46th (North Midland) Infantry Division

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 46th (North Midland) Division


caption=
dates= 1908 - June 1919
World War II
1939 - 1945
country= Great Britain
branch= Territorial Army
type= Infantry
role=
size=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= World War I
Battle of Loos
Battle of the Somme (1916)
Battle of Albert
World War II
Battle of France
Tunisia Campaign
Italian Campaign
anniversaries=

History

World War I

The British 46th (North Midland) Division was a 1st Line Territorial Army division. At the outbreak of the war, the 46th Division was commanded by Major General Hon. E.J. Montagu-Stuart-Wortley. Originally called the 'North Midland Division', it was redesignated as the 46th Division in 1915. The division was sent to France in February 1915 and served on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War. During the Battle of Loos the Division was decimated in an attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt on October 13th 1915. It was later involved in the Battle of the Somme (1916) and the Battle of Albert.

As part of VII Corps, the southern-most corps of the Third Army, the 46th Division was involved in the diversion at Gommecourt on the first day on the Somme, 1 July, 1916.

World War II

The Division was formed again as a 2nd Line Territorial Army formation during the Second World War.The 46th Infantry Division was part of the British Expeditionary Force sent to France in 1940 as a labour and training unit but ended up fighting in the retreat to Dunkirk and evacuation to Britain. It was reorganised as a 'mixed' division for the Tunisian Campaign, for which its 137th Infantry Brigade was converted to armour as the 137th Armoured Brigade, but in the event, 128th Infantry Brigade was attached in its place. From 17 January 1943 it was part of the 1st Army in Tunisia and from there it fought through the Italian Campaign. In 1945 the division was sent with Scobie's III Corps to re-occupy Greece.

World War I Order of Battle

; 137th Brigade (Staffordshire) :

*1/5th Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment
*1/6th Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment
*1/5th Battalion, The Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment) ("until January 1918")
*1/6th Battalion, The Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment)

; 138th Brigade (Lincoln and Leicester) :

*1/4th Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment ("until January 1918")
*1/5th Battalion, The Lincolnshire Regiment
*1/4th Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment
*1/5th Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment

; 139th Brigade (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire) :

*1/5th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters
*1/6th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters
*1/7th (Robin Hood) Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters ("until January 1918")
*1/8th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters

; R.F.A Bdes. :

*I N. Midlands (1, 2 ,3 Lincs. Btys.)
*II N. Midlands (1, 2 ,3 Staffs. Btys.)
*III N. Midlands (4, 5, 6 Staffs. Btys.)
*IV N. Midlands (How.) 1 & 2 Derbyshire Btys.

; Pioneers :

*1/1st Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment

World War II Order of Battle

137th Infantry Brigade (20 July 1942 converted into an Armoured Brigade)

*2nd/5th Bn, The West Yorkshire Regiment
*2nd/6th Bn, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment
*2nd/7th Bn, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment

138th Infantry Brigade

*2nd/4th Bn, The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
*6th Bn, The Lincolnshire Regiment
*6th Bn, The York and Lancaster Regiment

139th Infantry Brigade

*2nd/5th Bn, The Leicestershire Regiment
*2nd/5th Bn, The Sherwood Foresters
*16th Bn, The Durham Light Infantry

128th Infantry Brigade

(From Tunisia onwards)
*1st/4th Bn, The Hampshire Regiment
*2nd/4th Bn, The Hampshire Regiment
*5th Bn, The Hampshire Regiment
*2nd Bn, The Hampshire Regiment

See also

*List of British divisions in WWI

External links

* [http://www.1914-1918.net/46div.htm The British Army in the Great War: The 46th (North Midland) Division]
*oob unit | id = 1479 | name = 46 (West Riding) Infantry Division