The history of 32nd Division
On 10 December the War Office authorised the formation of the Fifth New Army. Like the other Kitchener Armies, it comprised six Divisions, in this case numbered 37 to 42. What eventually became 32nd Division was originally numbered 39th. In April 1915, the original Fourth New Army was broken up and its units converted for training and draft-finding purposes. When this took place the Fifth New Army became Fourth New Army and its Divisions were renumbered to 30th – 35th: thus what we remember as 32nd Division was born.
The Division was largely comprised of locally raised units often known as “Pals”. It was a predominantly Northern Division, although locally raised units from Birmingham and Bristol were also in the structure.
After in most cases commencing training near home (although the Glasgow battalions moved to camp at Gailes and the 11th Border at Blackhall), the units were moved in May 1915 to concentrate in Shropshire but Prees Heath was found to be too wet for training and the brigades instead moved to Yorkshire (Wensley and Richmond, with use of the firing ranges at Strenshall). It was not until August that the Division moved for final training and firing practice at Codford on Salisbury Plain.
In November 1915 the Division received a warning order to prepare to sail for France. It remained on the Western Front for the remainder of the war and took part in the following engagements:
1916
The Battle of Albert*
The Battle of Bazentin*
The Battle of the Ancre*
* the battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916
1917
Operations on the Ancre
The pursuit of the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line
1918
The First Battle of Arras, a phase 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 the St Quentin Canal+
The Battle of Beaurevoir+
+ the battles marked + are phases of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line
The Battle of the Sambre, including the passge of the Oise-Sambre Canal, a phase of the Final Advance in Picardy
The order of battle of the 32nd Division
| 95th Brigade | |
| This brigade left the Division and was transferred to 5th Division on 26 December 1915 . | |
| 14th Bn, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment | (1st Birmingham City) |
| 15th Bn, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment | (2nd Birmingham City) |
| 16th Bn, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment | (3rd Birmingham City) |
| 12th Bn, the Gloucestershire Regiment | (Bristol’s Own) |
| 96th Brigade | |
| 16th Bn, the Northumberland Fusiliers | (Newcastle), disbanded February 1918 |
| 15th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers | (1st Salford Pals) |
| 16th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers | (2nd Salford Pals) |
| 19th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers | left January 1916 (3rd Salford Pals) |
| 2nd Bn, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers | joined January 1916, left February 1918 |
| 96th Machine Gun Company | joined 15 March 1916, moved to 32nd Bn MGC 21 Feb 1918 |
| 96th Trench Mortar Battery | joined March 1916 |
| 2nd Bn, the Manchester Regiment | joined February 1918 |
| 97th Brigade | |
| 11th Bn, the Border Regiment | left as a cadre May 1918 (Lonsdale) |
| 15th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | left January 1916 (Glasgow Tramways) |
| 16th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | left February 1918 (Glasgow Boys Brigade) |
| 17th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | disbanded February 1918 (3rd Glasgow) |
| 2nd Bn, the King’s Own Yorkshire LI | joined December 1915 |
| 97th Machine Gun Company | joined 15 March 1916, moved to 32nd Bn MGC 21 Feb 1918 |
| 97th Trench Mortar Battery | joined March 1916 |
| 10th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders | joined February 1918 |
| 1/5th Bn, the Border Regiment | joined May 1918 |
| 14th Brigade | |
| Brigade joined from 5th Division on 30 December 1915 | |
| 1/9th Bn, the Royal Scots | left January 1916 |
| 1st Bn, the Devonshire Regiment | left January 1916 |
| 1st Bn, the East Surrey Regiment | left January 1916 |
| 1st Bn, the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry | left January 1916 |
| 2nd Bn, the Manchester Regiment | joined December 1915, left February 1918 |
| 1st Bn, the Dorsetshire Regiment | joined 7 January 1916 |
| 19th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers | joined January 1916, left July 1916 |
| 15th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | joined January 1916 |
| 14th Machine Gun Company | joined February 1916, moved to 32nd Bn MGC 21 Feb 1918 |
| 14th Trench Mortar Battery | joined March 1916 |
| 1/5th Bn, the Royal Scots | joined 29 July 1916 |
| Divisional Troops | |
| 17th Bn, the Northumberland Fusiliers | joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion June 1915, left October 1916, returned September 1917, finally left November 1917 (North Eastern Railway Pioneers) |
| 1/12th Bn, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment | joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion November 1916, left January 1917 |
| 16th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion February 1918 (Glasgow Boys Brigade) |
| 219th Machine Gun Company | joined 25 March 1917, moved to 32nd Bn MGC 21 Feb 1918 |
| 32nd Battalion MGC | formed 21 February 1918 |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | |
| F Sqn, the North Irish Horse | briefly, between April and June 1916 |
| 32nd Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps | left 31 May 1916 |
| Divisional Artillery | |
| The original Divisional Artillery remained in England and on 2 December 1915 joined the 31st Division | |
| CLXV Brigade, RFA | |
| CLXIX Brigade, RFA | |
| CLXX Brigade, RFA | |
| CLXXI (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | |
| The original Divisional Artillery of the 31st Division joined to replace them between 30 December 1915 and 3 January 1916 | |
| CLV Brigade, RFA | left 20 January 1917 |
| CLXI Brigade, RFA | |
| CLXIV (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | broken up September 1916 |
| CLXVIII Brigade, RFA | |
| 32nd Divisional Ammunition Column RFA | |
| V.32, W.32 Heavy Trench Mortar Batteries, RFA | formed by June 1916; W Bty broken up 28 December 1916; V redesignated X on 12 February 1918 |
| X.32, Y.32 and Z.32 Medium Mortar Batteries, RFA | formed May 1916; by 12 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each |
| Royal Engineers | |
| 206th (Glasgow) Field Company | |
| 218th (Glasgow) Field Company | |
| 219th (Glasgow) Field Company | |
| 32nd Divisional Signals Company | |
| Royal Army Medical Corps | |
| 96th Field Ambulance | left November 1915 |
| 97th Field Ambulance | left November 1915 |
| 98th Field Ambulance | left November 1915 |
| 90th Field Ambulance | joined November 1915 |
| 91st Field Ambulance | joined November 1915 |
| 92nd Field Ambulance | joined November 1915 |
| 72nd Sanitary Section | left 17 April 1917 |
| Other Divisional Troops | |
| 32nd Divisional Train ASC | originally 221, 222, 223 and 224 Compnaies ASC. This Train remained behind when the Division sailed in November 1915 and was replaced by 202, 203, 204 and 205 Companies. The original train later joined 31st Division |
| 42nd Mobile Veterinary Section AVC | |
| 229th Divisional Employment Company | joined 25 March 1917 |
| 32nd Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop | disbanded 6 April 1916 |
Divisional histories
There appears to be no published history of the Division but there is a history of its artillery and trench mortar units.
Divisional memorials
There appears to be no Divisional memorial, but there are several plaques on the face of the church at Authuille, Somme, France to units of the Division.