The history of 4th Division
This division, initially planned to be part of the original British Expeditionary Force, was at the last minute held back in England to counter any possible German invasion. It was assembled to defend the East Coast from the Thames Estauray to the Wash. A decision was soon taken to despatch it to France and it arrived just in time to play a valuble part in the Battle of Le Cateau. The 4th Division then remained on the Western Front throughout the war. It took part in the following battles and engagements:
Under command of Major-General T. D’O. Snow
1914
The Battle of Le Cateau (26 August. (The division fought in this action without its Mounted Troops, Heavy Battery, Divisional Ammunition Column, Field Companies RE, Signals Company RE, Field Ambulances RAMC and Divisional Train, which were all still en route from England) and the continuing “Retreat from Mons” which continued to 5 September)
The Battle of the Marne (7-10 September)
On 9 September, command of the division was taken up temporarily by Brigadier-General H. F. M. Wilson. Snow had been injured, fracturing his pelvis when falling from his horse.
The Battle of the Aisne (12-15 September)
Major-General Sir H. Rawlinson took command on 23 September and was replaced by the promoted Major-General H. F. M. Wilson on 4 October
The Battle of Armentières 1914 (13 October – 2 November)
1915
The Second Battle of Ypres in its phases:
– Battle of St. Julien (24 April – 4 May)
– Battle of Frezenberg (8-13 May)
– Battle of Bellewaarde (24-25 May)
On 28 September 1915, due to Wilson being promoted to command a corps, command of the division passed to Major-General Hon. W. Lambton
1916
The Battles of the Somme 1916 in phases:
– Battle of Albert (1-13 July)
– Battle of Le Transloy (1-18 October)
1917
The Battles of Arras 1917 in phases:
– First Battle of the Scarpe (9-14 April)
– Third Battle of the Scarpe (3-4 May)
On 12 September 1917, due to Lambton being injured in a riding accident, Brigadier-General R. A. Berners took temporary command of the division. His place was taken on 23 September by Major-General T. G. Matheson
The Third Battle of Ypres 1917 in phases:
– Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September – 3 October)
– Battle of Broodseinde (4 October)
– Battle of Poelcapelle (9 October)
– First Battle of Passchendaele (12 October)
1918
The First Battles of the Somme 1918 in phase:
– First Battle of Arras 1918 (28 March: defensive fight against German Operation “Mars”)
The Battles of the Lys in phases:
– Battle of Hazebrouck (12-15 April, in which the battalion fought in the Defence of Hinges Ridge)
– Battle of Bethune (18 April)
The Advance in Flanders (18 Augist – 6 September)
The Second Battles of Arras 1918 in phases:
– Battle of the Scarpe 1918 (26-30 August)
– Battle of Drocourt-Queant (2-3 September)
On 14 September 1918, due to Lambton being injured in a riding accident, Major-General L. J. Lipsett took command of the division
The Battles of the Hindenburg Line in phase:
– Battle of the Canal du Nord (27 September – 1 October)
Major-General Louis James Lipsett was killed in action on 14 October 1918 (see Commonwealth War Graves Commission details). He was replaced next day by Major-General C. H. T. Lucas.
The Final Advance in Picardy in phases:
– Battle of the Selle (17-25 October)
– Battle of Valenciennes (1-2 November)
The 4th Division was demobilised in Belgium in early 1919.
The order of battle of the 4th Division
| Unit or sub-formation | Dates |
|---|---|
| Divisional Headquarters | |
| 10th Infantry Brigade | |
| 1st Bn, Royal Warwickshire Regiment | Throughout |
| 2nd Bn, Seaforth Highlanders | Throughout |
| 1st Bn, Royal Irish Fusiliers | From start, left 2 August 1917 |
| 2nd Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers | From start, left 15 November 1916 |
| 1/7th Bn, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders | Joined January 1915, left March 1916 |
| 1/9th Bn, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders | Joined May 1915, left July 1915 |
| 10th Brigade Machine Gun Company | Formed on 22 December 1915, left to move into 4th MG Battalion 26 February 1918 |
| 10th Trench Mortar Battery | Formed June 1916 |
| The Household Battalion | Joined 17 November 1916, disbanded 10 February 1918 |
| 3/10th Bn, the Middlesex Regiment | Joined 2 August 1917, left 22 February 1918 to become 11th Entrenching Battalion |
| 2nd Bn, the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment) | Joined from 12th Infantry Brigade 10 February 1918 |
| 11th Infantry Brigade | |
| 1st Bn, Somerset Light Infantry | Throughout |
| 1st Bn, East Lancashire Regiment | From start, left 1 February 1918 |
| 1st Bn, Hampshire Regiment | Throughout |
| 1st Bn, Rifle Brigade | Throughout |
| 1/5th Bn, London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade) | Joined 17 November 1914, left 19 May 1915 |
| 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regiment | Joined from 12th Infantry Brigade 26 July 1915, left 22 May 1916 |
| 11th Brigade Machine Gun Company | Formed on 23 December 1915, left to move into 4th MG Battalion 26 February 1918 |
| 11th Trench Mortar Battery | Formed June 1916 |
| 12th Infantry Brigade | Brigade was attached to 36th (Ulster) Division between 4 November 1915 and 3 February 1916 in exchange for 107th Infantry Brigade |
| 1st Bn, King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) | Throughout |
| 2nd Bn, Lancashire Fusiliers | Throughout |
| 2nd Bn, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers | From start, left 6 December 1914 |
| 2nd Bn, Essex Regt | Throughout |
| 1/2nd Bn, Monmouthshire Regiment | Joined 20 November 1914, left temporarily for 84th Infantry Brigade 29 May to 25 July 1915, left 30 January 1916 |
| 1/5th Bn, South Lancashire Regiment | Joined 16 February 1915, left 7 November 1915 |
| 2nd Bn, Royal Irish Regiment | Joined 14 March 1915, left for 11th Infantry Brigade 26 July 1915 |
| 2nd Bn, the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment) | Joined 15 January 1916, left for 10th Infantry Brigade 10 February 1918 |
| 12th Brigade Machine Gun Company | Formed on 24 January 1916, left to move into 4th MG Battalion 26 February 1918 |
| 12th Trench Mortar Battery | Formed 11 June 1916 |
| 107th Infantry Brigade | Brigade joined from 36th (Ulster) Division in temporary exchange for 12th Infantry Brigade (see above) |
| See 36th (Ulster) Division for constituent elements of this brigade | |
| Divisional Troops | Units under direct command of Divisional HQ |
| 21st Bn, West Yorkshire Regiment | Joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion 21 June 1916 |
| 234th Machine Gun Company | Joined 16 July 1917, left to move into 4th MG Battalion 26 February 1918 |
| 4 Bn, Machine Gun Corps | Formed 26 February 1918 |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | Units under direct command of Divisional HQ |
| B Squadron, the 19th Hussars | From start, but joined a temporary composite cavalry brigade on 26 August 1914 and only rejoined division 15 September 1914. Left 14 April 1915 |
| A Sqn, the 1/st Northamptonshire Yeomanry | Joined 13 April 1915, left 11 May 1916 |
| 4th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps | From start, left 11 May 1916 |
| Divisional Artillery | Under orders of 4th Divisional Commander Royal Artillery |
| XIV Brigade, RFA | History, left 14 January 1917 |
| XXIX Brigade, RFA | Throughout. History |
| XXXII Brigade, RFA | Throughout. History |
| XXXVII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | History, left 17 February 1915 |
| CXXVII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | Formed 6 August 1915. History, disbanded 21 May 1916 |
| 4th Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA | Throughout |
| 31st Heavy Battery, RGA | From start, left 29 April 1915 |
| 4 Pom-Pom Section, RGA | Attached 20 September 1914 to January 1915 |
| 2 Mountain Battery, RGA | Attached 14 December 1914 to 21 April 1915 |
| V.4 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, RFA | Formed by July 1916, left 8 February 1918 |
| X.4, Y.4 and Z.4 Medium Mortar Batteries, RFA | Joined in February 1916; on 8 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each |
| Divisional Engineers | Under orders of 4th Divisional Commander Royal Engineers |
| 7th Field Company | From start, left 29 April 1915 |
| 9th Field Company | Throughout |
| 1st (West Lancashire) Field Company | Joined 14 February 1915, attched to 48th (South Midland) Division 18-28 April 1915, left 28 February 1916 |
| 1st (Durham) Field Company, later renamed 526th Field Company | Joined 20 September 1915 |
| 1st (Renfrew) Field Company, later renamed 406th Field Company | Joined 2 May 1916 |
| 4th Divisional Signals Company | Throughout |
| Royal Army Medical Corps | |
| 10th Field Ambulance | Throughout |
| 11th Field Ambulance | Throughout |
| 12th Field Ambulance | Throughout |
| 4th Sanitary Section | Joined as 3A Sanitary Section 20 February 1915, renamed in April 1916, left 29 March 1917 |
| Other Divisional Troops | |
| 4th Divisional Train, comprising 18, 25, 32, 38 (Horse Transport) Companies, Army Service Corps | Throughout |
| 4th Mobile Veterinary Section, Army Veterinary Corps | Throughout |
| 207th Divisional Employment Company, Labour Corps | Joined 17 May 1917 at which time it was 4th Divisional Employment Company; renamed in June 1917 |
| 4th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop | Joined by 18 April 1915, transferred to Divisional Supply Column 9 April 1916 |
Divisional histories
Divisional memorials
There is no memorial for the 4th Division.