52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division

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Lowland Division
52nd (Lowland) Division
52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division
52 inf div -vector.svg
Shoulder badge of the 52nd (Lowland) Division during the Second World War
Active1908 – 1919 [1]
1920 – 1947 [2]
1950 – 1968 [3]
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Branch Flag of the British Army.svg Territorial Force
Type Infantry
Role Infantry, Air Landing, and Mountain
SizeSecond World War: 18,347 men [nb 1] [5]
Peacetime HQ Glasgow, United Kingdom
Engagements
Battle honours The Scheldt
The Rhineland
The Rhine
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Herbert Lawrence
Neil Ritchie
Edmund Hakewill-Smith

The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowland) Division fought in the First World War before being disbanded, with the rest of the Territorial Force, in 1920.

Contents

The Territorial Force was later reformed as the Territorial Army and the division was again raised, during the inter-war years, as the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division - a 1st Line Territorial Army Infantry Division - and went on to serve during the Second World War.

By December 1947, the formation amalgamated with 51st (Highland) Infantry Division to become 51st/52nd Scottish Division, [6] but, by March 1950, 51st Division and 52nd Division had been recreated as separate formations. [3] 52nd (Lowland) Division finally disbanded in 1968.

History

Formation

The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Force, the Honourable Artillery Company and the Yeomanry. On formation, the TF contained 14 infantry divisions and 14 mounted yeomanry brigades. [7] One of the divisions was the Lowland Division. [8] In peacetime, the divisional headquarters was at 7 West George Street in Glasgow. [8] [9]

First World War

Operations

The famous territorial regiments that were incorporated in the division were all drawn from the Scottish Lowlands, and have a history that in some cases goes back more than 300 years. It consisted of three infantry brigades, the 155th (South Scottish) Brigade, 156th (Scottish Rifles) Brigade, and 157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigades. Initially assigned to the defence of the Scottish coast, the division moved to Gallipoli (without two of its artillery brigades), arriving there in early July 1915. While moving from Scotland the division suffered the loss of 210 officers and men killed, and another 224 injured in the Quintinshill rail crash, near Gretna, that involved the 1/7th Royal Scots. [10]

During the First World War, the division first saw action at Gallipoli. The division began landing at the Helles front, on the Gallipoli peninsula, in June 1915 as part of VIII Corps. The 156th Brigade was landed in time to take part in the Battle of Gully Ravine, where it was mauled, under the notorious Lieutenant-General Aylmer Hunter-Weston. Advancing along Fir Tree Spur, to the right of the ravine, the brigade had little artillery support and no experience of the Gallipoli battlefield. The brigade suffered heavy casualties. [11]

When the remaining brigades were landed, they attacked towards Krithia, along Achi Baba Nullah, on 12 July. They succeeded in capturing the Ottoman trenches, but were left unsupported and vulnerable to counter-attack. For a modest gain in ground, they suffered 30 per cent casualties and were in no fit state to exploit their position. [12]

The division moved to Egypt as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, where it manned the east-facing defensive fortifications during the Battle of Romani. On the first, and most crucial day, of the battle the division was heavily engaged with the enemy's right flank, while the Australian Light Horse, New Zealand Mounted Rifles, and 5th Mounted Brigades fought the centre and left flank in extended order. With insufficient water, the mid-summer conditions proved too much for the infantry ordered to advance the following day and were not heavily involved in the fighting thereafter. Following the battle, they advanced across the Sinai occupying Bir el Abd, El Mazar and El Arish, but remained in a supporting role. [13]

The division fought in the First and Second Battle of Gaza in March and April 1917. [14]

As a division of XXI Corps, it played an important part in the final overthrow of the Ottomans at the Third Battle of Gaza and the subsequent advance. The division then participated in the Battle of Jerusalem. The Battle of Jaffa saw the passage of the Nahr El Auja, on the night of 20–21 December 1917, by the division's three Brigades, which according to General Sir Edmund Allenby's despatch "reflects great credit on the 52nd (Lowland) Division. It involved considerable preparation, the details of which were thought out with care and precision. The sodden state of the ground, and, on the night of the crossing, the swollen state of the river, added to the difficulties, yet by dawn the whole of the infantry had crossed. The fact that the enemy were taken by surprise, and, that all resistance was overcome with the bayonet without a shot being fired, bears testimony to the discipline of this division. The operation, by increasing the distance between the enemy and Jaffa from three to eight miles, "rendered Jaffa and its harbour secure, and gained elbow-room for the troops covering Ludd and Ramleh and the main Jaffa-Jerusalem road." [15]

In April 1918, the division moved to France where it fought in the Second Battle of the Somme, the Second Battle of Arras, and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line during the Hundred Days Offensive. [16]

After the war, the division was disbanded along with the rest of the Territorial Force. However, it was re-established in 1920 as part of the Territorial Army. [17]

Second World War

Operations

Stretcher bearers of the 1st Battalion, Glasgow Highlanders in France, 13 June 1940. The British Army in France 1940 F4834.jpg
Stretcher bearers of the 1st Battalion, Glasgow Highlanders in France, 13 June 1940.

The 52nd (Lowland) Division, which had seen numerous changes in composition during the interwar period, was mobilised, along with the rest of the Territorial Army (previously the Territorial Force, reformed in 1920 and soon renamed the TA), in late August 1939, due to the worsening situation in Europe at the time. The Second World War began on 3 September 1939, after both Britain and France declared war on Germany after the latter's invasion of Poland and the 52nd, based in Scotland under the command of Major-General James S. Drew, [18] was serving in Scottish Command, alongside its second line duplicate unit, the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division. [19]

The division was briefly deployed to France, following the Dunkirk evacuation, as part of the Second British Expeditionary Force (2BEF) to cover the withdrawal of Allied forces near Cherbourg during Operation Aerial. [20] The division returned to the United Kingdom and, like most of the rest of the British Army after Dunkirk, began training to repel an expected German invasion, which never occurred. From May 1942 until June 1944, the 52nd was trained in a mountain warfare capacity, originally for a proposed invasion of Norway. However, the division was never employed in this role. Following June 1944, the 52nd Division was reorganised and trained in airlanding operations. [18] As part of this new role, the division was transferred to the First Allied Airborne Army. [19] By this time, the 52nd Division was under the command of Major-General Edmund Hakewill-Smith. [21]

Men of the 5th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry training in the mountains near Inverness, Scotland, 22 October 1942. Men of 5th Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry, training in the mountains near Inverness in Scotland, 22 October 1942. H24779.jpg
Men of the 5th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry training in the mountains near Inverness, Scotland, 22 October 1942.

Several operations were planned for the division, following the successful conclusion of the Normandy Campaign. Operation Transfigure planned to have the British 1st and American 101st Airborne Divisions capture landing strips near Rambouillet, for the 52nd Division to land at. The three divisions would have then blocked the German line of retreat towards Paris. [22] Operation Linnet proposed using most of the First Allied Airborne Army, including the 52nd Division, to seize areas in north-eastern France to block the German line of retreat. [23] As part of Operation Market Garden , the British 1st Airborne Division was given a subsidiary mission of capturing Deelen airfield, on which the 52nd Division would land. [24] Due to the disastrous course of events that unfolded during the Battle of Arnhem, where the 1st Airborne Division was virtually destroyed and lost almost 8,000 men, the 52nd Division was not deployed. [25]

A 3.7-inch mountain howitzer of the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery, attached to 52nd Division, on exercise at Trawsfynydd in Wales, sometime in 1942. The gun crew are wearing weatherproof anoraks, mountaineering breeches and woollen stockings. 3.7inchHowitzerWales8May1942.jpg
A 3.7-inch mountain howitzer of the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment, Royal Artillery, attached to 52nd Division, on exercise at Trawsfynydd in Wales, sometime in 1942. The gun crew are wearing weatherproof anoraks, mountaineering breeches and woollen stockings.

The division would never be used in either of the roles it had trained for, and was transferred to Belgium via sea landing in Ostend. The 157th Infantry Brigade landed first at the end of the first week of October and the rest of the division arrived over the course of the following fortnight. [26] [27] On 15 October, the 157th Brigade was, temporarily, attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division [28] and relieved the Canadian units in the bridgehead over the Leopold Canal. [29] At first the Scots of 52nd Division and the Canadians did not see eye to eye, with a cultural clash of untidy and 'undisciplined' Canadians against 'spit and polish' Scots. On taking over some Canadian positions in mid-October, Scottish officers commented: "No one in Scotland would ask a pig to lie in the houses (recently vacated by the Canadians) on the south side of the canal." However, both sides soon came to recognise that high fighting capability could be engendered in both approaches. [30]

Men of 'C' Company of the 4th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, move up to attack a pillbox, the Netherlands, 11 December 1944. The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 B12820.jpg
Men of 'C' Company of the 4th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, move up to attack a pillbox, the Netherlands, 11 December 1944.

From 23 October until December, the 52nd (Lowland) Division was assigned to the First Canadian Army, serving first under II Canadian Corps and then the British I Corps. [19] The division's first operation would be to aid in opening the vital Belgian port of Antwerp, in the Battle of the Scheldt. Ironically, the first operation of the division would not be in mountainous terrain or being deployed by air, but fighting below sea level on the flooded polders around the Scheldt Estuary of Belgium and the Netherlands. Operation Vitality and Operation Infatuate were aimed at capturing South Beveland and the island of Walcheren to open the mouth of the Scheldt Estuary. This would enable the Allies to use the port of Antwerp as a supply entrepôt for the troops in North-West Europe. It was in this vital operation that the 52nd Division was to fight its first battle with brilliant success that earned them high praise. During the battle, the division was given command "of all the military operations" on Walcheren. This included command of the 4th Commando Brigade, [31] after it had landed on the island, and No. 4 Commando during the assault on Flushing. [32] Following the battle the division would remain on Walcheren until November, when it was relieved by the 4th Canadian Armoured Division. [33]

A Universal Carrier of the 6th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) crossing the Dortmund-Ems Canal, Germany, 4 April 1945. The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU3140.jpg
A Universal Carrier of the 6th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) crossing the Dortmund–Ems Canal, Germany, 4 April 1945.

On 5 December, the division was transferred to XXX Corps of the British Second Army. [34] During the month, the 157th Infantry Brigade was temporarily attached to the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division for several days. [28] In January 1945, the 52nd Division, now serving under XII Corps, [19] participated in Operation Blackcock, the clearing of the Roer Triangle between the rivers Meuse and Roer. During the operation, 19-year-old Fusilier Dennis Donnini of the 4th/5th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. During the operation, the 155th Infantry Brigade was attached to the 7th Armoured Division. [35]

In February and March, the division was slightly reorganised with battalions being transferred amongst the division's brigades. [36] Peter White, a second lieutenant within the 4th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, describes this change due to 21st Army Group commander Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's "aversion to two Battalions of the same Regiment" being in the same brigade as it could result "in one home district or town having disproportionate losses after any sticky action". [37] For most of April, the 155th Infantry Brigade was again attached to the 7th Armoured Division "to drive for the Elbe across Lüneburg Heath". [38] The division (minus the 155th Brigade) took part in the Western Allied invasion of Germany, with its last major action being the Battle of Hamburg, where it ended the war. [39]

Post Second World War

During 1946, the First Canadian Army was withdrawn from Germany and disbanded. As it withdrew from Germany, it "turned over its responsibilities" to the 52nd Division. [40] After its postwar demobilisation, the TA was reformed in 1947. The division was amalgamated with the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division to form the 51st/52nd Scottish Division, while the surplus Lowland artillery regiments formed a separate 85 (Field) Army Group Royal Artillery (Lowland) in Scottish Command on 1 January 1947. [41] [42] [43] In 1950, the 51st/52nd (Scottish) Division was split, restoring the independence of the 52nd Lowland Division, which took regional command of Territorial Army units based in the Scottish Lowlands, including the Territorial infantry battalions of the Lowland Brigade regiments. [44] On 1 July 1950 85 AGRA was once more designated as HQ RA 52 (Lowland) Division. [43] In 1967, 52nd Lowland Division was reduced to brigade strength: two brigade-level districts were established in the Highlands and Lowlands, with the Lowland District Headquarters commanded by Major General Sir Francis James Cecil Bowes-Lyon in Hamilton, near Glasgow. [45]

General officer commanding

AppointedGeneral officer commanding
April 1908 Brigadier-General Henry R. Kelham [46]
March 1910 Major-General James Spens [46]
21 March 1914Major-General Granville G. A. Egerton [47] [46]
17 September 1915Major-General The Honourable Herbert A. Lawrence [47] [46]
27 June 1916Brigadier-General H. G. Casson (acting) [47]
11 July 1916Major-General Wilfrid E. B. Smith [47] [46]
11 September 1917Major General John Hill [47] [46]
23 September 1918Major-General Francis J. Marshall [47] [46]
June 1919Major-General Sir Philip R. Robertson [46]
June 1923Major-General Hamilton L. Reed [46]
June 1927Major-General Sir Henry F. Thuillier [46]
March 1930Major-General Sir Walter J Constable-Maxwell-Scott [46]
March 1934Major-General Andrew J. McCulloch [46]
September 1935Major-General Victor Fortune [46]
August 1936Major-General Sir Andrew J. McCulloch [46]
March 1938Major-General James S. Drew [18]
29 March 1941Major-General Sir John E. Laurie [18]
1 September 1942 Brigadier G. P. Miller (acting) [18]
11 September 1942Major-General Neil M. Ritchie [18]
11 November 1943Brigadier Edmund Hakewill-Smith (acting) [18]
19 November 1943Major-General Edmund Hakewill-Smith [18]
1946Major-General Edmund Hakewill-Smith
(GOC Lowland District)
December 1948Major-General Robert E. Urquhart [46]
February 1950Major-General George H. Inglis [46]
1952Major-General R. George Collingwood [46]
October 1955Major-General Rohan Delacombe [46]
October 1958Major-General John F.M. Macdonald [46]
October 1961Major-General John D. Frost [46]
February 1964Major-General Henry L. E. C. Leask [46]
May 1966 – 1968Major-General Sir F. James Bowes-Lyon [46]

Orders of battle

 52nd (Lowland) Division (1914–1918) [48] [47] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54]

155th (South Scottish) Brigade

  • 1/4th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers
  • 1/5th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers
  • 1/4th (The Border) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers
  • 1/5th (Dumfries and Galloway) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers (left 28 June 1918)
  • 155th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (formed 23 March 1916, moved to 52nd Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 28 April 1918)
  • 155th Trench Mortar Battery (formed 24 May 1917)

156th (Scottish Rifles) Brigade

157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigade

Lowland Mounted Brigade (Landed at Helles 11 October 1915 and reinforced the division. Left 31 December 1915)

1st Dismounted Brigade (attached to 52nd Division 5 February; disbanded 16 October 1916)

  • 1/1st Ayrshire Yeomanry
  • 1/1st Lanarkshire Yeomanry
  • 1/1st Scottish Horse
  • 1/2nd Scottish Horse
  • 1/3rd Scottish Horse
  • 1st Dismounted Brigade Signal Section, Royal Engineers
  • 1st Dismounted Brigade Machine Gun Company
  • 1/1st Lowland Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
  • 1/1st Scottish Horse Field Ambulance, RAMC

Divisional Mounted Troops

  • 52nd (Lowland) Divisional Cyclist Company [nb 2]
  • Royal Glasgow Yeomanry (HQ and C Squadron joined 10 October 1915; left 21 August 1917)
  • 4th Queen's Own Hussars (One Troop attached from 30 October 1918)
  • VIII Corps Cyclist Battalion (Detachment attached from 30 October 1918)

52nd (Lowland) Divisional Artillery

  • Royal Field Artillery
    • I Lowland Brigade (remained in Scotland when division embarked for Egypt)
      • 1st City of Edinburgh Battery
      • 2nd City of Edinburgh Battery
      • Midlothian Battery
      • I Lowland Brigade Ammunition Column
    • II Lowland Brigade (remained in Egypt when division embarked for Gallipoli; rejoined 5–6 March 1916; renamed CCLX (260) Bde and batteries became A–C 28 May 1916; renumbered CCLXI (261) Bde 15 September 1916; to 7th (Meerut) Division 3 April 1918)
      • 1st Ayrshire Battery
      • 2nd Ayrshire Battery
      • Kirkcudbrightshire Battery (broken up between A and B Btys 25 December 1916)
      • C (H) Battery (joined from CCLXIII (H) Bde 30 December 1916)
      • II Lowland Brigade Ammunition Column (joined 52nd Divisional Ammunition Column 1 January 1917)
    • III Lowland Brigade, RFA (remained in Scotland when division embarked for Egypt; rejoined 17 March 1916; renamed CCLXI (261) Bde and batteries became A–C 28 May 1916; renumbered CCLXII (262) Bde 15 September 1916; to 7th (Meerut) Division 3 April 1918)
      • 1st City of Glasgow Battery
      • 2nd City of Glasgow Battery
      • 3rd City of Glasgow Battery (broken up between A and B Btys 25 December 1916)
      • C (H) Battery (joined from CCLXIII (H) Bde 30 December 1916; became B (H)/CCLXIV Bde 1 July 1917)
      • III Lowland Brigade Ammunition Column (joined 52nd Divisional Ammunition Column 1 January 1917)
    • IV Lowland (Howitzer) Brigade (detached to ANZAC Cove  ; rejoined 11 January 1916; renamed CCLXII (262) Bde and batteries became A & B 28 May 1916; renumbered CCLXIII (263) Bde 15 September 1916; broken up 30 December 1916)
      • 5th City of Glasgow (H) Battery (became C (H)/CCLXI Bty 30 December 1916)
      • 6th City of Glasgow (H) Battery (became C (H)/CCLXII Bty 30 December 1916)
      • IV Lowland (H) Brigade Ammunition Column (joined 52nd Divisional Ammunition Column 1 January 1917)
    • CCLXIV Brigade (formed 1 July 1917; to 7th (Meerut) Division 3 April 1918)
      • A Bty (joined from CCLXXII Bde)
      • B (H) Bty (joined from CCLXII Bde)
    • IX Brigade (joined from 7th (Meerut) Division 1 April 1918)
    • LVI Brigade (joined from 7th (Meerut) Division 1 April 1918 (originally from 13th (Western) Division))
      • A, B, C Btys
      • 527 (H) Bty
    • 52nd Pom-Pom Battery (June 1917)
  • Royal Horse Artillery
  • Heavy Artillery
  • Lowland (Edinburgh) Heavy Battery and Ammunition Column, Royal Garrison Artillery (remained in Scotland when division embarked for Gallipoli)
  • Trench Mortars
  • X/52, Y/52, Z/52 Medium Trench Mortar Batteries (joined 3 October 1917; to 7th (Meerut) Division 3 April 1918)
  • 133, 134 Medium Trench Mortar Batteries (joined from 7th (Meerut) Division 3 April 1918; became X/52 and Y/52 1 May 1918)
  • 52nd Divisional Ammunition Column (remained in Egypt when division embarked for Gallipoli, broken up 17 March 1916; reformed from Brigade Ammunition Columns 1 January 1917; exchanged with 7th (Meerut) Division DAC 3 April 1918)

Royal Engineers

  • 1/1st Lowland Field Company (embarked for France 15 December 1914 and joined 1st Division)
  • 1/2nd Lowland Field Company (joined 29th Division March 1915; returned to 52nd Division 24 February 1916; later numbered 410 Field Company)
  • 3rd Kent Field Company (joined 20 November 1915; to 29th Division 26 February 1916)
  • 2/1st Lowland Field Company (raised after outbreak of war; later numbered 412 Field Company)
  • 2/2nd Lowland Field Company (raised after outbreak of war; later numbered 413 Field Company)
  • Lowland Divisional Signal Company
    • No 1 Section
    • No 2 (Scottish Rifles) Section
    • No 3 (Highland Light Infantry) Section
    • No 4 (South Scottish) Section

Pioneers

Machine Gun Corps

  • No 52 Battalion (formed 28 April 1918)
    • 155th MG Company (from 155th Brigade)
    • 156th MG Company (from 155th Brigade)
    • 157th MG Company (from 155th Brigade)
    • 211th MG Company (from XXI Corps 1 April 1918)

Royal Army Medical Corps

  • 1st Lowland Field Ambulance
  • 2nd Lowland Field Ambulance
  • 3rd Lowland Field Ambulance
  • Lowland Clearing Hospital
  • 52nd Sanitary Section (left Glasgow 3 June 1915, joined 27 July 1915; to 10th (Irish) Division early October 1915, rejoined 22 October 1917; left 4 May 1918)
  • 18th Sanitary Section (joined October 1915, to 10th (Irish) Division 24 October 1917)

Divisional Train, Army Service Corps

  • 1/1st Lowland Divisional Transport and Supply Column (became 52nd Divisional Train; to 10th (Irish) Division October 1915)
    • 1st (HQ) Company (became 475 Company)
    • 2nd Company (became 476 Company)
    • 3rd (Scottish Rifle Brigade) Company (became 477 Company)
    • 4th (Highland Light Infantry Brigade) Company (became 478 Company)
    • Lothian Brigade Company (independent of division)
    • Lowland Mounted Brigade Company (independent of division)
  • 31st Divisional Train (joined and retitled 52nd Divisional Train March 1916)
    • 217, 218, 219, 220 (Horse Transport) Companies
    • 1076 (Motor Transport) Company (formed in UK April 1918, joined in France; later to GHQ Reserve)
    • 52nd Divisional Ambulance Workshop (previously 31st Divisional Ambulance Workshop, joined by 21 April 1916; absorbed in Divisional Supply Column June 1917)

Others

  • 1st Lowland Mobile Veterinary Section, Army Veterinary Corps
  • 984th Divisional Employment Company (formed by 27 April 1918)
52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division (1939–1945)

155th Infantry Brigade [55]

156th Infantry Brigade [56]

157th Infantry Brigade [28]

  • 1st Battalion, Glasgow Highlanders (left 12 March 1945)
  • 5th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
  • 6th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (left 12 February 1945)
  • 157th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (formed 12 May 1940, disbanded 7 January 1941)
  • 5th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers (from 12 February 1945)
  • 7th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (from 14 March 1945)

Divisional troops

51st/52nd Infantry Division (Cold War)

153 (Highland) Brigade

154 (Highland) Brigade

157 (Lowland) Brigade

Divisional troops

52nd Infantry Division (Cold War, incomplete)

See also

Notes

Footnotes
  1. ↑ This is the war establishment, the on-paper strength, of a British infantry division for 1944/1945. [4]
  2. ↑ formed during war training, broken up as reinforcements 1 August 1915; reformed 27 March 1916, left 8 December 1917; rejoined 1 April 1918; broken up for drafts 4 May 1918
Citations
  1. ↑ "52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division 1930 - 1938" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. ↑ "52nd Infantry Division 1944-1945" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 Beckett 2008, 178.
  4. ↑ Joslen, p. 129
  5. ↑ Tillman, Barrett (2004). D-Day Encyclopedia: Everything You Want to Know About the Normandy Invasion. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN   978-1574887600.
  6. ↑ Graham Watson, The Territorial Army, 1947 Archived 5 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine , v1.0, 10 March 2002
  7. ↑ Westlake 1992 , p. 3
  8. 1 2 Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914" . Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Westlake, Ray (2011). The Territorials, 1908–1914: A Guide for Military and Family Historians. Pen & Sword. ISBN   978-1848843608.
  10. ↑ "BBC On this day 8 October 1952". BBC. 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  11. ↑ "The Battle of Gully Ravine rages at Gallipoli". History Channel. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  12. ↑ "12 July 1915". Gallipoli Association. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Ford, Roger (2009). Eden To Armageddon: World War I The Middle East. W&N. ISBN   978-0297844815.
  14. ↑ Erickson 2007 p. 99
  15. ↑ Fuller, Gavin (2014). The Telegraph Book of the First World War: An Anthology of the Telegraph's writing from the Great War. Aurum Press. ISBN   978-1781313756.
  16. ↑ "The Hundred Days Offensive, August to November 1918". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  17. ↑ "52nd (Lowland) Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Joslen, p. 85
  19. 1 2 3 4 Joslen, p. 86
  20. ↑ Chappell, p. 34
  21. ↑ "Sir Edmund Hakewill-Smith". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  22. ↑ Buckingham, p. 64
  23. ↑ Buckingham, p. 65
  24. ↑ Buckingham, p. 79
  25. ↑ Ellis, p. 30
  26. ↑ Joslen, pp. 342–345
  27. ↑ Stacey, p. 388
  28. 1 2 3 Joslen, p. 344
  29. ↑ Stacey, p. 398
  30. ↑ Monty's Men - The British Army and the Liberation of Europe, p. 248, John Buckley.
  31. ↑ Stacey, p. 412
  32. ↑ Stacey, p. 414
  33. ↑ Stacey, p. 430
  34. ↑ Stacey, p. 436
  35. ↑ Lindsay, p. 108
  36. ↑ Joslen, pp. 342-344
  37. ↑ White, p. 157
  38. ↑ White, p. 367
  39. ↑ "My Bit in World War II (Chapter 5)". BBC. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  40. ↑ Stacey, p. 622
  41. 1 2 Graham Watson (10 March 2002). "United Kingdom: The Territorial Army 1947". orbat.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  42. 1 2 Litchfield, Appendix 5.
  43. 1 2 3 "British Army units from 1945 on - AGRA". british-army-units1945on.co.uk.
  44. ↑ Reorganizing Territorials, the Times, 21 July 1960
  45. ↑ "No. 44539". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 March 1968. p. 2655.
  46. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Mackie, Army Senior Appointments, p.156
  47. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Becke, pp. 109–15.
  48. ↑ Monthly Army List, August 1914.
  49. ↑ Conrad.
  50. ↑ "52nd (Lowland) Division – The Long, Long Trail".
  51. ↑ Perry, pp. 87–8.
  52. ↑ "52 (L) Division at Regimental Warpath". Archived from the original on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  53. ↑ Thompson, 52nd Div, p. 4–7, 514.
  54. ↑ Young, Annex D.
  55. ↑ Joslen, p. 342
  56. ↑ Joslen, p. 343

References/further reading

2004 reprint from Naval and Military Press published as ISBN   978-1-84342993-7

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The 42nd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force (TF), originally as the East Lancashire Division, and was redesignated as the 42nd Division on 25 May 1915. It was the first TF division to be sent overseas during the First World War. The division fought at Gallipoli, in the Sinai desert and on the Western Front in France and Belgium. Disbanded after the war, it was reformed in the Territorial Army (TA), in the Second World War it served as the 42nd Infantry Division with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and fought in Belgium and France before being evacuated at Dunkirk. The division was later reformed in the United Kingdom and, in November 1941, was converted into the 42nd Armoured Division, which was disbanded in October 1943 without serving overseas. A 2nd Line duplicate formation, the 66th Infantry Division, was created when the Territorials were doubled in both world wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division</span> World War-era British Army formation

The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought in both the First and Second World Wars. Originally raised in 1908 as the Welsh Division, part of the Territorial Force (TF), the division saw service in First World War, being designated 53rd (Welsh) Division in mid-1915, and fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and in the Middle East. Remaining active in the Territorial Army (TA) during the interwar period as a peacetime formation, the division again saw action in Second World War, fighting in North-western Europe from June 1944 until May 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">51st (Highland) Division</span> Military unit

The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as the Highland Division and later 51st (Highland) Division from 1915. The division's insignia was a stylised 'HD' inside a red circle. Early doubts about the division's performance earned it the nickname of "Harper's Duds" after the name of its commander, Major-General George Harper although they would go on to gain a fearsome reputation with the Allies and Germans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VIII Corps (United Kingdom)</span> World War-era British Army formation

VIII Corps was a British Army corps formation that existed during the First and Second World Wars. In the latter, it took part in the Normandy Campaign in 1944, where it was involved in Operation Epsom and Operation Goodwood. It would later play a supporting role in Operation Market Garden and finish the war by advancing from the Rhine to the Baltic Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">52nd Lowland Volunteers</span> Military unit

The 52nd Lowland Volunteers is a battalion in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Lowlands, forming the 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile association with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the senior Reserve line infantry battalion in the British Army. It is one of two Reserve battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, along with 51st Highland, a similar unit located in the Scottish Highlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th (Highland) Infantry Division</span> Military unit

The 9th (Highland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army, formed just prior to the start of the Second World War. In March 1939, after the re-emergence of Germany as a significant military power and its occupation of Czechoslovakia, the British Army increased the number of divisions in the Territorial Army (TA) by duplicating existing units. The 9th (Highland) was formed in August 1939, as a second-line duplicate of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division. The division's battalions were all raised in the Scottish Highlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division</span> Second World War British Army unit

The 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was formed during the Second World War and fought in the Battle of Normandy. In March 1939, after Germany re-emerged as a significant military power and invaded Czechoslovakia, the British Army increased the number of divisions in the Territorial Army (TA) by duplicating existing units. The 59th (Staffordshire) Motor Division was formed in September 1939, as a second-line duplicate of the 55th Motor Division. The division's battalions were all, initially, raised in Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">152nd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

152nd Infantry Brigade was a formation of Britain's Territorial Force/Territorial Army that was part of 51st (Highland) Division in both World Wars. From its origins in the 19th Century Volunteer Force it was based in Inverness and was composed of Highland battalions. It served on the Western Front in World War I, and after it was captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux early in World War II it was reformed from its 2nd Line and saw action in North Africa, Sicily and North West Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">153rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

153rd Infantry Brigade was a formation of Britain's Territorial Force/Territorial Army that was part of 51st (Highland) Division in both World Wars. From its origins in the 19th Century Volunteer Force it was based in Aberdeen and was composed of Highland battalions. It served on the Western Front in World War I, and after it was captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux early in World War II it was reformed from its 2nd Line and saw action in North Africa, Sicily and North West Europe. It continued serving postwar until the reduction of the Territorial Army in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">154th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

154th Infantry Brigade was a formation of Britain's Territorial Force/Territorial Army that was part of 51st (Highland) Division in both World Wars. From its origins in the 19th Century Volunteer Force it was based in Stirling and was composed of Highland battalions. It served on the Western Front in World War I, and after it escaped from France early in World War II it was reformed from its 2nd Line and saw action in North Africa, Sicily and North West Europe. It continued serving postwar until the reduction of the Territorial Army in the 1960s.

The Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army that can trace their formation back to 1796. It saw action in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. It amalgamated with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry and the 1st/2nd Lothians and Border Horse to form the Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry in 1956. Its lineage was revived by B Squadron, the Scottish Yeomanry in 1992 until that unit was disbanded in 1999.

The 156th Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army. The brigade saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars with the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.

The 155th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars. Assigned to the 52nd (Lowland) Division, the brigade saw active service in the Middle East and on the Western Front during the First World War. During the Second World War, now the 155th Infantry Brigade, it continued to serve with the 52nd Division in Operation Dynamo, and later in North-western Europe from late 1944 until May 1945.

The 157th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army. The brigade fought in both the First and the Second World Wars, assigned to 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.

The 1st Lanarkshire Artillery Volunteers were formed in 1859 as a response to a French invasion threat. Its units fought at Gallipoli and in Palestine during World War I, and in Normandy and North West Europe during World War II. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army until 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Midlothian Artillery Volunteers</span> Military unit

The 1st Midlothian Artillery Volunteer Corps was formed in 1859 as a response to a French invasion threat. Originally it served as garrison and heavy artillery but transferred to the Territorial Force (TF) in 1908 as field artillery, in which role it served through both World Wars. In the First World War, it fought on the Western Front with 51st (Highland) Division. In the Second World War, it briefly saw service in France after the Dunkirk evacuation and later served with the Eighth Army in North Africa and Italy. Its wartime duplicate regiment served with distinction in the Burma campaign. Postwar, the regiment continued in existence until amalgamation in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">79th (Lowland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery</span> Military unit

79th (Lowland) Field Regiment was a Royal Artillery (RA) unit of Britain's part-time Territorial Army (TA) during World War II. It was descended from the 1st Ayrshire and Galloway Artillery Volunteers, first raised in Scotland in 1859. It served in Home Forces for most of the war, undergoing training in mountain warfare and air-portable operations before eventually going into action at sea level in the Battle of the Scheldt. It then took part in the fighting in the Rhineland, and then the drive to Bremen. It was reformed in the postwar TA, and continued until 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">108th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery</span> WWII British Army military unit

The 108th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, was an air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. Initially raised as an infantry battalion of the Green Howards in 1940, it transferred to the Royal Artillery in 1942. It served with 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, training for mountain warfare and airlanding operations, but finally went into action at sea level in the Battle of the Scheldt in the autumn of 1944. It fought through the battles in the Rhineland and Germany in 1945 until the end of the war, after which it was disbanded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">80th (Lowland – City of Glasgow) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery</span> Military unit

80th Field Regiment was a Royal Artillery (RA) unit of Britain's part-time Territorial Army (TA) during World War II. It was descended from the 1st Lanarkshire Artillery Volunteers, first raised in Scotland in 1859. It served in Home Forces for most of the war, undergoing training in mountain warfare and air-portable operations before eventually going into action at sea level in the Battle of the Scheldt. It then took part in the fighting in the Rhineland, and then the drive to Bremen. It was reformed in the postwar TA, and continued until 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">186th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery</span> Military unit

186th Field Regiment was a unit of Britain's Royal Artillery (RA) during World War II. It was formed in Scotland and joined 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division remaining with that formation for its whole existence. It served in Home Forces for most of the war, undergoing training in mountain warfare and air-portable operations before eventually going into action at sea level in the Battle of the Scheldt. It then took part in the fighting in the Rhineland, and then the drive to Bremen. It was disbanded at the end of the war.

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