The history of 3rd Division
One of the first British formations to move to France as part of the original British Expeditionary Force and one of the first into action, the 3rd Division remained on the Western Front throughout the war. It took part in the following battles and engagements.
Commanded by Major-General H. I. W Hamilton
1914
The Battle of Mons and the subsequent retreat, including the the rearguard action of Solesmes (August)
The Battle of Le Cateau (August)
The Battle of the Marne (September)
The Battle of the Aisne including participation in the Actions on the Aisne heights (September-October)
The Battles of La Bassée (October) (two battalions also participated in the Battle of Messines 1914 (October) and one in the Battle of Armentières (early November))
Major-General Hubert Hamilton was killed in action near Huit Maisons on 14 October 1914. He was replaced on the day by Brigadier-General F. W. N. McCracken, but command passed to Major-General C. J. Mackenzie on 15 October. Two weeks later Mackenzie left, officially “incapacitated” but was actually removed from command after disappointing performance. He was temporarily replaced by Major-General F. D. V. Wing.
First Battle of Ypres (only 7th Infantry Brigade and only in the phase the Battle of Nonne Bosschen, 11 November)
On 21 November 1914 command of the division passed to Major-General J. A. L. Haldane.
The attack on Wijtschaete (14 December)
1915
Winter Operations 1914-15
The First Attack on Bellewaarde (16 June)
The Actions of Hooge (19 July)
The Second Attack on Bellewaarde (25 September, in support of the opening attack in the Battle of Loos)
1916
The Actions of the Bluff and St Eloi Craters (March-April)
The German attack on Wulverghem, 30 April 1916
The Battles of the Somme 1916, in phases:
– The Battle of Albert (July)
– The Battle of Bazentin in which the 3rd Division helped capture Longueval (July)
On 7 August 1916 command of the division passed to Major-General C. J. Deverell, his predecessor having been promoted to command a corps.
– The Battle of Delville Wood (14-19 August)
– The Battle of the Ancre (13-18 November)
1917
The Battles of Arras, in phases:
– First Battle of the Scarpe (April)
– Second Battle of the Scarpe (April)
– Battle of Arleux (April)
– Third Battle of the Scarpe (3 May)
– The capture of Roeux (13-14 May)
The Third Battles of Ypres, in phases:
– Battle of the Menin Road (September)
– Battle of Polygon Wood (September)
The Battle of Cambrai 1917 (3rd Division carried out a flanking attack at Bullecourt on 20 November but this is technically outside the area considerd to be that over which Cambrai was fought)
1918
The First Battles of the Somme 1918 (German Operation “Michael”, “Kaiserschlacht) in phases:
– The Battle of St Quentin (March)
– The Battle of Bapaume (March)
– The First Battle of Arras 1918 (German Operation “Mars”, 28 March)
The Battles of the Lys (German Operation “Klein-Georg” or “Georgette”), in phases
– The Battle of Estaires (April)
– The Battle of Hazebrouck (April, in which the 3rd Division fought the Defence of Hinges Ridge)
– The Battle of Béthune (April)
The Second Battles of the Somme 1918, in phases:
– The Battle of Albert (21-23 August)
– The Second Battle of Bapaume (31 August – 3 September)
The Battles of the Hindenburg Line, in phases:
– The Battle of the Canal du Nord (27 September – 1 October)
– The Battle of Cambrai 1918 (8-9 October)
The Final Advance in Picardy, in phase:
– The Battle of the Selle (17-25 October)
The 3rd Division was selected to advance into Germany as part of the Occupation Force.
The order of battle of the 3rd Division
| Units and sub-formations | Dates |
|---|---|
| Divisional Headquarters | |
| 7th Infantry Brigade | From start. Left to join 25th Division 18 October 1915 |
| 3rd Bn, the Worcestershire Regiment | Throughout |
| 2nd Bn, the South Lancashire Regiment | Throughout |
| 1st Bn, the Wiltshire Regiment | Throughout |
| 2nd Bn, the Royal Irish Rifles | Throughout |
| 1/1st Bn, the Honourable Artillery Company | Joined from 8th Bde 9 December 1914, left 14 October 1915 |
| 1/4th Bn, the South Lancashire Regiment | Joined 24 February 1915, left to become Divisional Pioneers 12 October 1915 |
| 8th Infantry Brigade | |
| 2nd Bn, the Royal Scots | Throughout |
| 2nd Bn, the Royal Irish Regiment | From start. Left 24 October 1914 |
| 4th Bn, the Middlesex Regiment | From start. Left 13 November 1915 |
| 1st Bn, the Gordon Highlanders | From start. Left 12 September 1914, returned 30 September 1914 |
| 1st Bn, the Devonshire Regiment | Joined 14 September 1914, left 30 September 1914 |
| 2nd Bn, the Suffolk Regiment | Joined 25 October 1914, left for 76th Bde 22 October 1915 |
| 1/1st Bn, the Honourable Artillery Company | Joined 10 November 1914, left for 7th Bde 9 December 1914 |
| 1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders | Joined 27 February 1915, left for 76th Bde 19 October 1915 |
| 13th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) | Joined 23 October 1915, left for 9th Bde 4 April 1916 |
| 7th Bn, the King’s (Shropshire Light Infantry) | Joined from 76th Bde 19 October 1915 |
| 1/5th Bn, the London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade) | Joined 25 October 1915, left 10 February 1916 |
| 8th Bn, the East Yorkshire Regiment | Joined 16 November 1915, left 17 February 1918 to form 10th Entrenching Bn with 12th West Yorkshire Regiment |
| 1st Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers | Joined from 9th Bde 5 April 1916 |
| 8th Machine Gun Company | Hormed on 22 January 1916. Left to move into 3rd MG Battalion 6 March 1918 |
| 8th Trench Mortar Battery | Joined by 18 April 1916 |
| 9th Infantry Brigade | This brigade temporarily transferred to 28th Division between 17 February and 2 April 1915, in exchange for 85th Brigade from that Division |
| 1st Bn, the Northumberland Fusiliers | Throughout |
| 4th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers | Throughout |
| 1st Bn, the Lincolnshire Regiment | From start. Left 13 November 1915 |
| 1st Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers | From start. Left for 8th Bde 5 April 1916 |
| 1/10th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) | Joined 25 November 1914, left 6 January 1916 |
| 12th Bn, the West Yorkshire Regiment | Joined 16 November 1915, left 17 February 1918 to form 10th Entrenching Bn with 8th East Yorkshire Regiment |
| 9th Brigade Machine Gun Company | Formed on 8 February 1916. Left to move into 3rd MG Battalion 6 March 1918 |
| 13th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) | Joined from 8th Bde 4 April 1916 |
| 9th Trench Mortar Battery | Joined by 1 May 1916 |
| 76th Infantry Brigade | This brigade was transferred from 25th Division on 18 October 1915 in exchange for 7th Infantry Brigade |
| 8th Bn, the King’s Own (Lancaster) | Throughout |
| 10th Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | From start. Left 15 February 1918 to form 8th Entrenching Bn with 19th RWF |
| 7th Bn, the King’s (Shropshire Light Infantry) | From start. Left 19 October 1915 for 8th Bde |
| 13th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) | Frpom start. Left 23 October 1915 for 8th Bde |
| 1st Bn, the Gordon Highlanders | Joined from 8th Bde 19 October 1915 |
| 2nd Bn, the Suffolk Regiment | Joined from 8th Bde 22 October 1915 |
| 76th Brigade Machine Gun Company | Formed on 13 April 1916. Left to move into 3rd MG Battalion 6 March 1918 |
| 76th Trench Mortar Battery | Joined on 1 April 1916 as 43rd TMB but immediately renamed |
| Divisional Troops | Units under direct command of Divisional HQ |
| 1/4th Bn, the South Lancashire Regiment | Became Divisional Pioneer Battalion from 7th Bde 12 October 1915, left 9 January 1916 |
| 20th Bn, the King’s Royal Rifle Corps | Joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion 19 May 1916 |
| 233rd Company, the Machine Gun Corps | Joined 18 July 1917. Left to move into 3rd MG Battalion 6 March 1918 |
| 3rd Battalion, the Machine Gun Corps | Formed 6 March 1918 |
| 3rd Divisional Train, Army Service Corps | Throughout. Comprised numbers 15, 21, 22, and 29 Horse Transport Companies ASC |
| 11th Mobile Veterinary Section, Army Veterinary Corps | Throughout |
| 206th Divisional Employment Company, Labour Corps | Joined 31 May 1917 at which time it was 8th Divisional Employment Company; renamed in June 1917 |
| 3rd Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop Unit | Joined by 18 April 1915, transferred to Divisional Supply Column 9 April 1916 |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | Units under direct command of Divisional HQ |
| B Squadron, the 15th (King’s) Hussars | From start. Left 14 April 1915 |
| C Sqn, South Irish Horse | Joined May 1915, left 11 May 1916 |
| 3rd Company, Army Cyclist Corps | From start. Left 31 May 1916 |
| Divisional Artillery | Under orders of Divisional Commander Royal Artillery |
| XXIII Brigade, RFA | From start. Left to become an Army Brigade 21 January 1917 |
| XL Brigade, RFA | Throughout |
| XLI Brigade, RFA | Throughout |
| XXX (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | From start. Broken up 14 May 1916 |
| 3rd Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA | Throughout |
| 48th Heavy Battery, RGA | From start. Left 19 April 1915 |
| 5 Pom-Pom Section, RGA | Attached 20 September 1914 to December 1914 |
| 5 Mountain Battery, RGA | Attached 14 December 1914 to 3 March 1915 |
| V.3 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA | Formed July 1916, left 6 March 1918 |
| X.3, Y.3 and Z.3 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA | Joined in February 1916; in February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each |
| Divisional Engineers | Under orders of Divisional Commander Royal Engineers |
| 56th Field Company | Throughout |
| 57th Field Company | From start. Left 7 April 1915 |
| 438th (1/1st Cheshire) Field Company | Joined 22 December 1914 |
| 529th (1/1st East Riding) Field Company | Joined 20 September 1915 |
| 3rd Divisional Signals Company | Throughout |
| Divisional Medical Units | |
| 7th Field Ambulance, RAMC | Throughout |
| 8th Field Ambulance, RAMC | Throughout |
| 9th Field Ambulance, RAMC | From start. Left for Guards Division 26 August 1915 |
| 142nd Field Ambulance | Joined 26 August 1915 |
| 4A Sanitary Section | Joined 9 January 1915, left 3 April 1917. Retitled as 5th Sanitary Section in April 1916 |
Divisional histories
There appears to be no published history for this Division.
Divisional memorials
There appears to be no memorial for this Division.
Links
Tragedy unfolding: the attack on Spanbroekmolen 12 March 1915
The German attack on Wulverghem, 30 April 1916
Page in memory of my relative Joseph Clift, Armourer Staff Sergeant of the Army Ordnance Corps, who went to France in 1914 attached to the 1st Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment.