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30th Division (United Kingdom)

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37th Division
30th Division
Thedivisional insigniaused by the division from July 1918 onwards. It depicts the personal crest ofEdward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby.[1]
Active1915 – September 1919
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
TypeInfantry
EngagementsFirst World War
Battle of the Somme (1916)
Battle of Albert (1916)

The British30th Divisionwas aNew Armydivisionthat was originally made up of battalions raised by public subscription or private patronage. The division was taken over by the BritishWar Officein August 1915 and moved to France in December. It served on theWestern Frontfor the duration of theFirst World War.

Formation

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On 28 July 1914, theFirst World Warstarted. Seven days later, on 4 August,Germany invaded Belgiumand the United Kingdom entered the war to uphold theTreaty of London (1839).[2]Britain faced a continental war it was not prepared to fight, and while theExpeditionary Forcewas dispatched to France and Belgium, the country lacked the forces required for the protracted war envisioned by the military leadership.[3][a]

On 5 August,Herbert Kitchenerwas appointedSecretary of State for War.This position allowed Kitchener a largely independent role within thewar cabinet.[4]His first act, the next day, was to requestparliamentary approvalto increase the strength of theBritish Armyby 500,000 men. Over the following days, theArmy Councillaid out plans for Kitchener's proposed expansion: traditional recruitment would be used to expand the regular army, bypassing the county associations and thus avoiding expanding theTerritorial Force.The first wave, originally termed the New Expeditionary Force, became theFirst New Army.[5]Historian Peter Simkins wrote that Kitchener held the Territorial Force in disdain, calling it an ill-trained "Town Clerk's Army", and this was partially why he set up a parallel recruitment system. Simkins noted that it would be a "gross oversimplification to ascribe Kitchener's decision merely to prejudice and ignorance". Had the Territorial Force been used as the basis for expansion it would have been "swamped" and "rendered temporarily incapable of carrying out any function at all", when a "viable home defence force" was needed due to the threat of a German invasion.[6]

On 10 December 1914, the formation of the Fifth New Army was authorized and consisted of the37th Divisionwith the110th,the111th,and the112th brigades.Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derbywas instrumental in raisingpals battalionsfor theKing's Regiment (Liverpool)and theManchester Regiment,which formed the basis of these newly formed brigades and the division. In April 1915, the Fourth New Army was broken-up to provide reinforcements for other new army divisions. This resulted in a series of number and name changes, with the Fifth New Army becoming the Fourth; the 37th Division was renumbered as the 30th Division; and the 110th and 111th Brigades became the 89th and 90th Brigades. The 112th Brigade was transferred to the35th Division,and was exchanged with the 126th Brigade that was renumbered as the91stwhen it joined the 30th.[1][7]

The division started to assemble, as a single formation, in April 1915 nearGranthamand the firstgeneral officer commanding(Major-GeneralWilliam Fry) was appointed on 4 May 1915. The final elements of the division did not join until August, owing to equipment shortages. On 14 September, the division departed Lincolnshire forLarkhillin theSalisbury Plain Training Areato undergo final training before being deployed to France. This lasted until 31 October, when the order for deployment was received. While advance parties left for France the next day, the rest of the formation was reviewed on 4 November by Edward Stanley. Two days later, a move to Southampton and Folkestone took place. Troops sent to the former were transported to Le Havre, while those sent to the later were dispatched to France via Boulogne. By 12 November, the division had finished its move and was located atAilly-le-Haut-Clocher,northwest ofAmiens.[8]While some sort of insignia was displayed on the helmet and worn on the uniform sleeves once deployed, little is known of what they consisted of.[1]

Service during the First World War

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During 1916, the division fought in theBattle of the Somme,specifically: theBattle of Albert(including theFirst day on the Sommeand thecapture of Montauban), theCapture of Trônes Wood,and theBattle of Le Transloy.In 1917, it took part in the First and the Second battles of theScarpe,which formed part of the largerBattle of Arras;this was followed by theBattle of Pilckem Ridgelater in the year. The final year of the war saw the division engaged in the1918 First Battle of the Somme,including the Battle of St. Quentin, actions at the crossing of the Somme, and the Battle of Rosieres. This was followed by theBattle of the Lys.[9]Following these battles, the remnants of the infantry were withdrawn rendering the formation a division in name only. In July, it was reconstituted as a fighting formation.[10]Around this time, a variation of the crest of the Stanley family–an eagle standing above a swaddled infant–was adopted as the divisional insignia.[1]The formation then went on to take part in the culminating offensive of the war, theHundred Days Offensive.The division's total losses during the war amounted to 35,182killed,wounded,or reported asmissing.[9]

Following thearmistice of 11 November 1918,the division moved back away from the frontline area until it reached the vicinity ofBlaringhem,with the HQ based atRenescure,on 4 December. Towards the end of the month, the formation was tasked with supporting efforts at the army's supply ports atDunkirk,Calais,Boulogne,andÉtaplesand relocated to them in January. By the middle of the following month, it was only supporting the ports at Boulogne and Étaples. Meanwhile,demobilizationhad started although the division's first troops did not return to the UK until May and the process had finished by 1 September when the division ceased to exist.[11]

Order of Battle

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The following units served with the division:

21st Brigade

The brigade joined from the7th Divisionin December 1915, swapping with the 91st Brigade.

On reorganisation in July 1918:

89th Brigade
  • 17th (Service) Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (left June 1918)
  • 18th (Service) Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (transferred to 21st Brigade December 1915, returned from 21st Brigade February 1918, left June 1918)
  • 19th (Service) Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (reduced to cadre left 19 June 1918)[12]
  • 20th (Service) Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (disbanded February 1918)
  • 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment (joined from 21st Brigade 20 December 1915, transferred to 90th Brigade February 1918)
  • 89th Machine Gun Company (joined 13 March 1916, moved to 30th Battalion M.G.C. 1 March 1918)
  • 89th Trench Mortar Battery (joined by 16 June 1916)

On reorganisation in July 1918:

90th Brigade

On reorganisation in July 1918:

91st Brigade

The brigade formed in April 1915 and moved to the7th Divisionin December of that year, swapping with the 21st Brigade.

Divisional Troops

  • 11th (Service) Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion May 1915, left as cadre June 1918)
  • 6th (Service) Battalion,South Wales Borderers(joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion July 1918)
  • 226th Machine Gun Company (joined 19 July 1917, moved to 30th Battalion M.G.C. 1 March 1918)
  • 19th Motor Machine Gun Battery (joined 10 February 1916, left 6 June 1916)
  • 30th Battalion M.G.C. (formed 1 March 1918, reduced to cadre 13 May 1918 replaced on 29 June 1918 by a redesignated “A” Bn, MGC)
  • Divisional Mounted Troops
  • 30th Divisional TrainArmy Service Corps
    • 186th, 187th, 188th and 189th Companies (joined from22nd Divisionin France in November 1915)
  • 40th Mobile Veterinary SectionArmy Veterinary Corps
  • 227th Divisional Employment Company (joined 24 May 1917)

Royal Artillery

  • CXLVIII Brigade,Royal Field Artillery(R.F.A.)
  • CXLIX Brigade, R.F.A.
  • CL Brigade, R.F.A. (left 2 January 1917)
  • CLI (Howitzer) Brigade, R.F.A. (broken up 26 August 1916)
  • 11th (Hull) Heavy Battery,Royal Garrison Artillery(R.G.A.) (joined June 1915, left March 1916)
  • 125th Heavy Battery, R.G.A. (raised with the Division but moved independently to France on 29 April 1916)
  • 30th Divisional Ammunition Column R.F.A.
  • V.30 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, R.F.A. (joined by 7 October 1916, left by 11 February 1918)
  • X.30, Y.30 and Z.30 Medium Mortar Batteries, R.F.A.(joined April 1916, 11 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries distributed among X and Y batteries)

Royal Engineers

  • 200th (County Palatine) Field Company
  • 201st (County Palatine) Field Company
  • 202nd (County Palatine) Field Company
  • 30th Divisional Signals Company

Royal Army Medical Corps

  • 111th Field Ambulance (left September 1915)
  • 112th Field Ambulance (left September 1915)
  • 113th Field Ambulance (left September 1915)
  • 70th Sanitary Section (left 2 April 1917)
  • 96th Field Ambulance(joined November 1915)
  • 97th Field Ambulance (joined November 1915)
  • 98th Field Ambulance (joined November 1915)

General officers commanding

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See also:General officer commanding

The division had the following commanders during the First World War:[13][14]

Appointed General officer commanding
4 May 1915 Major-GeneralWilliam Fry
13 May 1916 Brigadier-GeneralCharles Sackville-West(acting)
17 May 1916 Major-GeneralJohn Stuart Mackenzie Shea
30 April 1917 Major-GeneralWeir De Lancey Williams
Post-armistice Major-GeneralNeill Malcolm
April 1919 Unknown

See also

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Notes

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Footnotes

  1. ^The Expeditionary Force was prefaced withBritishwhen the Indian Expeditionary Force arrived in France.

Citations

  1. ^abcdChappell 1986,pp. 17–18.
  2. ^Cook & Stevenson 2005,p. 121.
  3. ^Simkins 2007,pp. 38–39.
  4. ^Simkins 2007,p. 35.
  5. ^Simkins 2007,pp. 39–40.
  6. ^Simkins 2007,pp. 41–42.
  7. ^Becke 1945,p. 7.
  8. ^Becke 1945,pp. 1, 7–8.
  9. ^abBecke 1945,pp. 8–9.
  10. ^Flenley 1919,p. 10.
  11. ^Becke 1945,p. 9.
  12. ^Baker, Chris."King's (Liverpool Regiment)".The Long, Long Trail.Retrieved18 November2018.
  13. ^Becke 1945,p. 1.
  14. ^Davies & Maddocks 2014,Malcolm, N. D.S.O..

References

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