The 1st Commonwealth Division was the

military unit Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a State (polity), state so as to offer such military capability as a military policy, national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary ...

that commanded

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with " republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...

land forces in the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

. The division was a part of the multinational

British Commonwealth Forces Korea British Commonwealth Forces Korea (BCFK) was the formal name of the British Commonwealth army, naval and air units serving with the United Nations (UN) in the Korean War. BCFK included Australian, British, Canadian, Indian, and New Zealand units. ...

, with

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 m ...

units 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 Gur ...

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases acr ...

and

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

, forming the bulk of the division. Additionally, the

New Zealand Army , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

supplied

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...

complements and an Indian medical unit was also attached. As with the " Korean Augmentation To the United States Army" (KATUSA) programme, numerous South Korean troops were seconded to the Commonwealth division to make up numbers under a scheme known as "

KATCOM KATCOM, or in full Korean Augmentation to Commonwealth Division or Korean Augmentation Troops to Commonwealth Division or Korean Attached Commonwealth Division, refers to significant numbers of South Korean soldiers who, during the Korean War, wer ...

History

Background

Following the outbreak of the

, the

27th British Commonwealth Brigade The 27th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw service in the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War. In Korea, the brigade was known as 27th British Commonwealth Brigade due to the addition of Ca ...

, which was the initial parent formation of Commonwealth army units in Korea, arrived in the peninsula with two British Infantry battalions in August 1950. It was reinforced by the

3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Kapyong Lines, Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR traces its lineage to 1945 and has seen operational ser ...

(3 RAR) in September, and by the 2nd Battalion,

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patri ...

(PPCLI), in February 1951. The brigade was subsequently re-constituted as the

28th Commonwealth Brigade The 28th Infantry Brigade was a British Army formation which served during the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, The Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation. History 28th Brigade First World War The 28th Brigade was p ...

in April 1951. Meanwhile, in November 1950, the brigade was joined by the 29th Independent Infantry Brigade, and in May 1951 by the

25th Canadian Infantry Brigade The 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade was Canada's primary combat-formation intending to be sent as part of the British Commonwealth Forces Korea. Originally composed of three infantry battalions and two armoured squadrons, several individual units ...

Formation

In July 1951, the infantry brigades were combined to form the 1st Commonwealth Division, wherein the unit was 58% British forces, 22% Canadian forces, 14% Australian forces, 5% New Zealander forces, and 1% Indian forces. The 1st Commonwealth Division was part of the US I Corps, which also included the

US 1st Cavalry Division The 1st Cavalry Division ("First Team") is a combined arms division and is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army. It is based at Fort Hood, Texas. It was formed in 1921 and served during World War II, the Ko ...

, the US 3rd and 25th Infantry Divisions, and the ROK 1st Division. The division occupied the strategically important sector of front on the Jamestown Line, stretching from the Kimpo peninsula on the

Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour term ...

coast to a point east of Kumhwa about , and just from the South Korean capital,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

Dissolution

It was deactivated in 1954 as part of the demobilisation of forces in Korea in the aftermath of the war, being reduced to a Commonwealth Brigade Group, and from May 1956 until its final withdrawal in August 1957 to a Commonwealth Contingent of battalion strength.

Commanders

*Commanding officers **

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 ...

James Cassels, 28 July 1951 – 7 September 1952 **

Michael West, 7 September 1952 – 1953 **

Horatius Murray, 1953 – 1954 *Divisional Commander Royal Artillery (CRA) ** Brigadier

William Pike William Pike (died 22 December 1591) was an English Roman Catholic martyr who was beatified in 1987. Several sources state that William was born in Dorset. In 'A History of Dorset' () A. Lindsay Clegg, former Town Clerk of Bournemouth, claims ...

, July 1951 – 1952 ** Brigadier

Guy Gregson Major General Guy Patrick Gregson, (8 April 1906 – 10 December 1988) was a British Army officer who served General Officer Commanding of the 1st Infantry Division from 1956 to 1959. Military career Educated at Gresham's School and the Royal ...

, 1952 *Divisional Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) ** Colonel ECW Myers, RE *Divisional Commander Royal Signals (CRSigs) ** Lt Col AC Atkinson, Royal Sigs *Divisional Commander Royal Army Service Corps (CRASC) ** Lt Col MGM Crosby, RASC *Assistant Director Medical Services (ADMS) ** Col G Anderton, RAMC *Divisional Commander Royal Army Ordnance Corps (CRAOC) ** Lt Col MR Maclean, RAOC ** Lt Col GJH Atkinson, RNZAOC *Divisional Commander Royal Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (CREME) ** Lt Col HG Good, REME

Order of battle

* Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Commonwealth Division **Divisional troops ***Signals ****1st Commonwealth Division Signals, July 1951 – July 1953 ***Artillery ****45th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, July–November 1951,

25 pdr The Ordnance QF 25-pounder, or more simply 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was the major British field gun and howitzer during the World War II, Second World War. Its calibre is 3.45-inch (87.6 mm). It was introduced into service just before the war s ...

****11th (Sphinx) Battery, Royal Artillery, July–November 1951, 4.2 inch mortars ****170th Light Battery, Royal Artillery, July–November 1951, 4.2 inch mortars **** 14th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, November 1951 – December 1952, 25 pdr ****120th Light AA Battery, Royal Artillery, October 1951 – December 1952, 4.2 inch mortars ****42nd Light AA Battery, Royal Artillery, November 1951 – February 1952, 4.2 inch mortars ****61st Light Field Regiment, January 1952 – July 1953, 4.2 inch mortars ****20th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, December 1952 – July 1953, 25 pdr ****

16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

, July 1951 – July 1953, 25 pdr ****42nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, December 1953– , 25 pdr ****2nd Regiment,

Royal Canadian Horse Artillery The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is the name given to the regular field artillery units of the Canadian Army. Organization The Regular Force has three RCHA regiments: ; 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery: this is the descendant of ...

, July 1951 – May 1952, 25 pdr ****1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, May 1952 – April 1953, 25 pdr ****81st Field Regiment,

Royal Canadian Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): "British Grenadiers/ The ...

, April 1953 – July 1953, 25 pdr **** 74th (Battleax Company) Medium Battery, Royal Artillery, March–November 1953, 5.5 inch medium guns ****1903 Independent Air Observation Post Flight, Royal Artillery, July 1951 – July 1953 ***Engineers ****28th Field Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, July 1951 – July 1953 ****64th Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers, July 1951 – July 1953 ***Armour ****

8th King's Royal Irish Hussars The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1693. It saw service for three centuries including the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. ...

, July 1951 – December 1951,

Centurion tank The Centurion was the primary British Army main battle tank of the post-World War II period. Introduced in 1945, it is widely considered to be one of the most successful post-war tank designs, remaining in production into the 1960s, and seeing ...

Cromwell tank The Cromwell tank, officially Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M), was one of the series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second World War. Named after the English Civil War-era military leader Oliver Cromwell, the Cromwell was ...

****C Squadron, 7th Royal Tank Regiment, July 1951 – October 1951,

Churchill tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, ...

****

5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. It served in the Second World W ...

, December 1951 – December 1952, Centurion tank **** 1st Royal Tank Regiment, December 1952 – December 1953, Centurion tank ****

5th Royal Tank Regiment 5th Royal Tank Regiment (5 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army in existence for 52 years, from 1917 until 1969. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as E Battalion ...

, December 1953 – December 1954, Centurion tank ****C Squadron, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (2nd Armoured Regiment), May 1951 – June 1952,

M4 Sherman tank } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It w ...

****B Squadron, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (2nd Armoured Regiment), June 1952 – May 1953, M4 Sherman tank ****A Squadron, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (2nd Armoured Regiment), December 1953– , M4 Sherman tank ***Medical ****60th (Para) Indian Field Ambulance, November 1950 – August 1953 ****26th Field Ambulance, RAMC, December 1950– ****No 25 Field Ambulance, RCAMC, May 1951 – April 1952 ****No 25 Canadian Field Dressing Station, July 1951– ****No 37 Field Ambulance, RCAMC, April 1952 – May 1953 ****No 38 Field Ambulance, RCAMC, May 1953– ***Logistics ****Ordnance *****No 25 Canadian Infantry Brigade Group Ordnance Company, May 1951 - Jan 1952 *****28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Ordnance Field Park, *****24th British Infantry Brigade Group Ordnance Field Park, *****1st Commonwealth Division, Stores Distribution Detachment. ****Workshops *****10th Infantry Workshops, REME *****11th Infantry Workshops, REME *****16th Infantry Workshops, REME *****25 Canadian Support Workshop, RCEME, May 1951 – Jan 1952 *****191 Infantry Workshop, RCEME, May 1951 – Apr 1955 *****40 Canadian Infantry Workshop, RCEME, Apr 1953 – Dec 1953 *****42 Infantry Workshop, RCEME, Mar 1955 – Feb 1955 *****1st Commonwealth Division, Tank Workshop *****1st Commonwealth Division, Signals Workshop *****1st Commonwealth Division, Recovery Unit ****Transport *****54 Company, RCASC *****57 Company, RASC *****78 Company, RASC ***** 10 Company, RNZASC 1951 – 1956 ***Infantry ****

***** 1st Battalion,

The Royal Canadian Regiment , colors = , identification_symbol_2 = Maple Leaf (2nd Bn pipes and drums) , identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan , identification_symbol_4 = The RCR , identification_symbol_4_label = Abbreviation , mar ...

, April 1952 – November 1953 ***** 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, May 1951 – April 1952 ***** 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, March 1953 - March 1954 ***** 1st Battalion,

, October 1951 – November 1952 ***** 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, December 1950 – November 1951 ***** 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, October 1952 – October 1953 ***** 1st Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment, April 1952 – April 1953 ***** 2nd Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment, May 1951 – April 1952 ***** 3rd Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment, April 1953 – April 1954 **** 27th Infantry Brigade (aka

): *****1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment *****1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders *****2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, December 1950 – April 1951 *****3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, September 1950 – April 1951 *****16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, January 1951 – April 1951 *****60th Indian Field Ambulance ****

28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade The 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade was a Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meani ...

(previously organised as

): ***** 1st Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers, April 1951 – August 1952 ***** 1st Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry, July 1951 – September 1952 ***** 1st Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, August 1952 – July 1953 2RAR withdraw to DMZ Korea 1953 (AWM157687)

2RAR withdraw to DMZ Korea 1953 (AWM157687)

***** 1st Battalion,

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 ...

, September 1952 – July 1953 *****

(3 RAR), July 1951 – July 1953 *****

1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and since ...

(1 RAR), June 1952 – March 1953 ***** 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR), April 1953 – July 1953 **** 29th Infantry Brigade (previously organised as 29th Independent Infantry Brigade): ***** 1st Battalion, The

Royal 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 an ...

, July 1951 – October 1951 ***** 1st Battalion, The

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

, July 1951 – November 1951 ***** 1st Battalion, The Royal Ulster Rifles, July 1951 – October 1951From November 1950 to July 1951,1stRUR was part of 29th Independent Infantry Brigade ***** 1st Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment, October 1951 – September 1952 ***** 1st Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment, October 1951 – June 1952 ***** 1st Battalion, The Welch Regiment, November 1951 – November 1952 ***** 1st Battalion,

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

, June 1952 – July 1953 ***** 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment (Liverpool), September 1952 – July 1953 ***** 1st Battalion,

The Duke of Wellington's 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 ...

, September 1952 – July 1953 ***** 1st Battalion, The Royal Scots, July 1953

Notes

References

* * * {{Australia in the Korean War Military units and formations established in 1951 Military units and formations disestablished in 1954 1 1st Commonwealth Division C C C United Nations contingents in Korea Military units and formations of India 1951 establishments in the British Empire 1954 disestablishments in the British Empire

Divisions of New Zealand Divisions of Australia Divisions of Canada