and BAC * CLXX (2nd County Palatine) Brigade, RFA – A, B, C, D Batteries and BAC * CLXXI (2nd County Palatine) (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA – A (H), B (H), C (H), D (H) Batteries and BAC * 32nd Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA – ''formed at

Heytesbury Heytesbury is a village (formerly considered to be a town) and a civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village lies on the north bank of the Wylye, about southeast of the town of Warminster. The civil parish includes most of the small neig ...

10 September 1915'' On arrival in France the divisional artillery was reorganised: * CLXV – D Bty left and A (H)/CLXXI Bty became D (H) Bty on 2 May 1916 * CLXIX – D Bty left and B (H)/CLXXI Bty became D (H) Bty on 2 May 1916 * CLXX – D Bty left and C (H)/CLXXI Bty became D (H) Bty on 2 May 1916 * CLXXI – D/CLXV, D/CLXIX, and D/CLXX Btys joined and became A, B, and C; D (H) Bty remained * V.31 Heavy Trench Mortar Bty joined 4 June 1916 * X.31, Y.31 and Z.31 Medium Trench Mortar Btys formed 31 March 1916 The BACs were absorbed by the DAC on 2 May 1916 Further reorganisation of 31st DA occurred in August 1916 when CLXXI Brigade was broken up and the 18-pounder batteries were brought up to six guns: * CLXV – A + 1 section A/CLXXI, B + 1 section A/CLXXI, C + 1 Section B/CLXXI, D (H) remained 4 howitzers * CLXIX – A + 1 section C, B + 1 section C, D (H)/CLXXI joined as C (H), D (H) remained 4 howitzers; 517 (H) Bty (4 howitzers) joined from UK on 20 November * CLXX – A + 1 section C/CLXXI, B + 1 section C/CLXXI, C + 1 section B/CLXXI, D (H) remained 4 howitzers CLXIX Brigade was broken up in January 1917: sections of D (H) Bty brought D (H)/CLXV and D (H)/CLXX up to six howitzers each, the remainder was distributed to various Army field brigades. V.31 Heavy and Z.31 Medium TMBs were broken up in February 1918. ; Divisional

: * 210th (Leeds) Field Company,

(RE) * 211th (Leeds) Field Company, RE * 223rd (Leeds) Field Company, RE * 31st (Leeds) Divisional Signal Company, RE ; Divisional Pioneers : * 12th (Service) Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (Miners) ; Divisional Machine Gun Troops : * No 31 Battalion, MGC – ''formed 3 March 1918'' ** 92nd, 93rd, 94th MG Companies – ''transferred from brigades'' ** 243rd MG Company – ''joined 18 July 1917'' ; Divisional Medical Services : * 93rd, 94th, 95th Field Ambulances,

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 ...

(RAMC) – ''joined from original 31st Division'' * 41st 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 ...

; Divisional Transport : * 31st Divisional Train, Army Service Corps ** 217th, 218th, 219th and 220th Companies – ''joined

52nd (Lowland) Division The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowl ...

in Egypt'' ** 221st, 222nd, 223rd Companies – ''joined in France from 32nd Division'' ** 279th Company – ''joined in France from

Royal Naval Division The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was a United Kingdom infantry division of the First World War. It was originally formed as the Royal Naval Division at the outbreak of the war, from Royal Navy and Royal Marine reservists and volunteers, who wer ...

'' ; Divisional Labour Troops : * 228th Divisional Employment Company, Labour Corps – ''formed by 9 June 1917''

Commanders

The following officers commanded the division: * Maj-Gen

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. ...

from 26 July 1915 * Brig-Gen E.H. Molesworth (acting) from 16 August 1915 * Maj-Gen Robert Wanless O'Gowan from 24 August 1915 * Maj-Gen R.J. Bradford from 21 March 1918 * Maj-Gen J. Campbell from 6 May 1918

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.Chappel pp 5–6 The patches shown were adopted by the division during late 1917, and were designed to a brigade scheme including a brigade sign worn by all ranks on the back, below the collar. Those signs for the 92nd and 93rd brigades indicated the battalion seniority, all brigades wore their battalion, M.G. company and T.M. battery signs at the top of both sleeves.Hibbard p. 38

Notes

Bibliography

* Maj A.F. Becke, ''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3b: New Army Divisions (30–41) and 63rd (R.N.) Division'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1939/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * David Bilton, ''Hull Pals, 10th, 11th 12th and 13th Battalions East Yorkshire Regiment – A History of 92 Infantry Brigade, 31st Division'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2014, . * * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1916'', Vol I, London: Macmillan,1932/Woking: Shearer, 1986, . * * Jack Horsfall & Nigel Cave, ''Battleground Europe: Somme: Serre'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 1996, . * Andrew Jackson, ''Accrington's Pals: The Full Story'', Barnsley, Pen & Sword, 2013, . * Peter H. Liddle (ed), ''Passchendaele in Perspective: The Third Battle of Ypres'', London: Leo Cooper, 1997, . * Martin Middlebrook, ''The First Day on the Somme, 1 July 1916'', London: Allen Lane 1971/Fontana, 1975.

External sources

The Long, Long Trail