The 47th (1/2nd London) 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 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 in 1908 as part 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 ...

Formation

The

(TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the

Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (''7 Edw. 7, c.9'') was an Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the auxiliary forces of the British Army by transferring existing Volunteer ...

(7 Edw.7, c.9) which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Force, the Honourable Artillery Company and the

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 ...

. On formation, the TF contained 14

divisions and 14 mounted yeomanry

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

s. One of the divisions was the 2nd London Division. In peacetime, the divisional

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

was, from 1912, in the

Duke of York's Headquarters The Duke of York's Headquarters is a building in Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England. In 1969 it was declared a listed building at Grade II*, due to its outstanding historic or architectural special interest. History ...

First World War

The 2nd London Division was designated the 47th Division in 1915, during 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 ...

, and referred to as the "1/2nd London Division" after the raising of the second-line

60th (2/2nd London) Division The 60th (2/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army raised during the First World War. It was the second line-formation of the 47th (1/2nd London) Division, and was the second of two such Territorial Force divisions ...

. The division was sent to France in March 1915, one of the first Territorial divisions to enter the fighting, and 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 ...

for the duration of the war. In early 1916 the division was part of

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's IV Corps. Wilson was not impressed by Charles Barter, the 47th's GOC, and at the end of March 1916 he and Lieutenant General Sir Charles Monro (GOC First Army) discussed getting rid of him, but could not come up with a reason for doing so; Barter survived until he was relieved during 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 ...

. The 47th Division conducted effective mining operations against

Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

on 3 and 15 May 1916, but a German attack on the evening of Sunday 21 May moved forward 800 yards, capturing 1,000 yards of the British front line, and the division performed badly during a counterattack on 23 May. The 47th Division conducted a carefully planned single battalion raid on the night of 27–8 June, claiming to have killed 300–600 Germans for only 13 British casualties. In the final stages of the war the division's GSO1 (effectively

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

) was acting Lieutenant Colonel

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence an ...

. The division fought in the Battle of Aubers Ridge, the

Battle of Festubert The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915) was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. The offensive formed part of a series of attacks by the French Tenth Army and the British ...

, the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used poison gas and the first mass engagement of New Army units. Th ...

, the 1 July 1916

, including the

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

and the capture of

High Wood The Attacks on High Wood, near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme ''département'' of northern France, took place between the British Fourth Army and the German 1st Army during the Battle of the Somme. After the Battle of Bazentin Ridge on 14 ...

. After mid-1916 battles included the Battle of Le Transloy, the Battle of Messines, and the Battle of Cambrai.

Order of battle

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

) (''from 15 November 1915 until 9 February 1916'') * 140th Brigade 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 ...

(''from 13 December 1915 until 1 March 1918'') * 140th Brigade Trench Mortar Battery (''from 12 June 1916'') From February 1918, the brigade comprised the following battalions: * 1/15th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment * 1/17th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (''from 141 Brigade'') * 1/21st (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles) (''from 142 Bde'') * 140th Brigade Trench Mortar Battery ; 141st (5th London) Brigade : * 1/17th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (''to 140 Bde February 1918'') * 1/18th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (London Irish Rifles) * 1/19th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (St Pancras) * 1/20th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Blackheath and Woolwich) * 141st Brigade Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (''from 12 December 1915 until 1 March 1918'') * 141st Brigade Trench Mortar Battery (''from 12 June 1916'') ; 142nd (6th London) Brigade : * 1/21st (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles) (''to 140 Brigade February 1918'') * 1/22nd (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Queen's) * 1/23rd (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment * 1/24th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Queen's) * 1/4th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) (''from 16 November 1915 until 9 February 1916'') * 142nd Brigade Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (''from 10 December 1915 until 1 March 1918'') * 142nd Brigade Trench Mortar Battery (''from 12 June 1916'') ; Pioneers : * 1/4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (''joined 1 September 1915'') ; Machine Guns: * 239th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (''from 17 July until 1 October 1917'') * 255th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (''from 19 November 1917 until 1 March 1918'') * No. 47 Battalion, Machine Gun Corps (''from 1 March 1918'') ** 140th, 141st, 142nd, 255th Machine Gun Companies ; Mounted Troops: * C Squadron 1st

King Edward's Horse King Edward's Horse (The King's Overseas Dominions Regiment) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1901, which saw service in the First World War. Early history The regiment was originally formed as part of the Imperial Yeomanry ...

(''from 25 April 1915 until 1 June 1916'') * 2nd London Divisional Cyclist Company (''until 1 June 1916'') ;

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_Battle_of_Cambrai,_November-december_1917_Q6316

* 1/V London 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 ...

(''later CCXXXV Brigade'') * 1/VI London Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (''later CCXXXVI Brigade'') * 1/VII London Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (''later CCXXXVII Brigade'') (''broken up among the other brigades 29 November 1916'') * 1/VIII London (Howitzer) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (''later CCXXXVIII Brigade'') (''until 27 November 1916'') * 2nd London 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 ...

(''until 31 March 1915'') * 2nd London Divisional Ammunition Column * No 7 (later X.47) Medium Trench Mortar Company (''from 17 November 1915'') * No 8 (later Y.47) Medium Trench Mortar Company (''from 17 November 1915'') * Z.47 Medium Trench Mortar Company (''from April 1916'') * V.47 Heavy Trench Mortar Company (''from 6 November 1916 to 16 February 1918'') (''1st London Divisional Artillery also served with the division in January and February 1916'') ; 47th (1/2nd London) Divisional Engineers * 1/3rd London Field Company, Royal Engineers (''517th (1/3rd London) from 1 February 1917'') * 1/4th London Field Company, Royal Engineers (''518th (1/4th London) from 1 February 1917'') * 2/3rd London Field Company, Royal Engineers (''joined 25 June 1915; 520th (2/3rd London) from 1 February 1917'') * 2nd London Divisional Signal Company, Royal Engineers (''47th (1/2nd London) Signal Company from 1915'') ; Medical * 4th London 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 ...

* 5th London Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps * 6th London Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps * 2nd London Sanitary Section (''until 18 April 1917'') * 2nd London Divisional Ambulance Workshop (''to Divisional Train 3 April 1916'') * 2nd London 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 ...

; Transport * 2nd London Divisional Transport and Supply Column, Army Service Corps ** 2nd London Divisional Company (HQ) (''became 455 Company, ASC, 23 April 1915'') ** 4th London Brigade Company (''became 456 Company, ASC, 23 April 1915'') ** 5th London Brigade Company (''became 457 Company, ASC, 23 April 1915'') ** 6th London Brigade Company (''became 458 Company, ASC, 23 April 1915'') ; Labour * 241st Divisional Employment Company (''from May 1917'')

Postwar

The division was reformed in 1920. By 1935 the increasing need for anti-aircraft (AA) defence, particularly for London, was addressed by converting the 47th Division into the 1st Anti-Aircraft Division.

Second World War

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 ...

, the division was once again raised, this time as a duplicate of the 1st London Division, initially as the 2nd London Division, but was redesignated in November 1940 as the

47th (London) Infantry Division The 47th (London) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was formed during the Second World War and remained in the United Kingdom until the end of the war. In March 1939, after the re-emergence of Germany as a si ...

Commanders

The following officers commanded 47th Division throughout its existence:

Memorial

Two wooden memorial crosses erected at High Wood and Eaucourt l'Abbaye by 47 Divisional Engineers in 1916 were falling into disrepair by 1925, when they were replaced in stone. The restored wooden crosses were preserved at the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

(the former divisional HQ) until that building was sold in 2003, and are now at Connaught House, the HQ of the London Irish Rifles on the site of the former First Surrey Rifles drill hall at Flodden Road, Camberwell.IWM WMA Ref 12078
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* * Edwards, Maj D. K. (1967) ''A History of the 1st Middlesex Volunteer Engineers (101 (London) Engineer Regiment, TA) 1860–1967'', London. * * * * Litchfield, Norman E. H. (1992) ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, . * Lord, Cliff & Watson, Graham (2003) ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, . * * Watson, Graham E.; Rinaldi, Richard A. (2018) ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, . * * Young, Lt-Col Michael (2000) ''Army Service Corps 1902–1918'', Barnsley: Leo Cooper, .

External links

British Military History

Imperial War Museum War Memorials Archive

The Long, Long Trail
{{DEFAULTSORT:47 Infantry Division Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I Military units and formations in London Military units and formations in Chelsea, London Military units and formations established in 1908 1908 establishments in England