The history of 24th Division
This Division was established in September 1914 as part of Army Order 388 authorising Kitchener’s Third New Army, K3. The units of the Division began to assemble in the area of Shoreham. Early days were somewhat chaotic, the new volunteers having very few trained officers and NCOs to command them, no organised billets or equipment. It was March 1915 before makeshift drab uniforms arrived and not untul July before rifles were issued.
The Division moved 19-23 June 1915 to Aldershot for final training. Lord Kitchener inspected the Division at Chobham ranges on 19 August and next day it was the turn of King George V. Orders were received on 19 August to move to France and the first units departed one week later.
Concentration was completed in the area between Etaples and St Pol on 4 September. The Division’s first experience was truly appalling. Having been in France for only a few days, lengthy forced marches brought it into the reserve for the British assault at Loos. GHQ planning left it too far behind to be a useful reinforcement on the first day, but it was sent into action on 26 September, whereupon it suffered over 4178 casualties for very little gain.
The Division served on the Western Front for the remainder of the war, taking part in many of the significant actions:
1915
The Battle of Loos
1916
The German gas attack at Wulverghem, 30 April 1916
The Battle of Delville Wood*
The Battle of Guillemont*
The battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916
1917
The Battle of Vimy Ridge, a phase of the Arras offensive 1917
The Battle of Messines
The Battle of Pilkem Ridge***
The Battle of Langemarck***
The battles marked *** are phases of the Third Battles of Ypres
1918
The Battle of St Quentin+
The Actions at the Somme Crossings+
The Battle of Rosieres+
The First Battle of the Avre+
The battles marked + are phases of the First Battles of the Somme 1918
The Battle of Cambrai 1918, a phase of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line
The pursuit to the Selle^
The Battle of the Sambre^, including the passage of the Grand Honelle
The battles marked ^ are phases of the Final Advance in Picardy
When the Armistice came into effect at 11am on 11 November 1918 the units of the Division were holding positions 1.5 miles east of the Maubeuge-Mons road. Between 17-19 November they moved back to the area between Denain and Douai and 25-27 November went to the area St Amand-Orchies. On 18 December the Division moved once more, to Tournai. Demobilisation began and by 26 March 1919 only cadres were left. In all the 24th Division had suffered the loss of 35362 killed, wounded and missing.
The order of battle of the 24th Division
| 71st Brigade | |
| Brigade moved to 6th Division on 11 October 1915 in exchange for 17th Brigade | |
| 9th Bn, the Norfolk Regiment | |
| 9th Bn, the Suffolk Regiment | |
| 8th Bn, the Bedfordshire Regiment | |
| 11th Bn, the Essex Regiment | |
| 72nd Brigade | |
| 8th Bn, the Queen’s | left February 1918 |
| 8th Bn, the Buffs | left October 1915 |
| 9th Bn, the East Surrey Regiment | |
| 8th Bn, the Royal West Kent Regiment | |
| 1st Bn, the North Staffordshire Regiment | joined October 1915 |
| 72nd Machine Gun Company | joined 14 March 1916 moved into Divisional MG Battalion 5 March 1918 |
| 72nd Trench Mortar Battery | formed by 19 July 1916 |
| 73rd Brigade | |
| 12th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers | left October 1915 |
| 9th Bn, the Royal Sussex Regiment | |
| 7th Bn, the Northamptonshire Regiment | |
| 13th Bn, the Middlesex Regiment | |
| 2nd Bn, the Leinster Regiment | joined October 1915, left February 1918 |
| 73rd Machine Gun Company | joined 14 March 1916 moved into Divisional MG Battalion 5 March 1918 |
| 73rd Trench Mortar Battery | formed by 15 June 1916 |
| 17th Brigade | |
| 18 October 1915 transferred from 6th Division, in exchange for 71st Brigade | |
| 1st Bn, the Royal Fusiliers | |
| 12th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers | disbanded February 1918 |
| 2nd Bn, the Leinster Regiment | left October 1915 |
| 3rd Bn, the Rifle Brigade | |
| 8th Bn, the Buffs | joined October 1915, disbanded February 1918 |
| 1/2nd Bn, the London Regiment | left 9 February 1916 |
| 17th Machine Gun Company | formed 17 January 1916 moved into Divisional MG Battalion 5 March 1918 |
| 17th Trench Mortar Battery | formed by 26 July 1916 |
| 8th Bn, the Queen’s | joined February 1918 |
| Divisional Troops | |
| 11th Bn, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment | joined before March 1915, left 9 April 1915 |
| 13th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers | joined before March 1915, left 9 April 1915 |
| 12th Bn, the Sherwood Foresters | joined before March 1915, converted to Pioneer Battalion in April 1915 |
| No 3 Motor Machine Gun Battery | joined 30 October 1915, left 23 November 1915 |
| 191st Machine Gun Company | joined 15 December 1916 moved into Divisional MG Battalion 5 March 1918 |
| 24th Machine Gun Battalion | created 5 March 1918 |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | |
| A Sqn, the 1st Royal Glasgow Yeomanry | joined 30 June 1915, left 29 April 1916 |
| 24th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps | formed by 15 February 1915, left 29 April 1916 |
| Divisional Artillery | |
| CVI Brigade, RFA | |
| CVII Brigade, RFA | |
| CVIII Brigade, RFA | left 27 January 1917 |
| CIX (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | broken up 3 October 1916 |
| 24th Heavy Battery, RGA | raised in August 1914 for the Division. Redesignated 130th HB. Left before Division went to France and joined XXXV HA Brigade for service in Egypt. Not same as 24th Heavy Battery, a unit of the pre-war regular army |
| 24th Divisional Ammunition Column | |
| 13th Divisional Ammunition Column | joined 3 July 1915, left 6 August 1915 |
| V.24 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA | joined 30 July 1916, left February 1918 |
| X.24, Y.24 and Z,24 Medium Trench Mortar Batteries RFA | joined by 30 April 1916, Z.24 broken up in February 1918 and X and Y expanded to six guns each |
| Royal Engineers | |
| 91st Field Company | left January 1915 |
| 92nd Field Company | left January 1915 |
| 103rd Field Company | joined February 1915 |
| 104th Field Company | joined January 1915 |
| 129th Field Company | joined March 1915 |
| 24th Divisional Signals Company | |
| Royal Army Medical Corps | |
| 72nd Field Ambulance | |
| 73rd Field Ambulance | |
| 74th Field Ambulance | |
| 41st Sanitary Section | left 5 April 1917 for First Army |
| Other Divisional Troops | |
| 24th Divisional Train ASC | 194, 195, 196 and 197 Companies |
| 36th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC | joined 25 June 1915 |
| 223rd Divisional Employment Company | formed by 30 June 1917 |
| 24th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop | merged into Divisional Supply Column April 1916 |
Divisional histories
There appears to be no published history of the 24th Division.
Divisional memorials
There appears to be no main memorial to the 24th Division but it is well remembered in the village of Verguier, where it fought so valiantly against the German attack on 21 March 1918.
 Street named after the Division |  Division mentioned on village’s own war memorial |