61st (2nd South Midland) Division

The 61st Division was an infantry division of the British Army raised in 1915 during the Great War as a second-line reserve for the first-line battalions of the 48th (South Midland) Division. The division was sent to the Western Front in May 1916 and served there for the duration of the First World War.

Unit history

The division landed in France in May 1916. On 19 July 1916, together with the 5th Australian Division, the 61st Division fought the Battle of Fromelles, designed as a feint attack as part of the Somme Offensive. The attack, against well prepared German positions based on a ridge, was a disaster and responsible for the subsequent poor reputation of the Division. The division later took part in the advance to the Hindenburg Line and the Third Battle of Ypres.

Order of Battle

The order of battle was as follows:
; 182nd (2nd Warwickshire) Brigade :

2/5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
2/6th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
2/7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
2/8th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
2/8th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

; 183rd (2nd Gloucester and Worcester) Brigade :
The brigade contained the following battalions until February 1918 when
most of them were disbanded.

Between February and June 1918 the 183rd Brigade contained the following
battalions.

1/9th (Highlanders) Battalion, Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)
1/5th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
1/8th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

From May 1918 the following battalions joined the Brigade.

; 184th (2nd South Midland) Brigade :

2/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
2/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
2/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
2/4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment

; Divisional Troops :

1/5th Bn, the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry joined as Divisional Pioneer Bn April 1916
267th Machine Gun Company joined 18 January 1918, moved to 61st Bn MGC 1 March 1918
61st Battalion MGC formed 1 March 1918

; Divisional Mounted Troops :

2/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry joined October 1915, left February 1916
2/2nd County of London Yeomanry joined 24 January 1916, left February 1916
C Sqn, 1/1st Hampshire Yeomanry joined 18 March 1916, left 7 June 1916
2nd South Midland Divisional Cyclist Company left June 1916

; 61st Divisional Artillery :

CCCV (2/I South Midland) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery broken up 17 September 1916
CCCVI (2/II South Midland) Brigade, RFA
CCCVII (2/III South Midland) Brigade, RFA
CCCVIII (2/IV S.M.) (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA broken up 27 January 1917
2/1st South Midland (Warwicks) Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery left 3 February 1916
2/2nd London Heavy Battery RGA joined 24 January 1916, left 3 February 1916
1/1st Wessex Heavy Battery RGA attached 24 January to February 1916
2/1st Wessex Heavy Battery RGA attached 24 January to February 1916
61st Divisional Ammunition Column RFA
V.61 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, RFA formed by 16 August 1916; left 7 February 1918
X.61, Y.61 and Z.61 Medium Mortar Batteries, RFA formed June 1916; on 7 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each

; 61st (2nd South Midland) Divisional Engineers :

477th Field Company moved independently to France and joined 48th Division June 1915
478th Field Company
479th Field Company
476th Field Company joined by May 1916
61st Divisional Signals Company

; Royal Army Medical Corps :

2/1st South Midland Field Ambulance
2/2nd South Midland Ambulance
2/3rd South Midland Field Ambulance
61st Sanitary Section left for IV Corps 12 April 1917

; Other Divisional Troops :

61st Divisional Train ASC 521, 522, 523 and 524 Companies ASC
2/1st South Midland Mobile Veterinary Section AVC
251st Divisional Employment Company joined 7 June 1917

Battles

Battle of Fromelles

General Officer Commanding

Commanding officers were:

Brigadier-General The Marquess of Salisbury, September 1915 – December 1915
Major-General Richard Bannatine-Allason, December 1915 – February 1916
Major-General Sir Colin Mackenzie, KCB, February 1916 – May 1918
Major-General F. John Duncan, CB, CMG, DSO 1918