The history of 47th (2nd London) Division
The 2nd London Division* was a formation of the Territorial Force. It was formed as a result of the reforms of the army carried out in 1908 under the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane and was one of 14 Divisions of the peacetime TF.
* Not to be confused. This was a “First Line” TF Division. It has “2nd” in its title simply because there were two in London. The other was the 56th (1st London) Division.
1914
The units of the Division had just arrived for annual summer camp on Salisbury Plain when emergency orders recalled them to the home base. All units were mobilised for full time war service on 5 August 1914 and moved to concentrate in the St Albans area by mid August 1914. In October the Division was warned that it would go on overseas service. Many units were detached from the Division and sent independently to France as sorely-needed reinforcements for the BEF.
1915
Units began to cross to France on 8-9 March. 5th London Brigade was ordered to Cassel, and the rest concentrated near Bethune by 22 March. 5th London Brigade then rejoined. The 2nd London was the second TF Division to arrive complete in France.
The name of the division was initially changed to the “London Division” to distinguish it from the reguar 2nd Division, but on 11 May 1915 it was re-named again as the 47th (London) Division.
The division then remained in France and Flanders and took part in the following engagements:
The Battle of Aubers Ridge (9 May)
The Battle of Festubert (15-25 May)
The Battle of Loos (25 September – 1 October)
The subsequent Actions of the Hohenzollern Redoubt (13-19 October)
1916
The German attack at Vimy Ridge (21 May)
The Battle of Flers-Courcelette* in which the division captured High Wood
The Battle of Le Transloy Ridges in which the division captured Eaucourt l’Abbaye and took part in attacks on the Butte de Warlencourt*
* the battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916
1917
The Battle of Messines (7 – 13 June)
The Cambrai Operations (Battle of Cambrai), in which the division captured Bourlon Wood and fought against the German counter attack
1918
The Battle of St Quentin**
The First Battle of Bapaume**
The Battle of the Ancre**
** the battles marked ** are phases of the First Battles of the Somme 1918
The Battle of Albert***
The Second Battle of Bapaume***
*** the battles marked *** are phases of the Second Battles of the Somme 1918
The division came under orders to prepare to move to Italy in September 1918, but with the Bulgarians signing an Armistice on 30 September this move was not made.
The operations in Artois^ including the official entry into Lille
^ the battle marked ^ is a phase of the Final Advance in Artois
The forward units of the Division reached Franses-lez-Buissenal / Moustier, north of Leuze, on 10 November 1918. Next day the Division marched back to Tournai and on 26 November moved on to the Bethune area. Not selected to join the Army of Occupation, the demobilisation of the Division began and the first parties moved to England 1-10 January 1919. By 28 March it was down to cadre level. The Division reformed as part of the Territorial Army in April 1920.
The order of battle of the 47th (2nd London) Division
| 140th (4th London) Brigade | |
| 1/13th Bn, the London Regiment | left November 1914 |
| 1/14th Bn, the London Regiment | left September 1914 |
| 1/15th Bn, the London Regiment | |
| 1/16th Bn, the London Regiment | left November 1914 |
| 1/6th Bn, the London Regiment | joined November 1914, left January 1918 |
| 1/7th Bn, the London Regiment | joined November 1914, left February 1918 |
| 1/8th Bn, the London Regiment | joined November 1914, left February 1918 |
| 140th Machine Gun Company | formed 13 Dec 1915, moved to 47th Bn MGC 1 March 1918 |
| 140th Trench Mortar Battery | formed 12 June 1916 |
| 1/17th Bn, the London Regiment | joined from 141st Bde February 1918 |
| 1/21st Bn, the London Regiment | joined from 142nd Bde February 1918 |
| 23rd Portuguese Battalion | attached from 4 November 1918 |
| 141st (5th London) Brigade | |
| 1/17th Bn, the London Regiment | left for 140th Bde February 1918 |
| 1/18th Bn, the London Regiment | |
| 1/19th Bn, the London Regiment | |
| 1/20th Bn, the London Regiment | |
| 141st Machine Gun Company | formed 12 Dec 1915, moved to 47th Bn MGC 1 March 1918 |
| 141st Trench Mortar Battery | formed 12 June 1916 |
| 142nd (6th London) Brigade | |
| 1/21st Bn, the London Regiment | left for 140th Bde February 1918 |
| 1/22nd Bn, the London Regiment | |
| 1/23rd Bn, the London Regiment | |
| 1/24th Bn, the London Regiment | |
| 1/3rd Bn, the London Regiment | joined November 1915, left February 1916 |
| 142nd Machine Gun Company | formed 10 Dec 1915, moved to 47th Bn MGC 1 March 1918 |
| 142nd Trench Mortar Battery | formed 12 June 1916 |
| 35th Portuguese Battalion | attached from 2 November 1918 |
| Divisional Troops | |
| 1/1st Bn, the Honourable Artillery Company | joined August 1914, left September 1914 |
| 1/28th Bn, the London Regiment | joined August 1914, left October 1914 |
| 1/4th Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | joined as Divisional Pioneer Bn September 1915 |
| 239th Machine Gun Company | joined 17 July 1917, left 1 October 1917 |
| 255th Machine Gun Company | joined 19 November 1917, moved to 47th Bn MGC 1 March 1918 |
| 47th Battalion MGC | formed 1 March 1918 |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | |
| C Sqn, the 1st King Edward’s Horse | left June 1916 |
| 2nd London Divisional Cyclist Company | left 1 June 1916 |
| Divisional Artillery | |
| The artillery of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division was also attached to the 47th Division between 13 and 25 August 1918, whereupon it was transferred to the 3rd Australian Division | |
| CCXXXV Brigade, RFA | |
| CCXXXVI Brigade, RFA | |
| CCXXXVII Brigade, RFA | left November 1916 |
| CCXXXVIII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | broken up January 1917 |
| CCLXXX Brigade, RFA | attached 3-26 January 1916 |
| CCLXXXII Brigade, RFA | attached 27 January – 19 February 1916 |
| 47th Divisional Ammunition Column RFA | |
| V.47 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, RFA | joined 6 November 1916; left for V Corps 16 February 1918 |
| X.47, Y.47 and Z.47 Medium Mortar Batteries, RFA | X and Y joined 17 November 1915, originally as No 7 and No 8, and Z was formed in April 1916; on 1 February 1918, X broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each, Z Batt being redesignated X Battery |
| Royal Engineers | |
| 517th (3rd London) Field Company | left December 1914, rejoined April 1915 |
| 518th (4th London) Field Company | |
| 520th (2/3rd London) Company | joined June 1915 |
| 47th Divisional Signals Company | |
| Royal Army Medical Corps | |
| 4th London Field Ambulance | |
| 5th London Field Ambulance | |
| 6th London Field Ambulance | |
| 47th Sanitary Section | left for Second Army 18 April 1917 |
| Other Divisional Troops | |
| 47th Divisional Train ASC | retitled from the 2nd London Divisional Transport and Supply Column, and the units also retitled as 455, 456, 457 and 458 Companies ASC |
| 2nd London Mobile Veterinary Section AVC | |
| 47th Divisional Ambulance Workshop | absorbed into Divisional Supply Column 3 April 1916 |
| 241st Divisional Employment Company | joined May 1917 |
Divisional histories
“The history of the 47th (London) Division 1914-1919” by Alan H. Maude
Online free copy of Maude’s history of the division (external link)
Divisional memorials
The memorial to the 47th (2nd London) Division at High Wood, Somme, France. This memorial has been substantially rebuilt after a larger original one was affected by subsidence.