British 1st Infantry Division
List of military divisions —
List of British divisions in WWI —
List of British divisions in WWII
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| 1st Division |
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| Army | Regular Army |
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| Formed | Permanent |
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| Demobilised | Permanent |
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The British 1st Division was a permanently established Regular Army division that was amongst the first to be sent to France at the outbreak of World War I. It served on the Western Front for the duration of the war After the war the division was part of the occupation force stationed at Bonn.. The division's insignia was the signal flag for the 'Number 1'.
During World War II the division was in France until June 1940. In 1943 it fought in North Africa and then was in Italy for 1944 including Anzio from January to May.
Formation
World War I
The division comprised the following infantry brigades:
; 1st Brigade :
- 1st Battalion, the Black Watch
- 1st Battalion, the Cameron Highlanders
- 1/14th (County of London) Battalion, the London Regiment (until February 1916)
- 10th (Service) Battalion, the Gloucester Regiment (until February 1918)
- 8th (Service) Battalion, the Royal Berkshire Regiment (until February 1918)
- 1st Battalion, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (from 2nd Brigade - February 1918)
Originally called the '1st (Guards) Brigade' because it contained the 1st Battalions of the Coldstream Guards and the Scots Guards. When the Guards Division was formed in August 1915 and these two battalions departed, the brigade was redesignated.
; 2nd Brigade :
- 2nd Battalion, the Royal Sussex Regiment
- 1st Battalion, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (to 1st Brigade - February 1918)
- 1st Battalion, the Northamptonshire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, the King's Royal Rifle Corps
Also attached to the 2nd Brigade for periods during 1915:
- 1/5th Battalion, the King's Own Regiment
- 1/9th Battalion, the King's (Liverpool) Regiment
- 1/5th (Cinque Ports) Battalion, the Royal Sussex Regiment
;
3rd Brigade :
- 1st Battalion, the South Wales Borderers
- 1st Battalion, the Gloucester Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, the Welsh Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, the Royal Munster Fusiliers (until February 1918)
Also attached to the 3rd Brigade were:
- 1/6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, the Welsh Regiment (October 1915 to May 1916)
- 1/4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers (November 1914 to September 1915)
- 1/9th Battalion, the King's (Liverpool) Regiment (November 1915 to January 1916)
World War II
During the World War II, the division contained a number of different brigades at various times. Between June and November 1942 it was a mixed division containing tank brigades.
; 1st Infantry Brigade (September 3 1939 to June 1 1941) :
; 2nd Infantry Brigade (September 3 1939 to August 31 1945) :
- 1st Battalion, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, the North Staffordshire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, the Gordon Regiment (until December 1940)
- 6th Battalion, the Gordon Regiment (from May 1940)
;
3rd Infantry Brigade (September 3 1939 to
August 31 1945) :
- 1st Battalion, the Duke of Wellingtons Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, the Sherwood Foresters
- 1st Battlion, the King's Shropshire Light Infantry
;
210th Infantry Brigade (
November 25 1941 to
January 12 1942) :
- 2nd Battalion, the London Irish Rifles
- 1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Fusiliers
;
38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade (
January 13 1942 to
June 7 1942) :
- 2nd Battalion, the London Irish Rifles
- 1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Fusiliers
- 6th battalion, the Inniskilling Fusiliers
;
34th Tank Brigade (
June 8 1942 to
September 2 1942) :
- North Irish Horse Regiment
- 147th Battalion, Royal Armoured Corps
- 153rd Battalion, Royal Armoured Corps
;
25th Tank Brigade (September 3 1942 to
November 13 1942) :
- 51st Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment
- 142nd Battalion, Royal Armoured Corps
- North Irish Horse Regiment
;
24th (Guards) Infantry Brigade (
December 6 1942 to
March 7 1944) :
- 1st Battalion, the Scots Guards
- 1st Battalion, the Irish Guards
- 5st Battalion, the Grenadier Guards
;
18th Infantry Brigade (
March 8 1944 to
August 16 1944) :
- 9th Battalion, the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
- 1st Battalion, the Buffs (East Kent) Regiment
- 14th Battalion, the Sherwood Foresters
;
66th Infantry Brigade (
August 19 1944 to
August 31 1945) :
- 2nd Battalion, the Royal Scots Regiment
- 1st Battalion, the Hertfordshire Regiment
- 11th Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers
Unit History
World War I
World War II
Battles
World War I
World War II
External Links