The history of 17th (Northern) Division
This Division was established by the Northern Command in September 1914, as part of the Army Orders authorising Kitchener’s Second New Army, K2. Early days were somewhat chaotic, the new volunteers having very few trained officers and NCOs to command them, no organised billets or equipment. The units of the Division initially concentrated in the Wareham – Lulworth – Swanage – Wool- Bovington area of Dorset but moved in late May 1915 to the Winchester area.
After receiving an order that the Division would be retained for home defence (subsequently cancelled), advance parties left for France on 6 July. Main embarkation began on 12 July and units moved to concentrate near St Omer.
The Division served on the Western Front for the remainder of the war, taking part in many of the significant actions:
1915
The Division spent its initial period of trench familiarisation and then holding the front lines in the southern area of the Ypres salient.
1916
The Division was involved in fighting at the Bluff (south east of Ypres on the Comines canal), part of a number of engagements officially known as the Actions of Spring 1916.
The Battle of Albert* in which the Division captured Fricourt
The Battle of Delville Wood*
The battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916
1917
The First Battle of the Scarpe**
The Second Battle of the Scarpe**
The Capture of Roeux**
The battles marked ** are phases of the Arras Offensive
The First Battle of Passchendaele***
The Second Battle of Passchendaele***
The battles marked *** are phases of the Third Battles of Ypres
1918
The Battle of St Quentin+
The Battle of Bapaume+
The battles marked + are phases of the First Battles of the Somme 1918
The Battle of Amiens
The Battle of Albert++
The Battle of Bapaume++
The battles marked ++ are phases of the Second Battles of the Somme 1918
The Battle of Havrincourt^
The Battle of Epehy^
The Battle of Cambrai 1918^
The battles marked ^ are phases of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line
The pursuit to the Selle
The Battle of the Selle^^
The Battle of the Sambre^^
The battles marked ^^ are phases of the Final Advance in Artois
When the Armistice came into effect at 11am on 11 November 1918 the leading elements of the Division were south east of Maubeuge. Over the next two days the Division was withdrawn to the area west of Le Cateau; on 6 December it moved behind Amiens and went to billets around Hallencourt. Demobilisation began in January 1919 and the Division ceased to exist at the end of May. In all the 17th (Northern) Division had suffered the loss of 40258 killed, wounded and missing.
The order of battle of the 17th (Northern) Division
| 50th Brigade | |
| 10th Bn, the West Yorkshire Regiment | |
| 7th Bn, the East Yorkshire Regiment | |
| 7th Bn, the Yorkshire Regiment | disbanded February 1918 |
| 7th Bn, the York & Lancaster Regiment | left March 1915 |
| 6th Bn, the Dorsetshire Regiment | joined March 1915 |
| 50th Machine Gun Company | joined 12 February 1916 left to move into 17th MG Battalion 24 February 1918 |
| 50th Trench Mortar Battery | formed by 25 June 1916 |
| 51st Brigade | |
| 7th Bn, the Lincolnshire Regiment | |
| 7th Bn, the Border Regiment | |
| 8th Bn, the South Staffordshire Regiment | disbanded February 1918 |
| 10th Bn, the Sherwood Foresters | |
| 51st Machine Gun Company | joined 12 February 1916 left to move into 17th MG Battalion 24 February 1918 |
| 51st Trench Mortar Battery | formed by 3 July 1916 |
| 3/4th Bn, the Royal West Kent Regiment | joined 22 June 1917, left 12 July 1917 |
| 52nd Brigade | |
| 9th Bn, the Northumberland Fusiliers | left August 1917 |
| 10th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers | |
| 9th Bn, the Duke of Wellington’s | |
| 12th Bn, the Manchester Regiment | |
| 52nd Machine Gun Company | joined 12 February 1916 left to move into 17th MG Battalion 24 February 1918 |
| 52nd Trench Mortar Battery | formed by 15 June 1916 |
| 3/4th Bn, the Royal West Kent Regiment | joined 3 August 1917, disbanded by 20 February 1918 |
| Divisional Troops | |
| 6th Bn, the Dorsetshire Regiment | left March 1915 |
| 7th Bn, the York & Lancaster Regiment | joined as Pioneer Bn March 1915 |
| 3/4th Bn, the Royal West Kent Regiment | attached as Pioneer Bn 12 July – 3 August 1917 |
| 12th Motor Machine Gun Battery | joined 10 July 1915, left 7 May 1916 |
| 236th Machine Gun Company | joined 17 July 1917 left to move into 17th MG Battalion 24 February 1918 |
| 17th Battalion Machine Gun Corps | formed 24 February 1918 |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | |
| A Sqn, the Yorkshire Dragoons Yeomanry | left 10 May 1916 |
| 17th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps | left 24 May 1916 |
| Divisional Artillery | |
| LXXVIII Brigade, RFA | |
| LXXIX Brigade, RFA | |
| LXXX Brigade, RFA | broken up 31 August 1916 |
| LXXXI (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | broken up 1-27 January 1917 |
| 17th Divisional Ammunition Column RFA | |
| 17th Heavy Battery, RGA | raised with the Division but moved independently to France and joined XXIX Heavy Artillery Brigade on 9 October 1915 |
| V.17 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA | joined 22 August 1916, left 28 February 1918 |
| X.17, Y.17 and Z.17 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA | formed by 22 August 1916; by 28 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each |
| Royal Engineers | |
| 77th Field Company | |
| 78th Field Company | |
| 93rd Field Company | |
| 17th Divisional Signals Company | |
| Royal Army Medical Corps | |
| 51st Field Ambulance | |
| 52nd Field Ambulance | |
| 53rd Field Ambulance | |
| 34th Sanitary Section | left 10 March 1917 |
| Other Divisional Troops | |
| 17th Divisional Train ASC | 146, 147, 148 and 149 Companies |
| 29th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC | |
| 218th Divisional Employment Company | joined 9 June 1917 |
| 17th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop | absorbed into Divisional Train 2 April 1916 |
Divisional histories
“A History of the 17th (Northern) Division” by A. Hilliard Atteridge
Divisional memorials
A bronze plaque memorial to the Division is situated within the village church at Fricourt, Somme, France.