The history of 11th (Northern) Division
The Division came into existence as a result of Army Order No. 324, issued on 21 August 1914, which authorised the formation of the six new Divisions of K1. It was formed of volunteers, under the administration of Northern Command. After initial training at the regimental depots, the units of the Division concentrated: the infantry at Grantham in Lincolnshire, artillery at Leeds, Sheffield, Norwich and Weedon in Northamptonshire, RE at Newark, RAMC at Sheffield, ASC at Lichfield in Staffordshire.
On 18 October 1914, still desparately short of uniform and equipment, the infantry of the Division was inspected by Lord Kitchener at Belton Park. On 4 April 1915 teh Division assembled at Witley and Frensham, where final training was undertaken. King George V inspected the Division on Hankey Common on 31 May 1915.
On 12 June 1915, the Division received orders to prepare for service at Gallipoli.
1915
Embarkation took place at Liverpool from 30 June, with much of the Division sailing on the Aquitania and Empress of Britain. Mudros was reached by Divisional HQ and 32nd Brigade on 10 July. On 6-7 August 1915 the Division landed near Lala Baba at Suvla Bay.
On 19/20 December 1915 the Division withdrew from Gallipoli and moved to Imbros.
1916
On 26 January the Division began to move to Egypt, landing at Alexandria on 2 February and concentrating at Sidi Bishr six days later. 19 February saw the Division take over a section of the Suez canal defences.
The Division received orders on 17 June 1916 for a move to France. Embarkation at Alexandria was completed on 3rd July and by 7th of that month Divisional HQ had been set up at Flesselles. By 27 July, the Division had taken over part of the front in Third Army sector. The Division then took part in the following operations:
The capture of the Wundt-Werk (Wonder Work)*
The Battle of Flers-Courcelette*
The Battle of Thiepval*
The battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916
1917
Operations on the Ancre
The Battle of Messines
The Battle of the Langemarck**
The Battle of Polygon Wood**
The Battle of Broodseinde**
The Battle of Poelcapelle**
The battles marked ** are phases of the Third Battle of Ypres
1918
The Battle of the Scarpe+
The Battle of the Drocourt-Quant Line+
The battles marked + are phases of the Second Battles of Arras 1918
The Battle of the Canal du Nord^
The Battle of Cambrai 1918^
The pursuit to the Selle^
The battles marked ^ are phases of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line
The Battle of the Sambre including the passage of the Grand Honelle
When the Armistice halted the fighting, the Division was on high ground east of Havay.
Between 26-28 November the Division was moved back behind the River Scheldt.
Demobilisation began in January 1919 and ended in June 1919.
From 1915 to 1918 the Division suffered a total of 32,165 officers and men killed, wounded or missing in action.
The order of battle of the 11th (Northern) Division
| 32nd Brigade | |
| 9th Bn, the West Yorkshire Regt | |
| 6th Bn, the East Yorkshire Regt | left December 1914 |
| 6th Bn, the Yorkshire Regt | left June 1918 |
| 6th Bn, the York & Lancaster Regt | |
| 8th Bn, the Duke of Wellington’s | joined 18 January 1915, disbanded February 1918 |
| 32nd Machine Gun Company | formed March 1916 left to move into 11th MG Battalion 28 February 1918 |
| 32nd Trench Mortar Battery | joined 17 July 1916 |
| 2nd Bn, the Yorkshire Regt | joined May 1918 |
| 33rd Brigade | |
| 6th Bn, the Lincolnshire Regt | |
| 6th Bn, the Border Regt | disbanded February 1918 |
| 7th Bn, the South Staffordshire Regt | |
| 9th Bn, the Sherwood Foresters | |
| 33rd Machine Gun Company | formed March 1916 left to move into 11th MG Battalion 28 February 1918 |
| 33rd Trench Mortar Battery | joined July 1917 |
| 34th Brigade | |
| 8th Bn, the Northumberland Fusiliers | |
| 9th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers | disbanded February 1918 |
| 5th Bn, the Dorsetshire Regt | |
| 11th Bn, the Manchester Regt | |
| 34th Machine Gun Company | formed March 1916 left to move into 11th MG Battalion 28 February 1918 |
| 34th Trench Mortar Battery | joined July 1917 |
| Divisional Troops | |
| 6th Bn, the East Yorkshire Regt | joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion in December 1914 |
| 11 Motor Machine Gun Battery | joined early 1915, left before embarkation |
| 250th Machine Gun Company | joined 16 November 1917 left to move into 11th MG Battalion 28 February 1918 |
| 11th Battalion Machine Gun Corps | formed 28 February 1918 |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | |
| A Sqn, the Royal Glasgow Yeomanry | 2-30 June 1915 only |
| B Sqn, the Hertfordshire Yeomanry | 4 April – July 1916 |
| 11th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps | formed January 1915, left 12 July 1916 |
| Divisional Artillery | |
| LVIII Brigade, RFA | |
| LIX Brigade, RFA | |
| LX Brigade, RFA | broken up January 1917 |
| LXI (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | left before embarkation |
| 11th Divisional Ammunition Column RFA | |
| 11th (Hull) Heavy Battery, RGA | left before embarkation |
| 91st Heavy Battery, RGA | left before embarkation |
| 10th Heavy Battery, RGA | attached at Suvla Bay 14 August to 17 December 1915 |
| CXXXIII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | joined 26 April 1916, broken up January 1917 |
| V.11 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA | joined 9 August 1916, left 12 February 1918 |
| X.11, Y.11 and Z.11 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA | joined 9 August 1916; on 3 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each |
| Royal Engineers | |
| 67th Field Company | |
| 68th Field Company | |
| 86th Field Company | joined February 1915 |
| 11th Divisional Signals Company | |
| Royal Army Medical Corps | |
| 33rd Field Ambulance | |
| 34th Field Ambulance | |
| 35th Field Ambulance | |
| 21st Sanitary Section | left 9 December 1916 |
| Other Divisional Troops | |
| 11th Divisional Train ASC | 112, 113, 114 and 115 Companies. Did not move overseas with the Division and transferred to 26th Division. Shared 10th Divisional Train at Gallipoli and Egypt. Replaced by new Train (479, 480, 481 and 482 Companies) in July 1916 |
| 22nd Mobile Veterinary Section AVC | |
| 213th Divisional Employment Company | formed by 30 June 1917 |
| 11th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop | remained with original Divisional Train when it left |
Divisional histories
There appears to be no published history of this Division.
Divisional memorials
There is a memorial to the Division at St Wulfram’s Church in Grantham, Lincolnshire and at the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli.
Links
Dedication
This page is to Albert Baker, my grandfather’s cousin. Among the first to enlist, he served with the 7th South Staffords at Gallipoli and on the Somme. Albert was killed in action near Wytschaete on 7 June 1917 and has no known grave. Like all of my father’s family, he was from Aston, Birmingham. Albert was 19 when he died.