9th (Scottish) Division

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9th (Scottish) Division
British 9th (Scottish) Division Insignia.png
Active21 August 1914 16 March 1919
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Type Infantry
Size Division
Engagements First World War
Battle of Loos
Battle of the Somme
Capture of Longueval
Battle of Le Transloy
Battle of Arras (1917)
Battle of Passchendaele
Ludendorff Offensive
Battle of Messines
Battle of Bailleul
Battle of Kemmel Ridge
Battle of Scherpenberg
Battle of the Lys Salient
Fourth Battle of Ypres
Battle of Courtrai
Battle of Ooteghem

The 9th (Scottish) Division, was an infantry division of the British Army during the First World War, one of the Kitchener's Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener to serve on the Western Front during the First World War.

Contents

After the 1st South African Infantry Brigade Group joined in early 1916, the division was known colloquially as the Jock and Springboks .

History

Background

A 9th Division had been formed for service during the Second Boer War, and was commanded by Henry Edward Colvile. [1] In 1902, a 9th Division was as formed and was commanded by Edward Pemberton Leach, [2] but it was broken-up at some point prior to the start of the war.

First World War

In the Battle of Loos, notable for being the first battle in which British forces used poison gas, the 9th (Scottish) Division assaulted the Hohenzollern Redoubt, the 5th Camerons suffered horrific casualties, and Corporal James Dalgleish Pollock gained a Victoria Cross for his actions.

A piper of the 7th (Service) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders leads four men of the 26th Brigade back from the trenches after the attack on Longueval, France, July 1916. Bagpiper Battle of Bazentin Ridge 14-07-1916 IWM Q 4012.jpg
A piper of the 7th (Service) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders leads four men of the 26th Brigade back from the trenches after the attack on Longueval, France, July 1916.

The 9th (Scottish) Division took part in major fighting during the Somme offensive. Notably it relieved the 30th Division at Montauban and later attacked German positions at Bernafay Wood, where it succeeded in capturing vital objectives and forcing a German withdrawal. In the Somme offensive, the 9th (Scottish) Division liberated the village of Longueval; the village now has a statue of a Scottish piper at its crossroads that commemorates this fact (see Caterpillar Valley Cemetery) and also other pipers who served in the First World War.

Order of battle

The division comprised the following brigades: [3]

26th Brigade
27th Brigade
28th Brigade

(The 28th Brigade was broken up in May 1916 and replaced with the 1st South African Brigade. It reformed in September 1918)

1st South African Brigade

(Replaced the 28th Brigade in May 1916 and was replaced in turn by a reformed 28th Brigade on 13 September 1918)

Divisional Troops

Royal Artillery

Royal Engineers

Royal Army Medical Corps

General Officers Commanding

Commanders have included: [7] [8]

See also

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References

  1. Louis Creswicke, South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 6, p. 160
  2. "No. 27434". The London Gazette . 16 May 1902. p. 3254.
  3. Baker, Chris. "9th (Scottish) Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  4. Baker, Chris. "Gordon Highlanders". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  5. Baker, Chris. "Royal Scots Fusiliers". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  6. Baker, Chris. "Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  7. Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Becke, A. F. (1938). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 3A: New Army Divisions (9-26). London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. p. 3.

Further reading