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British 9th (Scottish) Division
Encyclopedia
The 9th Division, was one of the Kitchener's Army
divisions
raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener to serve on the Western Front
during the First World War
.
After the 1st South African Infantry Brigade Group joined in early 1916, the division was known colloquially as the Jocks and Springbok
s.
, notable for being the first battle in which British forces used poison gas, the 9th (Scottish
) Division assaulted the Hohenzollern Redoubt
, the 5th Camerons suffered horrific casualties, and Corporal
James Dalgleish Pollock
gained a Victoria Cross
for his actions.
The 9th (Scottish) Division took part in major fighting during the Somme offensive. Notably it relieved the 30th Division
at Montauban and later attacked German positions at Bernafay Wood, where it succeeded in capturing vital objectives and forcing a German withdrawal.
s:
26th Brigade :
27th Brigade
:
28th Brigade
[6] :
1st (South Africa
n) Brigade [8] :
Pioneers :
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...
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...
raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener to serve 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...
during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
After the 1st South African Infantry Brigade Group joined in early 1916, the division was known colloquially as the Jocks and Springbok
Springbok
Springbok can have the following meanings:* Springbok , a small antelope inhabiting southern and western Africa.* South Africa national rugby union team, known as the Springboks....
s.
Unit history
In the Battle of LoosBattle 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...
, notable for being the first battle in which British forces used poison gas, the 9th (Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) Division assaulted the Hohenzollern Redoubt
Hohenzollern Redoubt
The Hohenzollern Redoubt, near to Auchy-les-Mines in France, was a German fortification on the Western Front in World War I.-Introduction:The British first attacked the Redoubt on September 25, 1915, the first day of the Battle of Loos...
, the 5th Camerons suffered horrific casualties, and Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
James Dalgleish Pollock
James Dalgleish Pollock
Captain James Dalgleish Pollock VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
gained a Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for his actions.
The 9th (Scottish) Division took part in major fighting during the Somme offensive. Notably it relieved 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...
at Montauban and later attacked German positions at Bernafay Wood, where it succeeded in capturing vital objectives and forcing a German withdrawal.
Formation
The division comprised the following brigadeBrigade
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:
26th Brigade :
- 8th Battalion, The Black WatchThe Black WatchThe Black Watch is a 1929 American early epic adventure drama film directed by John Ford and written by James Kevin McGuinness based on the novel King of the Khyber Rifles by Talbot Mundy. The film starred Victor McLaglen...
(Royal Highlanders) - 7th Battalion, Seaforth HighlandersSeaforth HighlandersThe Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the Great War...
(Ross-shireRoss-shireRoss-shire is an area in the Highland Council Area in Scotland. The name is now used as a geographic or cultural term, equivalent to Ross. Until 1889 the term denoted a county of Scotland, also known as the County of Ross...
Buffs, The Duke of AlbanyDuke of AlbanyDuke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish, and later the British, royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover....
's) - 8th Battalion, the Gordon Highlanders
- 5th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
- 10th Battalion, Princess Louise's (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) [2]
27th Brigade
British 27th Infantry Brigade
The 27th Infantry Brigade was a British Army brigade during the Second World War and Korean War. In Korea, the brigade was known as 27th British Commonwealth Brigade due to the addition of Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Indian units....
:
- 11th Battalion, the Royal Scots (LothianLothianLothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
Regiment) - 12th Battalion, the Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)
- 6th 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...
[3] - 10th Battalion, Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) [2]
- 6th Battalion, King's Own Scottish BorderersKing's Own Scottish BorderersThe King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.-History:It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours...
[4] - 9th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) [5]
28th Brigade
British 28th Infantry Brigade
The 28th Infantry Brigade was a British Army formation which served during the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War.-Second World War:...
[6] :
- 6th Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers [4]
- 9th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) [5]
- 10th Battalion, The Highland Light InfantryHighland Light InfantryThe Highland Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. In 1923 the regimental title was expanded to the Highland Light Infantry ...
[7] - 11th Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry [7]
1st (South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n) Brigade [8] :
- 1st Battalion, South African Infantry [9]
- 2nd Battalion, South African Infantry [9]
- 3rd Battalion, South African Infantry
- 4th Battalion, South African Infantry [9]
Pioneers :
- 9th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (Rosshire Buffs, The Duke of St. Albany's)
General Officers Commandering
Commanders have included:- 1902-1905 Major-General Edward LeachEdward Pemberton LeachGeneral Sir Edward Pemberton Leach VC KCB KCVO was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
- 27 August 1914 - 11 October 1914 Major-General Colin MackenzieColin John MackenzieMajor-General Sir Colin John Mackenzie, KCB was a British soldier and Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Army, from 1910 until 1913.-Background:...
- 26 October 1914 - 31 December 1914 Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Fergusson
- 21 January 1915 - 8 September 1915 Major-General Herman LandonHerman LandonMajor-General Herman James Shelley Landon, CB, CMG, , was a British Army officer. During the Boer War he commanded a battalion, and was promoted in the interwar period to take command of a brigade in the British Expeditionary Force...
- 8 September 1915 - 26 September 1915 Major-General George ThesigerGeorge ThesigerMajor-General George Handcock Thesiger, CB, CMG was a senior officer in the British Army during World War I who was killed in action during the battle of Loos by German shellfire...
- 28 September 1915 - 2 December 1916 Major-General William FurseWilliam FurseLieutenant General Sir William Thomas Furse KCB KCMG DSO was a Master-General of the Ordnance.-Military career:Educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Furse was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1884. He was Aide-de-Camp to Lord Roberts from 1891 to 1893.He served in the Second...
- 2 December 1916 - 4 March 1918 Major-General Henry LukinHenry LukinMajor General Sir Henry Timson Lukin KCB, CMG, DSO was a South African military commander. He fought in the Anglo-Zulu War and the Basutoland Gun War , the Bechuanaland Campaign , and the Anglo-Boer War when he was in command of the artillery during the defence of Wepener for which action he was...
- 13 March 1918 - 16 March 1918 Major-General Cyril BlacklockCyril BlacklockMajor-General Cyril Aubrey Blacklock DSO & Bar was a British Army officer who commanded 9th Division during World War I.-Military career:...
- 28 March 1918 - 1919 Major-General Hugh TudorHenry Hugh TudorLieutenant-General Sir Henry Hugh Tudor KCB, CMG was a British soldier who fought as a junior officer in the Second Boer War , and as a senior officer in the First World War , but is now remembered chiefly for his part in the Anglo-Irish War and the Palestine Police.-Early Career: India and South...
See also
- List of British divisions in WWI
- British 9th (Highland) Infantry DivisionBritish 9th (Highland) Infantry DivisionThe 9th Infantry Division was a second line Territorial Army formation at the beginning of the Second World War. After the surrender of the 51st Highland Division in 1940, the 9th Division, a replica of the 51st Division, was reorganised as the new 51st Infantry Division...
(For WWII)