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British 10th (Irish) Division
Encyclopedia
The 10th Division, was one of the first of Kitchener's New Army
K1 Army Group divisions
(formed from Kitchener's 'first hundred thousand' new volunteers), authorized on 21 August 1914, after the outbreak of the Great War. It included battalions from the various provinces of Ireland
. It was led by Irish General Bryan Mahon
and fought at Gallipoli
, Salonika, Palestine
and on the Western Front
. It was the first of the Irish Division to take the field and was the most travelled of the Irish formations. The division served as a formation of the United Kingdom
's British Army during World War I
.
where, as part of General Sir Frederick Stopford's IX Corps, at Suvla Bay on August 7 it participated in the disastrous Landing at Cape Helles
and the August offensive
. Some battalions of the division were landed at Anzac and fought at Chunuk Bair.
In September, 1915, when the Suvla front became a stalemate, the division was moved to Salonika
where it remained for two years.
In September 1917 the division moved to Egypt
where it joined General Chetwode's XX Corps. The division fought in the Third Battle of Gaza
which succeeded in breaking the resistance of the Turkish defenders in southern Palestine.
Heavy losses on the Western Front
following Operation Michael
after the great German Spring Offensive
in 1918, resulted in the transfer of ten of the division's battalions from Palestine to France, their place being taken by Indian Army battalions. This left only one British battalion per brigade. The remainder of the division remained in Palestine until the end of the war with Turkey on 31 October 1918.
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The division comprised the following brigade
s:
29th Brigade
:
30th Brigade
:
31st Brigade :
Pioneers :
Salonika
Palestine
Kitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, Kitchener's Mob, was an all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in the First World War...
K1 Army Group divisions
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
(formed from Kitchener's 'first hundred thousand' new volunteers), authorized on 21 August 1914, after the outbreak of the Great War. It included battalions from the various provinces of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It was led by Irish General Bryan Mahon
Bryan Mahon
General Sir Bryan Thomas Mahon KCB, KCVO, PC, DSO was a British Army general and Irish Free State Senator.-Military career:Mahon was born at Belleville, County Galway...
and fought at Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
, Salonika, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. It was the first of the Irish Division to take the field and was the most travelled of the Irish formations. The division served as a formation of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
's British Army during World War I
British Army during World War I
The British Army during World War I fought the largest and most costly war in its long history. Unlike the French and German Armies, its units were made up exclusively of volunteers—as opposed to conscripts—at the beginning of the conflict...
.
Unit history
Formed in Ireland on 21 August 1914, the 10th Division was sent to GallipoliBattle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
where, as part of General Sir Frederick Stopford's IX Corps, at Suvla Bay on August 7 it participated in the disastrous Landing at Cape Helles
Landing at Cape Helles
The landing at Cape Helles was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula by British and French forces on April 25, 1915 during the First World War. Helles, at the foot of the peninsula, was the main landing area. With the support of the guns of the Royal Navy, a British division...
and the August offensive
Battle of Sari Bair
The Battle of Sari Bair , also known as the August Offensive, was the final attempt made by the British in August 1915 to seize control of the Gallipoli peninsula from the Ottoman Empire during First World War.The Battle of Gallipoli had raged on two fronts, Anzac and Helles, for three months since...
. Some battalions of the division were landed at Anzac and fought at Chunuk Bair.
In September, 1915, when the Suvla front became a stalemate, the division was moved to Salonika
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
where it remained for two years.
In September 1917 the division moved to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
where it joined General Chetwode's XX Corps. The division fought in the Third Battle of Gaza
Third Battle of Gaza
The Third Battle of Gaza was fought in 1917 in southern Palestine during the First World War. The British Empire forces under the command of General Edmund Allenby successfully broke the Ottoman defensive Gaza-Beersheba line...
which succeeded in breaking the resistance of the Turkish defenders in southern Palestine.
Heavy losses on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
following Operation Michael
Operation Michael
Operation Michael was a First World War German military operation that began the Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France...
after the great German Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
in 1918, resulted in the transfer of ten of the division's battalions from Palestine to France, their place being taken by Indian Army battalions. This left only one British battalion per brigade. The remainder of the division remained in Palestine until the end of the war with Turkey on 31 October 1918.
Formation
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s:
29th Brigade
British 29th Infantry Brigade
The 29th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade unit of the British Army. It was originally raised in 1914 and saw service during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.-First World War:...
:
- 5th Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (August 1914 – June 1915, then became divisional pioneer battalion)
- 6th Battalion, The Royal Irish Rifles (August 1914 – May 1918, then disbanded)
- 5th Battalion, The Connaught RangersThe Connaught RangersThe Connaught Rangers was an Irish regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation in 1881 of the 88th Regiment of Foot and the 94th Regiment of Foot. It was disbanded in 1922.-History:...
(September 1914 – April 1918, transferred to 66th Division) - 6th Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) (August 1914 – April 1918, transferred to 14th DivisionBritish 14th (Light) DivisionThe 14th Division was one of the Kitchener's Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener. It fought on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War.- Formation :...
) - 10th Battalion, The Royal Hampshire RegimentPrincess of Wales's Royal Regiment"PWRR" redirects here. For the railroad with these reporting marks, see Portland and Western Railroad.The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division...
(March – October 1915) - 1st Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (November 1916 – October 1918)
- 1st Battalion, 54th Sikhs (April – October 1918)
- 1st Battalion, 101st Grenadiers101st Grenadiers-The beginning:The Regiment was first formed in 1778 after 6 grenadier companies were combined to form a composite battalion. The Regiment took part in the First Mahratta War against the Mahratta Empire and fought in a number of engagements against them, including the Battle of Talegoan where they...
(April – October 1918) - 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry (June – October 1918)
30th Brigade
British 30th Infantry Brigade
The British 30th Infantry Brigade is a brigade of the British Army in the First and Second World Wars.- History :The Brigade was originally raised as part of the 10th Division and served with that formation throughout the First World War....
:
- 6th Battalion, Royal Munster FusiliersRoyal Munster FusiliersThe Royal Munster Fusiliers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army. One of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, it had its home depot in Tralee. It was originally formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of two regiments of the former East India Company. It served in India and...
(August 1914 – April 1918, reduced to cadre and transferred to 39th Division39th Division (United Kingdom)The 39th Infantry Division was a unit of the British Army during World War I.Raised as part of the Fifth New Army in August 1915 near Winchester, the division was also stationed at Aldershot and Whitley, before being transferred to the Western Front in March 1916.The division suffered heavy losses...
) - 7th Battalion, Royal Munster FusiliersRoyal Munster FusiliersThe Royal Munster Fusiliers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army. One of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, it had its home depot in Tralee. It was originally formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of two regiments of the former East India Company. It served in India and...
(August 1914 – November 1916, absorbed by 6th Battalion) - 6th Battalion, The Royal Dublin FusiliersThe Royal Dublin FusiliersThe Royal Dublin Fusiliers was an Irish infantry Regiment of the British Army created in 1881, one of eight Irish regiments raised and garrisoned in Ireland, with its home depot in Naas...
(August 1914 – May 1918, transferred to 66th Division) - 7th Battalion, The Royal Dublin Fusiliers (August 1914 – April 1918, reduced to cadre and transferred to 16th Division)
- 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (November 1916 – October 1918)
- 38th Dogras38th DograsThe 38th Dogras were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1858, when they were raised as the Agra Levy....
(April – October 1918) - 46th Punjabis46th PunjabisThe 46th Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1900, as the 46th Regiment of Bengal Infantry. It was designated as the 46th Punjabis in 1903 and became 10th Battalion of 16th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1943, it was converted into the 16th Punjab...
(May – October 1918) - 1st Battalion, The Kashmir RiflesJammu & Kashmir RiflesThe Jammu & Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The Jammu & Kashmir State Forces was the only former Princely State Forces of India to be absorbed into the Indian Army as a distinct and separate Regiment. In 1963, the designation was changed to Jammu & Kashmir Rifles...
(April – October 1918)
31st Brigade :
- 5th Battalion, The Royal Inniskilling FusiliersRoyal Inniskilling FusiliersThe Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...
(August 1914 – May 1918, transferred to 66th Division) - 6th Battalion, The Royal Inniskilling FusiliersRoyal Inniskilling FusiliersThe Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...
(August 1914 – May 1918, transferred to 14th Division - 5th Battalion, The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) (August 1914 – April 1918, transferred to 14th Division)
- 6th Battalion, The Royal Irish Fusiliers (August 1914 – November 1916, absorbed by 5th Battalion)
- 2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Fusiliers (November 1916 – October 1918)
- 2nd Battalion, 42nd Deoli Regiment42nd Deoli RegimentThe 42nd Deoli Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traced their origins to 1857, when the Meena Battalion was raised during the Indian Mutiny. This battalion was the nucleus for the infantry of the Deoli Irregular Force which in May 1861, numbered eight...
(July – October 1918) - 74th Punjabis74th PunjabisThe 74th Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1776, when they were raised as the 14th Carnatic Battalion....
(April – October 1918) - 2nd Battalion, 101st Grenadiers101st Grenadiers-The beginning:The Regiment was first formed in 1778 after 6 grenadier companies were combined to form a composite battalion. The Regiment took part in the First Mahratta War against the Mahratta Empire and fought in a number of engagements against them, including the Battle of Talegoan where they...
(May – October 1918) - 38th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (June – July 1918)
Pioneers :
- 5th Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (June 1915 – April 1918, transferred to 52nd Division)
Battles and engagements
Gallipoli- The landing at Suvla.
- Battle of Sari Bair.
- Capture of Chocolate Hill.
- Hill 60.
Salonika
- Kosturino.
- Retreat from Serbia.
- Capture of the Karajokois.
- Capture of Yenikoi.
Palestine
- Third Battle of GazaThird Battle of GazaThe Third Battle of Gaza was fought in 1917 in southern Palestine during the First World War. The British Empire forces under the command of General Edmund Allenby successfully broke the Ottoman defensive Gaza-Beersheba line...
. - Capture of the Sheria Position.
- Capture of Jersusalem.
- Defence of Jerusalem.
- Tell ‘Asure.
- Battle of Nablus.
General Officers Commanding
Commanders included:- December 1903-February 1904 Major-General Herbert PlumerHerbert Plumer, 1st Viscount PlumerField Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was a British colonial official and soldier born in Torquay who commanded the British Second Army in World War I and later served as High Commissioner of the British Mandate for Palestine.-Military...
- March 1904-1905 Lieutenant-General Arthur WynneArthur Wynne (British Army officer)General Sir Arthur Singleton Wynne GCB was a senior British Army officer who went on to be Military Secretary.-Military career:...
- August 1914-November 1915 Lieutenant-General Sir Bryan MahonBryan MahonGeneral Sir Bryan Thomas Mahon KCB, KCVO, PC, DSO was a British Army general and Irish Free State Senator.-Military career:Mahon was born at Belleville, County Galway...
- December 1915-June 1919 Major-General Sir John LongleyJohn LongleyMajor General Sir John Raynsford Longley KCMG CB was a British Army officer who reached high command during World War I.-Military career:...
- June 1919-1921 Major-General Sir George Gorringe
Great War Memorials
- Irish National War Memorial GardensIrish National War Memorial GardensThe Irish National War Memorial Gardens is an Irish war memorial in Islandbridge, Dublin dedicated "to the memory of the 49,400 Irish soldiers who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914–1918", out of over 300,000 Irishmen who served in all armies....
Dublin. - Island of Ireland Peace ParkIsland of Ireland Peace ParkThe Island of Ireland Peace Park and its surrounding park , also called the Irish Peace Park or Irish Peace Tower in Messines, near Ypres in Flanders, Belgium, is a war memorial to the soldiers of the island of Ireland who died, were wounded or are missing from World War I, during Ireland's...
Messines, Belgium. - Menin Gate Memorial Ypres, Belgium.
- Ulster Tower MemorialUlster Tower ThiepvalThe Ulster Tower is a memorial to the men of the 36th Division. The memorial was officially opened on November 19, 1921 and is a very close copy of Helen's Tower which stands in the grounds of the Clandeboye Estate, near Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland...
Thiepval, France.
See also
- 16th (Irish) Division
- 36th (Ulster) Division
- Irish regiments
- List of British divisions in WWI
External links
- The British Army in the Great War: The 10th (Irish) Division
- A website with information relating to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who had battalions which were a part of the 10th (Irish) Division.
- The Battle for Messines Ridge - Homepage of the Island of Ireland Peace Park Memorial
- The Irish War Memorials Project - listing of monuments throughout Ireland
- The Military Heritage of Ireland Trust
- Department of the Taoiseach: Irish Soldiers in the First World War
Further reading
- Nigel Steel and Peter Hart: Defeat at Gallipoli, PAN Books (1994) ISBN 0-330-49058-3, pp 91–96 slaughter of the Dubliners and Munsters.
- Thomas P. Dooley: Irishmen or English Soldiers? : the Times of a Southern Catholic Irish Man (1876–1916), Liverpool Press (1995), ISBN 0-85323-600-3.
- Myles Dungan: They Shall not Grow Old: Irish Soldiers in the Great War, Four Courts Press (1997), ISBN 1-85182-347-6.
- Keith Jeffery: Ireland and the Great War, Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge (2000), ISBN 0-521-77323-7.
- Bryan Cooper (1918): The 10th (Irish) Division in Gallipoli, Irish Academic Press (1993), (2003). ISBN 0-7165-2517-8.
- Terence Denman: Ireland's unknown Soldiers: the 16th (Irish) Division in the Great War, Irish Academic Press (1992), (2003) ISBN 0-7165-2495-3.
- Desmond & Jean Bowen: Heroic Option: The Irish in the British Army, Pen & Sword Books (2005), ISBN 1-84415-152-2.
- Steven Moore: The Irish on the Somme (2005), ISBN 0-9549715-1-5.
- Thomas Bartlett & Keith Jeffery: A Military History of Ireland, Cambridge University Press (1996) (2006), ISBN 0-521-62989-6
- David Murphy: Irish Regiments in the World Wars, OSprey Publishing (2007), ISBN 978-1-84603-015-4
- David Murphy: The Irish Brigades, 1685-2006, A gazatteer of Irish Military Service past and present, Four Courts Press (2007)
The Military Heritage of Ireland Trust. ISBN 978-1-84682-080-9 - Stephen Walker: Forgotten Soldiers; The Irishmen shot at dawn Gill & Nacmillan (2007), ISBN 978-0-7171-4182-1
- John Horne ed.: Our War 'Ireland and the Great War: The Thomas DavisThomas Davis-Politicians:*Thomas Davis , Irish-American member of United States House of Representatives*Thomas Aspinwall Davis , American Mayor of Boston in 1845*Thomas Beall Davis , U.S. Representative from West Virginia...
Lectures, The Royal Irish AcademyRoyal Irish AcademyThe Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
, Dublin (2008) ISBN 978-1-904890-50-8