2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 2nd Division


caption=Insignia of the 2nd Division
dates= 1809 - Present
country= United Kingdom
allegiance=
branch= Regular/Territorial Army
type= Infantry/All Arms and Services
role= Training and Administration
Military Aid to the Civil Community
Military Aid to the Civil Power
size=One Garrison
Three Brigades
command_structure= Land Command
current_commander= Major General D McDowall, MBE [ [http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/71DCA76A-9967-41CE-A0BD-B72C1E89FB6B/0/guide_appointments_jul07.pdf MoD Appointments List] ]
garrison=Craigiehall, near Edinburgh
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=Peninsula War
Crimean War
World War I
World War II
Battle of France
Burma Campaign
Battle of Kohima
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=

The British 2nd Division was originally formed in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsula War. During the First World War it was a permanently established Regular Army division that was amongst the first to be sent to France at the outbreak of the 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 Cologne.

It continued life as a regular army formation that served in France 1940, and after being stationed in Britain until April 1942 was then shipped off to India where it would spend the rest of the war fighting in the Burma Campaign. It gained the World War II Battle Honours of the Dyle, St. Omer-La Bassee, Kohima and Mandalay. Amalgamated in the Far East with the 36th Division in 1946-7, the division was disbanded soon afterwards there and reformed in Germany by February 1947 utilising the structure of the disbanding 53rd Welsh Division. The Division was to stay in Germany with I(BR) Corps for decades, and spend a period as 2nd Armoured Division, a small five-battle group armoured division probably incorporating Task Force Charlie and Task Force Delta, from 1976 to 1983.

The Division was brought home in the 1982-3 reorganisation, and headquartered at York. Consisting of 15 (TA), 49 (TA) and 24th Brigades, its war role would have been to cross the Channel and protect the corps rear area in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe.

Following the end of the Cold War, the division disbanded, but the title was resurrected for the amalgamation of several military districts - North East District and part of Eastern District, when the formation reformed on 1 April 1995. The 1998 Strategic Defence Review led to a reorganisation of Land Command and 2nd Division absorbed Scotland District and its headquarters moved to Craigiehall, near Edinburgh. The Division reports to Commander Regional Forces, a Lieutenant General, at Headquarters Land Command at Wilton.

Following further reshuffing, 52nd Infantry Brigade was reformed as an operational, rather than regional, brigade consisting of several light infantry battalions, and as a result will leave the formation to join 3 Division in 2007.

The division has long been associated with the north of England. The divisional insignia, the Crossed Keys of Saint Peter, were originally part of the coat of arms of the Diocese of York, and were adopted before or during the First World War.

Peninsula War Formation

Commanding General Major General Stewart
*1st Brigade: commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Colborne
**1/3rd (Kent) Regiment of Foot (The Buffs)
**2/31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot
**2/48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot
**2/66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot

*2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General Hoghton
**29th Regiment of Foot
**1/48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot
**1/57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot

*3rd Brigade: commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Abercromby
**2/28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot
**2/34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot
**2/39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot
*3 Coys 5/60th Foot

Crimean War Formation

Commanding General: Lieutenant General Sir de Lacy Evans

*3rd Brigade: Brigadier General Adams
**41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot
**47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot
**49th Foot
*4th Brigade: Brigadier General Pennefather
**30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot
**55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot
**95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot
*Two field batteries Royal Artillery

World War I formation

; 4th (Guards) Brigade :
*2nd Battalion, the Grenadier Guards
*2nd Battalion, the Coldstream Guards
*3rd Battalion, the Coldstream Guards
*1st Battalion, the Irish Guards
*1/1st Battalion, The Hertfordshire Regiment ("to 6th Bde. August 1915")

The brigade left the division on 20 August 1915 to join the
Guards Division and was renamed the 1st Guards Brigade.

; 5th Brigade :
*2nd Battalion, the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
*2nd Battalion, the Highland Light Infantry
*17th (Service) Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers ("from 99th Bde. December 1915, to 6th Bde. in February 1918")
*24th (Service) Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers ("from 99th Bde. December 1915")

The following battalions were part of the brigade during 1915.
*1/7th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) ("September 1915 to November 1915")
*2nd Battalion, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers ("January 1915 to July 1915")
*2nd Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment ("August 1914 to December 1915")
*1/9th Battalion (Glasgow Highlanders), the Highland Light Infantry ("November 1914 to January 1916")
*1st Battalion, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) ("July 1915 to December 1915")

; 6th Brigade :
*1st Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
*2nd Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment
*13th (Service) Battalion (West Ham), The Essex Regiment
*1st Battalion, the King's Royal Rifle Corps ("to 99th Bde. December 1915")

The following battalions were part of the brigade during 1915.
*1st Battalion, the Royal Berkshire Regiment ("August 1914 to December 1915")
*1/5th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) ("February 1915 to December 1915")
*1/7th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) ("March 1915 to September 1915")
*1/1st Battalion, The Hertfordshire Regiment ("August 1915 to June 1916")

The 17th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers joined the brigade fromthe 5th Brigade in February 1918.

; 19th Brigade (19 August 1915 to 25 November 1915) :
*2nd Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers
*1st Battalion, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
*1/5th Battalion, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
*1st Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment
*2nd Battalion, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

The brigade joined the division in August 1915 from the 27th Division and left in November for the 33rd Division,where it swapped with the 99th Brigade.

; 99th Brigade :
*22nd (Service) Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers
*23rd (Service) Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers
*1st Battalion, the Royal Berkshire Regiment ("from 6th Bde. December 1915")
*1st Battalion, the King's Royal Rifle Corps ("from 6th Bde. December 1915")

The brigade joined the division from the 33rd Division in November 1915.The following battalions left the brigade shortly afterwards:

*17th (Service) Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers ("to 5th Bde. December 1915")
*24th (Service) Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers ("to 5th Bde. December 1915")
*1/5th Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment) ("from 6th Bde. December 1915")

World War II formation

(On Deployment to India, April 1942)

4th Infantry Brigade

*1st Bn, Royal Scots
*2nd Bn, The Royal Norfolk Regiment
*1/8th Bn, The Lancashire Fusiliers

5th Infantry Brigade

*1st Bn, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
*2nd Bn, The Dorsetshire Regiment
*7th Bn, The Worcestershire Regiment

6th Infantry Brigade

*1st Bn, The Royal Berkshire Regiment
*1st Bn, The Royal Welsh Fusiliers
*2nd Bn, Durham Light Infantry

upport

*2nd Reconnaissance Regiment RAC
*2nd Bn, The Manchester Regiment
*3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards)
*10th Field Regt. Royal Artillery
*16th Field Regt, Royal Artillery
*99th (Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry) Field Regt, RA
*100th (Gordon Highlanders) Anti-Tank Regt. RA

Current formation

The Division was reformed on 1 April 1995. It is tasked with maintaining the infrastructure and resources and the command and control responsibilities, for the training and administration of all Regular Army and Territorial Army units in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North of England. The Division has its Headquarters at Craigiehall, near Edinburgh and comprises Catterick Garrison and four Regional Brigades:

* 15th (North East) Brigade
* 38th (Irish) Brigade
* 42nd (North West) Brigade
* 51st (Scottish) Brigade

52nd Infantry Brigade was transferred from the 2nd Division to 3 (Mechanised) Division in April 2007.

Recent Commanders

Recent Commanders have been: [Whitaker's Almanacks]
*1995-1996 Major General PAJ Cordingley
*1996-1999 Major General CD Farrar-Hockley
*1999-2002 Major General RDS Gordon
*2003-2004 Major General NR Parker
*2004-2006 Major General WEB Loudon
*2007-present Major General D McDowall

References

ee also

*List of British divisions in WWI

External links

* [http://www.army.mod.uk/2div/index.htm 2nd Division Website]
*
* [http://homepages.force9.net/rothwell/theburma.htm History]
* [http://www.unithistories.com/units_british/2InfDiv.html British Unit History Site]
* [http://www.1914-1918.net/2div.htm The British Army in the Great War: The 2nd Division]

Further reading

* Jon Latimer, "Burma: The Forgotten War", London: John Murray, 2004 ISBN 0-7195-6576-6