British 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division
Encyclopedia
The 44th Division was a British
Territorial Army division
in both the First and Second World Wars, and for twenty years afterwards.
, whereupon some were sent further on to Burma and Aden
. From the time of disembarkation in India, the Division practically ceased to exist, and the Divisional Commander returned home.
until the evacuation of Dunkirk
.
Later it was sent to North Africa
and fought at the Battle of Alam Halfa
and the Battle of El Alamein
. It is considered to have performed poorly during Alam Halfa, where it's 132nd Brigade
was attached to the 2nd New Zealand Division
. It only had one brigade (The 132nd Infantry Brigade) at El Alamein, as the others (the 131st Brigade
and 133rd Brigade
) had been incorporated into the 7th Armoured Division and 10th Armoured Divisions
as Motorised Brigades (The 7th had theirs transferred to the 1st Armoured Division
and the 10th was a brand new Armoured Division). The 44th was disbanded after the battle, and the Units from the 132nd Brigade and 133rd Brigade were dispersed, with most of them ending up as British battalions in British Indian Army
brigades.
, 47 (London) Infantry Brigade, 131 (Surrey) Infantry Brigade (including battalions of The Queen's Regiment
), and 133 (Kent & Sussex) Infantry Brigade. It was disbanded by 1968.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Territorial Army division
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...
in both the First and Second World Wars, and for twenty years afterwards.
First World War
Formed in 1908, after the outbreak of war in 1914 the Division was used to supply garrison troops in the east, replacing regular battalions. On or around 30 October 1914 most of the units of the Division left for IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, whereupon some were sent further on to Burma and Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
. From the time of disembarkation in India, the Division practically ceased to exist, and the Divisional Commander returned home.
Second World War
During the Second World War it was initially part of III Corps forming part of the British Expeditionary ForceBritish Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
until the evacuation of Dunkirk
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
.
Later it was sent to North Africa
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
and fought at the Battle of Alam Halfa
Battle of Alam Halfa
The Battle of Alam el Halfa took place between 30 August and 5 September 1942 south of El Alamein during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. Panzerarmee Afrika—a German-Italian force commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel—attempted an envelopment of the British 8th Army,...
and the Battle of El Alamein
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
. It is considered to have performed poorly during Alam Halfa, where it's 132nd Brigade
British 132nd Infantry Brigade
The 132nd Infantry Brigade was a 1st Line Territorial Army unit of the British Army during the Second World War and after the war for a period, but disbanded by 1968.- History :...
was attached to the 2nd New Zealand Division
New Zealand 2nd Division
The 2nd New Zealand Division was a formation of the New Zealand Military Forces during World War II. It was commanded for most of its existence by Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg, and fought in Greece, Crete, the Western Desert and Italy...
. It only had one brigade (The 132nd Infantry Brigade) at El Alamein, as the others (the 131st Brigade
British 131st Infantry Brigade
The 131st Infantry Brigade was a Second World War 1st Line Territorial Army unit of the British Army.- History :At the beginning of the Second World War this brigade was an organic part of the 44th Infantry Division. It was part of the British Expeditionary Force to France in 1940...
and 133rd Brigade
British 133rd Infantry Brigade
The 133rd Infantry Brigade was a 1st Line Territorial Army unit of the British Army during World War II.-History:Part of the British 44th Infantry Division it served in the Battle of France and the Western Desert Campaign where this brigade along with the 44th Infantry Division was...
) had been incorporated into the 7th Armoured Division and 10th Armoured Divisions
British 10th Armoured Division
The 10th Armoured Division was a British Army armoured division active from 1941-44 and 1956-57. It was formed from the 1st Cavalry Division, a 1st Line Yeomanry unit. The 1st Cavalry Division had been serving in Palestine...
as Motorised Brigades (The 7th had theirs transferred to the 1st Armoured Division
British 1st Armoured Division
The 1st Armoured Division is an armoured division of the British Army. Originally formed in November 1937 as the Mobile Division, it saw extensive service during the Second World War, was disbanded afterward, was reconstituted in 1976, and remains in service today...
and the 10th was a brand new Armoured Division). The 44th was disbanded after the battle, and the Units from the 132nd Brigade and 133rd Brigade were dispersed, with most of them ending up as British battalions in British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
brigades.
Reformed
The Division was reformed in 1947 and include the Northamptonshire YeomanryNorthamptonshire Yeomanry
The Northamptonshire Yeomanry was a unit of the British Army formed in 1794 as volunteer cavalry, it later served in an armoured role before being reduced to squadron level in 1956...
, 47 (London) Infantry Brigade, 131 (Surrey) Infantry Brigade (including battalions of The Queen's Regiment
The Queen's Regiment
The Queen's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Division...
), and 133 (Kent & Sussex) Infantry Brigade. It was disbanded by 1968.
Commanders during the Second World War
- Maj.Gen. E.A. OsborneEdmund OsborneLieutenant General Edmund Archibald Osborne CB DSO was a British Army officer who commanded II Corps during World War II.- Military career :...
- Maj.Gen. A.E. Percival
- Maj.Gen. F.N. Mason-MacFarlaneNoel Mason-MacfarlaneLieutenant General Sir Frank Noel Mason-Macfarlane, KCB, DSO, MC was a British soldier, administrator and politician who served as Governor of Gibraltar during World War II.-Military career:...
- Maj.Gen. B.G. HorrocksBrian HorrocksLieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC was a British Army officer. He is chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World War...
- Maj.Gen. I.T.P. Hughes
131st (Queens) Brigade
- 1/5th Bn, Queens Royal RegimentQueen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)The Queen's Royal Regiment was a regiment of the English and later British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Army line infantry order of precedence...
- 1/6th Bn, Queens Royal Regiment
- 1/7th Bn, Queens Royal Regiment
132nd (Kent) Brigade
- 2nd Bn, The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)The Buffs , formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army until 1961. It had a history dating back to 1572 and was one of the oldest regiments in the British Army being third in order of precedence...
- 4th Bn, The Queen's Own Royal West Kent RegimentThe Queen's Own Royal West Kent RegimentThe Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1961. It was formed as The Queen's Own as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 50th Regiment of Foot and the 97th Regiment of Foot...
- 5th Bn, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
133rd (Royal Sussex) Brigade
- 2nd Bn, Royal Sussex Regiment
- 4th Bn, Royal Sussex Regiment
- 5th Bn, Royal Sussex Regiment
Support Units
- 6th Bn, The Cheshire Regiment (until 24 November 1942)
- 57th (Home Counties)Field Regiment, Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
- 58th (Sussex) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 65th (8th London) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 57th (East Surrey) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 99th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 30th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 11th Field Company, Royal EngineersRoyal EngineersThe Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
- 210th Field Company, Royal Engineers
- 211th Field Company, Royal Engineers
See also
- British Divisions in World War I
- British Divisions in World War IIBritish Divisions in World War IIThis page is a list of British Army divisions that fought in World War II.-Armoured:*Guards Armoured Division*1st Armoured Division*2nd Armoured Division - Formed 15 December 1939 in the UK. Served in Egypt from January 1941 until March 1941 and from April 1941 until May 1941, and in Libya from...
- British Army Order of Battle - September 1939