18th (Eastern) Division

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18th (Eastern) Division
18th (Eastern) Division WW1.svg
ActiveSeptember 1914 – 20 March 1919
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Type Infantry
Size Division
Engagements
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Ivor Maxse

The 18th (Eastern) Division was an infantry division of the British Army formed in September 1914 during the First World War as part of the K2 Army Group, part of Lord Kitchener's New Armies. From its creation the division trained in England until 25 May 1915 when it landed in France and spent the duration of the First World War in action on the Western Front, becoming one of the elite divisions of the British Army. During the Battle of the Somme in the latter half of 1916, the 18th Division was commanded by Major General Ivor Maxse.

Contents

History

Formation

The division was formed in September 1914 during the First World War as part of the K2 Army Group, part of Lord Kitchener's New Armies. It was formed in the Colchester area but relocated to Salisbury Plain in May 1915. [1] Major-General Ivor Maxse took command in October 1914. [2]

Order of battle

The following units served in the division. [1]

53rd Brigade
54th Brigade
55th Brigade

Divisional Troops

Royal Artillery

Royal Engineers

Royal Army Medical Corps

Battles

Commanders

RankNameDateNotes
Lieutenant-General Sir Lawrence Parsons 14 September 1914Transferred to 16th (Irish) Division 22 September 1914
Major-General Ivor Maxse 2 October 1914
Major-General Richard Lee 15 January 1917

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Baker, Chris. "18th (Eastern) Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  2. "Ivor Maxse". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 31 July 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  3. "Bedfordshire Regiment". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 24 December 2015.

See also

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References

Further reading