British 1st Division (World War I)
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Template:Infobox British WWI division
The British 1st Division was a permanently established Regular Army division that was amongst the first to be sent to France at the outbreak of the First World War. It served on the Western Front for the duration of the war After the war the division was part of the occupation force stationed at Bonn.
The division's insignia was the signal flag for the 'Number 1'.
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Unit history
Formation
The division comprised the following infantry brigades:
- 1st Brigade
- 1st Battalion, the Black Watch
- 1st Battalion, the Cameron Highlanders
- 1/14th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (until February 1916)
- 10th (Service) Battalion, The Gloucester Regiment (until February 1918)
- 8th (Service) Battalion, The Royal Berkshire Regiment (until February 1918)
- 1st Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (from 2nd Brigade - February 1918)
Originally called the '1st (Guards) Brigade' because it contained the 1st Battalions of the Coldstream Guards and the Scots Guards. When the Guards Division was formed in August 1915 and these two battalions departed, the brigade was redesignated.
- 2nd Brigade
- 2nd Battalion, The Royal Sussex Regiment
- 1st Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (to 1st Brigade - February 1918)
- 1st Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, the King's Royal Rifle Corps
Also attached to the 2nd Brigade for periods during 1915:
- 1/5th Battalion, The King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)
- 1/9th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
- 1/5th (Cinque Ports) Battalion, The Royal Sussex Regiment
- 3rd Brigade
- 1st Battalion, The South Wales Borderers
- 1st Battalion, The Gloucester Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, The Welsh Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, The Royal Munster Fusiliers (until February 1918)
Also attached to the 3rd Brigade were:
- 1/6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, The Welsh Regiment (October 1915 to May 1916)
- 1/4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers (November 1914 to September 1915)
- 1/9th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool) Regiment (November 1915 to January 1916)
Battles
- Battle of Mons
- First Battle of the Marne
- Battle of the Aisne
- First Battle of Ypres
- Battle of Aubers Ridge
- Battle of Loos
- Battle of the Somme (1916)
- Third Battle of Ypres
External links
- The British Army in the Great War: The 1st Division (http://www.1914-1918.net/1div.htm)