19th (Western) Division

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19th (Western) Division
19th (Western) Division Insignia WWI.svg
19th (Western) Division Insignia
Active1914— 1919
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Type Infantry
Size Division
Engagements World War I

The 19th (Western) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Kitchener's Army, formed in the Great War.

Contents

Formation history

Officers of the 10th (Service) Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, at Perham Down, Wiltshire, November 1914. 10th Worcesters 1914.jpg
Officers of the 10th (Service) Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, at Perham Down, Wiltshire, November 1914.

The 19th (Western) Division was created under Western Command in September 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the Great War, from men volunteering for Lord Kitchener's New Armies. The division, whose first commander was Major General Charles Fasken, a 59-year old Indian Army officer brought out of retirement, [1] was formed as part of Kitchener's Second New Army (K2) and, in common with most other newly-raised Kitchener units, there was a severe shortage of trained officers and NCO's to train the men, alongside a lack of modern equipment, training facilities and billets. However, by June 1915, training had progressed well and the division was sent to the Western Front, where it remained for the rest of the war. [2]

Order of battle

The 19th (Western) Division was constituted as follows during the war: [2]

56th Brigade
57th Brigade
58th Brigade
Divisional Troops
Divisional Mounted Troops
Divisional Artillery
Royal Engineers
Royal Army Medical Corps
Other Divisional Troops

Commanders

Victoria Cross recipients

See also

References

  1. "Medal card of Fasken, Charles Grant Mansell Corps: 19th Divisional India Army". National Archives. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 "19th (Western) Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 18 May 2020.

Further reading