British 7th Infantry Division
Encyclopedia
The 7th Infantry Division was established by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army
, for service in the Peninsula War and was active also during the First World War from 1914-1918/19 and also in 1938-39 in Palestine and Egypt.
the Battle of Vitoria
the Battle of the Pyrenees
the Battle of Nivelle
the Battle of the Nive
and the Battle of Orthez
.
that was formed by combining battalions returning from outposts in the British Empire
at the outbreak of the First World War. The division began moving to France
on 6 October 1914. The division fought in most of the major battles on the Western Front
through to 1917 before being sent to Italy
for the remainder of the war. At the battle of Loos
in 1915, the Division's GOC, Major-General Thompson Capper
, was killed in action at the height of the fighting. Unlike the first six regular divisions of the B.E.F., a third of whose strength was made up of regular reservists, the 7th Division was composed entirely of serving regulars, which gave rise to its nickname The Immortal Seventh.
The Guards battalions departed in August 1915 when the British Guards Division was formed.
21st Brigade :
The brigade transferred to the 30th Division
on December 19, 1915, swapping with the 91st Brigade.
22nd Brigade :
91st Brigade :
The brigade joined from the 30th Division
in December 1915, swapping with the 21st Brigade. A number of battalions swapped to the brigade from other 7th Division brigades during the transition.
The Times
noted on 19 October 1938 that "There will be enough infantry to give ... two divisions [the other apparently being the 8th Infantry Division]. Already on duty are the 14th, 16th, 17th and 19th Brigades, the brigade from India, and one made up from home and Malta. Soon there will be added units of a mounted brigade."
The Division included the Cairo Brigade, which became the 29th Infantry Brigade on 20 September 1939.
The Division was redesignated the 6th Infantry Division on 3 November 1939.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army
Anglo-Portuguese Army
The Anglo-Portuguese Army was the combined British and Portuguese army that won the Peninsular War, under the command of Arthur Wellesley. The Army is also referred to as the British-Portuguese Army and, in Portuguese, as the Exército Anglo-Luso or the Exército Anglo-Português.The Anglo-Portuguese...
, for service in the Peninsula War and was active also during the First World War from 1914-1918/19 and also in 1938-39 in Palestine and Egypt.
Peninsula War
The 7th Division was formed during the Peninsula War by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington it was present at the Battle of Fuentes de OnoroBattle of Fuentes de Onoro
In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro , the British-Portuguese Army under Viscount Wellington checked an attempt by the French Army of Portugal under Marshal André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.-Background:...
the Battle of Vitoria
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
the Battle of the Pyrenees
Battle of the Pyrenees
The Battle of the Pyrenees was a large-scale offensive launched on 25 July 1813 by Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult from the Pyrénées region on Emperor Napoleon’s order, in the hope of relieving French garrisons under siege at Pamplona and San Sebastián...
the Battle of Nivelle
Battle of Nivelle
The Battle of Nivelle took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War . After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops were in hot pursuit of Marshal Soult who only had 60,000 men to place in a 20-mile perimeter...
the Battle of the Nive
Battle of the Nive
The Battles of the Nive were fought towards the end of the Peninsular War. Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish army defeated Marshal Nicolas Soult's French army in a series of battles near the city of Bayonne.Unusually, for most of the battle, Wellington...
and the Battle of Orthez
Battle of Orthez
The Battle of Orthez saw the Anglo-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington defeat a French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France near the end of the Peninsular War.-Preliminaries:...
.
Composition During the Peninsula War
- Commanding General Major General Hope.
- 1st Brigade: commanded by Colonel Colin Halkett
- 1st Light Battalion, King's German LegionKing's German LegionThe King's German Legion was a British Army unit of expatriate German personnel, 1803–16. The Legion achieved the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French during the Napoleonic Wars....
(to December 1812) - 2nd Light Battalion, King's German Legion (to December 1812)
- 1/6th (1st Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot (from November 1812)
- 3rd Provisional Battalion (2/24th and 2/58thNorthamptonshire RegimentThe Northamptonshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1960. Its lineage is now continued by The Royal Anglian Regiment.-Formation:The regiment was formed as part of the reorganisation of the infantry by the Childers reforms...
Regiments of Foot) (from December 1812) - 7 Coys, Brunswick-Oels.
- 1st Light Battalion, King's German Legion
- 2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General de Bernewitz
- 51st (2nd Yorkshire West Riding) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)51st (2nd Yorkshire West Riding) Regiment of FootThe 51st Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment. During the Childers Reforms it was united with the 105th Regiment of Foot to form the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry....
- 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)The 68th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Durham Light Infantry in 1881. It saw action during the Seven Years War before being converted to Light Infantry in 1808. Fighting with distinction in the Peninsular Army under Arthur...
(from July 1811) - 1/82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers)The 82nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, created in 1793 and amalgamated into The Prince of Wales's Volunteers in 1881....
(from November 1813) - 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers)The 85th Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment. During the Childers Reforms it was united with the 53rd Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry.-Service history:...
(to October 1811) - Chasseurs BritanniquesChasseurs BritanniquesThe Chasseurs Britanniques was a battalion-sized corps of foreign volunteers, who fought for Great Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. The regiment was formed from the remnants of the Prince of Condé's Army after it was disbanded in 1800...
- 51st (2nd Yorkshire West Riding) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
- Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Colonel Collins
- 1/7th Portuguese Line
- 2/7th Portuguese Line
- 1/19th Portuguese Line
- 2/19th Portuguese Line
- 2nd CaçadoresCaçadoresThe Caçadores were the elite light infantry of the Portuguese Army during the Peninsular War...
First World War
The 7th Division was a Regular Army divisionDivision (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 formed by combining battalions returning from outposts in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
at the outbreak of the First World War. The division began moving to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on 6 October 1914. The division fought in most of the major battles 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...
through to 1917 before being sent 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...
for the remainder of the war. At the battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
in 1915, the Division's GOC, Major-General Thompson Capper
Thompson Capper
Major General Sir Thompson Capper KCMG CB DSO was a highly decorated and senior British Army officer who served with distinction in the Second Boer War and was a divisional commander during the First World War...
, was killed in action at the height of the fighting. Unlike the first six regular divisions of the B.E.F., a third of whose strength was made up of regular reservists, the 7th Division was composed entirely of serving regulars, which gave rise to its nickname The Immortal Seventh.
Composition During First World War
20th Brigade :- 2nd Battalion, The Border RegimentBorder RegimentThe Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 34th Regiment of Foot and the 55th Regiment of Foot....
- 2nd Battalion, the Gordon Highlanders
- 1st Battalion, the Grenadier GuardsGrenadier GuardsThe Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
(to 3rd Guards Bde. August 1915) - 2nd Battalion, the Scots GuardsScots Guards (1914)The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army.-World War I:On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife the Countess Sophie were assassinated by a Serbian nationalist...
(to 3rd Guards Bde. August 1915) - 1/6th (BanffBanff, AberdeenshireBanff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Banff is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron...
and Donside) Battalion, the Gordon Highlanders (until January 1916) - 8th (Service) Battalion, The Devonshire RegimentThe Devonshire RegimentThe Devonshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army which served under various titles from 1685 to 1958. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles.-Origin and titles:...
(from May 1915) - 9th (Service) Battalion, The Devonshire Regiment (from August 1915)
The Guards battalions departed in August 1915 when the British Guards Division was formed.
21st Brigade :
- 2nd Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment)
- 2nd Battalion, the Royal Scots FusiliersRoyal Scots Fusiliers-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
- 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment)
- 1/4th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (from April 1915, to 91st Bde. December 1915)
The brigade transferred to the 30th Division
British 30th Division
The British 30th Division was a New Army division that was originally made up of battalions raised by public subscription or private patronage. The division was taken over by the British War Office in August 1915 and moved to France in December...
on December 19, 1915, swapping with the 91st Brigade.
22nd Brigade :
- 1st Battalion, the Royal Welch FusiliersRoyal Welch FusiliersThe Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
- 2nd Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment
- 1/8th Battalion, The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) (until August 1915)
- 1/7th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) (from November 1915 until January 1916)
- 2nd Battalion, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (to 91st Bde. December 1915)
- 1st Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment (to 91st Bde. December 1915)
- 20th (Service) Battalion (5th City), The Manchester RegimentThe Manchester RegimentThe Manchester Regiment was a regiment of the British army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 63rd Regiment of Foot and the 96th Regiment of Foot...
(from December 1915) - 24th (Service) Battalion (Oldham), The Manchester Regiment (from December 1915 until May 1916)
- 2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish RegimentRoyal Irish Regiment (1684-1922)The Royal Irish Regiment, until 1881 the 18th Regiment of Foot, was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, first raised in 1684. Also known as the 18th Regiment of Foot and the 18th Regiment of Foot, it was one of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, its home depot in...
(from May 1916 until October 1916) - 2/1st Battalion, the Honourable Artillery CompanyHonourable Artillery CompanyThe Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...
(from October 1916)
91st Brigade :
- 2nd Battalion, the Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (from 22nd Bde. December 1915)
- 1st Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment (from 22nd Bde. December 1915)
- 21st (Service) Battalion (6th City), The Manchester Regiment
- 22nd (Service) Battalion (7th City), The Manchester Regiment
- 1/4th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (from 21st Bde. December 1915 until January 1916)
The brigade joined from the 30th Division
British 30th Division
The British 30th Division was a New Army division that was originally made up of battalions raised by public subscription or private patronage. The division was taken over by the British War Office in August 1915 and moved to France in December...
in December 1915, swapping with the 21st Brigade. A number of battalions swapped to the brigade from other 7th Division brigades during the transition.
Battles During First World War
- First Battle of YpresFirst Battle of YpresThe First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
- Battle of Neuve ChapelleBattle of Neuve ChapelleThe Battles of Neuve Chapelle and Artois was a battle in the First World War. It was a British offensive in the Artois region and broke through at Neuve-Chapelle but they were unable to exploit the advantage.The battle began on 10 March 1915...
- Battle of Aubers RidgeBattle of Aubers RidgeThe Battle of Aubers Ridge was a British offensive mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I.- Background :The battle was the initial British component of the combined Anglo-French offensive known as the Second Battle of Artois...
- Battle of FestubertBattle of FestubertThe Battle of Festubert was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. It began on May 15, 1915 and continued until May 25.-Context:...
- Battle of LoosBattle of LoosThe Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
- Battle of the Somme (1916)Battle 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...
- 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...
Second World War
Richard O'Conner served as Military Governor of Jerusalem & General Officer Commanding, 7th Infantry Division in Palestine and Egypt from 29.09.1938 to 03.11.1939. When O'Connor was formally appointed on 4 October 1938, the division had not yet been fully formed, but the 19th Infantry Brigade had been earmarked for the new formation.The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
noted on 19 October 1938 that "There will be enough infantry to give ... two divisions [the other apparently being the 8th Infantry Division]. Already on duty are the 14th, 16th, 17th and 19th Brigades, the brigade from India, and one made up from home and Malta. Soon there will be added units of a mounted brigade."
The Division included the Cairo Brigade, which became the 29th Infantry Brigade on 20 September 1939.
The Division was redesignated the 6th Infantry Division on 3 November 1939.
General Officers Commanding
Commanders have included:- 1902-1906 Lieutenant-General Sir Gerald MortonGerald MortonLieutenant-General Sir Gerald De Courcy Morton KCIE CVO CB was a British Army officer who became General Officer Commanding 7th Division.-Military career:Morton was commissioned into the 6th Regiment of Foot in 1863...
- 1906-1907 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...
- 1914-1915 Major-General Thompson CapperThompson CapperMajor General Sir Thompson Capper KCMG CB DSO was a highly decorated and senior British Army officer who served with distinction in the Second Boer War and was a divisional commander during the First World War...
- Apr 1915-Jul 1915 Major-General Hubert GoughHubert GoughGeneral Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough GCB, GCMG, KCVO was a senior officer in the British Army, who commanded the British Fifth Army from 1916 to 1918 during the First World War.-Family background:...
- Jul 1915-Sep 1915 Major-General Sir Thompson CapperThompson CapperMajor General Sir Thompson Capper KCMG CB DSO was a highly decorated and senior British Army officer who served with distinction in the Second Boer War and was a divisional commander during the First World War...
- 1915-1917 Major-General Herbert WattsHerbert WattsLieutenant-General Sir Herbert Edward Watts KCB KCMG was a British Army officer who became General Officer Commanding 7th Division during World War I.-Military career:...
- Jan 1917-Apr 1917 Major-General George BarrowGeorge Barrow (British Army officer)General Sir George de Symons Barrow GCB KCMG was a British Army officer who became General Officer Commanding 7th Division.-Military career:...
- 1917-1919 Major-General Herbert ShoubridgeHerbert ShoubridgeMajor General Herbert Shoubridge CB, CMG, DSO was a British Army officer who became Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst.-Military career:Shoubridge was commissioned into the Dorset Regiment in 1893...
- 1938-1939 Major-General Richard O'ConnorRichard O'ConnorGeneral Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor KT, GCB, DSO & Bar, MC, ADC was a British Army general who commanded the Western Desert Force in the early years of World War II...
See also
- 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