British 23rd Division
Encyclopedia
The British 23rd Division was a New Army division
that was sent to France in August, 1915, under the command of Major-General Sir James Melville Babington
. During the First World War the division served on the Western Front until October 1917 when it moved to Italy
.
69th Brigade
:
70th Brigade
:
Between October 1915 and July 1916 the brigade transferred to the British 8th Division
, swapping with the 24th Brigade.
24th Brigade
:
Between October 1915 and July 1916 the brigade joined from the British 8th Division
, replacing the 70th Brigade.
Pioneers :
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...
that was sent to France in August, 1915, under the command of Major-General Sir James Melville Babington
James Melville Babington
Lieutenant General Sir James Melville Babington , K.C.B., K.C.M.G.. He held the French Croix de guerre with Palm, and the Italian Croce di Guerra. He was a Commander of the Legion of Honour and an Officer of the Military Order of Savoy. He was a renowned leader of cavalry, making a name for himself...
. During the First World War the division served on the Western Front until October 1917 when it moved to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Formation
68th Brigade :- 10th (Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
- 11th (Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
- 12th (Service) Battalion, Durham Light InfantryDurham Light InfantryThe Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th Regiment of Foot and the 106th Regiment of Foot along with the militia and rifle volunteers of County Durham...
- 13th (Service) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (until September 1918)
69th Brigade
British 69th Infantry Brigade
.The 69th Infantry Brigade was a World War II British Army formation. It was a 2nd Line Territorial Army unit and during the Battle of France served with the British 23rd Division a division which suffered such heavy losses that it was disbanded...
:
- 11th (Service) Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment)
- 8th (Service) Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment)
- 9th (Service) Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) (until September 1918)
- 10th (Service) Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)
70th Brigade
British 70th Infantry Brigade
.The 70th Infantry Brigade was a British Territorial Army unit during the First and Second World Wars.-History:Originally part of the British 23rd Division during World War I, the Brigade was reformed in the interwar period as part of the British 50th Infantry Division...
:
Between October 1915 and July 1916 the brigade transferred to the British 8th Division
British 8th Infantry Division
The British Army's 8th Infantry Division was active in both the First World War and the Second World War.-History:The British 8th Division was a Regular Army division that was formed by combining battalions returning from outposts in the British Empire at the outbreak of the First World War....
, swapping with the 24th Brigade.
- 11th (Service) Battalion, Sherwood ForestersSherwood ForestersThe Sherwood Foresters was formed during the Childers Reforms in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 45th Regiment of Foot and the 95th Regiment of Foot...
(until September 1918) - 8th (Service) Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light InfantryKing's Own Yorkshire Light InfantryThe King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. The regiment's traditions and history are now maintained by The Rifles.-The 51st Foot:...
- 8th (Service) Battalion, The York and Lancaster Regiment
- 9th (Service) Battalion, The York and Lancaster Regiment
- 1/8th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (from October 1915 until February 1916)
24th Brigade
British 24th Infantry Brigade (Guards)
The 24th Infantry Brigade was a British Army formation from the First World War to the late 1990s.- 1914 - 1918 :The Brigade was first formed as part of the 8th Infantry Division by battalions returning from overseas stations to reinforce British forces on the Western Front in France...
:
Between October 1915 and July 1916 the brigade joined from the British 8th Division
British 8th Infantry Division
The British Army's 8th Infantry Division was active in both the First World War and the Second World War.-History:The British 8th Division was a Regular Army division that was formed by combining battalions returning from outposts in the British Empire at the outbreak of the First World War....
, replacing the 70th Brigade.
Pioneers :
- 9th (Service) Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment
Battles
- Battle of the SommeBattle of the Somme (1916)The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
- Battle of AlbertBattle of Albert (1916)The Battle of Albert, 1 July – 13 July 1916, was the opening phase of the British and French offensive that became the Battle of the Somme.-Haig's desire to break through versus Rawlinson's "bite and hold":...
- Battle of Bazentin RidgeBattle of Bazentin RidgeThe Battle of Bazentin Ridge, launched by the British Fourth Army at dawn on 14 July 1916, marked the start of the second phase of the Battle of the Somme. Dismissed beforehand by one French commander as "an attack organized for amateurs by amateurs", it turned out to be "hugely successful" for...
- Battle of PozièresBattle of PozièresThe Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
- Battle of Flers-CourceletteBattle of Flers-CourceletteThe Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German...
- Battle of MorvalBattle of MorvalThe Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German-held villages of Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs during the Battle of the Somme. These villages were originally objectives of the major British offensive of 15 September, the Battle of...
- Battle of Le TransloyBattle of Le TransloyThe Battle of Le Transloy was the final offensive mounted by the British Fourth Army during the 1916 Battle of the Somme.-Prelude:With the successful conclusion of the preceding Battle of Morval at the end of September, the Fourth Army of Lieutenant General Henry Rawlinson had finally captured the...
- Battle of Albert
- Battle of MessinesBattle of MessinesThe Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
- Third Battle of Ypres
- Battle of Vittorio VenetoBattle of Vittorio VenetoThe Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I...