The history of 38th (Welsh) Division
On 10 October 1914 official sanction was given for a Welsh Corps of two divisions to be raised by public subscription. It is generally described as the “Welsh Army Corps”. It was never actually formed as such, although its first division was assembled and called 43rd Division. Technically, it was part of the Fifth New Army. The Fourth New Army was broken up in April 1915 and the 43rd Division was then renumbered as the 38th (Welsh) Division.
The division was formed of many volunteer units that had already been raised by public subscription and private projects in Wales. It moved to France between 21 November and 6 December 1915 and then remained in France and Flanders throughout the war. It took part in the following engagements:
1916
The Battle of Albert (a phase of the Battles of the Somme 1916). The division was used to assault and clear Mametz Wood. It suffered severe casualties and did not return to major action until over a year later.
1917
The Third Battles of Ypres, in phases
The Battle of Pilkem, and
The Battle of Langemark
1918
The Second Battles of the Somme, in phases:
The Battle of Albert
The Battle of Bapaume
The Battles of the Hindenburg Line, in phases:
The Battle of Havrincourt
The Battle of Epehy
The Battle of Beaurevoir
The Battle of Cambrai, in which the division captured Villers-Outreaux
The Final Advance in Picardy, in
The Battle of the Selle and
The Battle of the Sambre
1919
The division was demobilised between December 1918 and June 1919, having suffered 28,600 casualties during the war.
The order of battle of the 38th (Welsh) Division
| 113th Brigade | |
| 13th (Service) Bn (1st North Wales), the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | joined November 1914 |
| 14th (Service) Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | joined November 1914 |
| 15th (Service) Bn (1st London Welsh), the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | joined November 1914, disbanded 8 February 1918 |
| 16th (Service) Bn , the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | joined November 1914 |
| 17th (Service) Bn (2nd North Wales), the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | joined February 1915, left July 1915 |
| 113th Machine Gun Company | joined 19 May 1916, moved into 38 MG Bn March 1918 |
| 113th Trench Mortar Battery | joined 26 December 1915 |
| 114th Brigade | |
| 10th (Service) Bn (1st Rhondda), the Welsh | joined September 1914, disbanded February 1918 |
| 13th (Service) Bn (2nd Rhondda), the Welsh | joined October 1914 |
| 14th (Service) Bn (Swansea), the Welsh | joined October 1914 |
| 15th (Service) Bn (Carmarthenshire County Committee), the Welsh | joined October 1914 |
| 114th Machine Gun Company | joined 19 May 1916, moved into 38 MG Bn March 1918 |
| 114th Trench Mortar Battery | joined 26 December 1915 |
| 115th Brigade | |
| 16th (Service) Bn (Cardiff City), the Welsh | joined October 1914, disbanded February 1918 |
| 10th (Service) Bn (1st Gwent), the South Wales Borderers | joined November 1914 |
| 11th (Service) Bn (2nd Gwent), the South Wales Borderers | joined January 1915, disbanded February 1918 |
| 17th (Service) Bn (2nd North Wales) , the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | joined July 1915 |
| 2nd Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | joined February 1918 |
| 115th Machine Gun Company | joined 19 May 1916, moved into 38 MG Bn March 1918 |
| 115th Mortar Battery | joined 26 December 1915 |
| Divisional Troops | |
| 19th (Service) Bn (Glamorgan Pioneers), the Welsh | joined as Divisional pioneer battalion February 1915 |
| 176th Machine Gun Company | joined 28 March 1917, moved into 38 MGB March 1918 |
| 38th Machine Gun Battalion | formed 2 March 1918 |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | |
| HQ, MG Section and D Squadron, the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry | joined by 4 December 1915, left 31 May 1916 |
| 38th Divisional Cyclist Company | joined 22 April 1915, left 10 May 1916 |
| Divisional Artillery | |
| CXIX Brigade, RFA | joined by August 1915, left 14 January 1917 |
| CXX Brigade, RFA | joined by August 1915, broken up late August 1916 |
| CXXI Brigade, RFA | joined by August 1915 |
| CXXII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | joined by August 1915 |
| 38 Heavy Battery, RGA | raised with the Division but left for XLII Heavy Artillery Group soon after |
| 38th Divisional Ammunition Column | joined December 1914. The four Brigade Ammunition Columns amalgamated into DAC in May 1916 |
| V.38 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA | formed by 28 July 1916, left for V/XV Corps 9 February 1918 |
| X.38, Y.38 and Z.38 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA | formed April 1916; Z Bty broken up 9 February 1918 when batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each |
| Royal Engineers | |
| 123rd Field Company | joined April 1915 |
| 124th Field Company | joined April 1915 |
| 151st Field Company | joined August 1915 |
| 38th Divisional Signals Company | |
| Royal Army Medical Corps units | |
| 129th Field Ambulance | joined December 1914 |
| 130th Field Ambulance | joined December 1914 |
| 131st Field Ambulance | joined December 1914 |
| 77th Sanitary Section | left April 1917 |
| No 5 (Welsh) Bacteriological Section | transferred to First Army 3 December 1915 |
| Other Divisional Troops | |
| 38th Divisional Train ASC | 330, 331, 332 and 333 Companies, formed April 1915 |
| 235th Divisional Employment Company | joined 23 June 1917 |
| 49th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC | joined December 1914 |
| 38th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop | joined from Meerut Division and redesignated 30 November 1915, left April 1916 |
Published histories
Read or download (free) Munby’s History of the 38th (Welsh) Division at Archive.org link
Divisional memorials
