The history of 52nd (Lowland) Division
The Lowland Division was a formation of the Territorial Force(TF). 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.
1914
The units of the division had just departed for annual summer camp 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 their allotted positions on the Scottish coastal defences by mid August 1914.
Several of the division’s units left in the period November 1914 – March 1915.
1915
On 5 April the division was warned that it would go on overseas service; on 7 May this was confirmed, with the destination being Gallipoli. The units embarked at Liverpool and Devonport between 18 May and 8 June. Disaster struck on 22 May when a train carrying the battalion HQ and two Companies of the 1/7th Royal Scots crashed in an accident at Quntinshill near Gretna. 3 officers and 207 men died, 5 officers and 219 were injured. Fewer than 70 men survived this crash unscathed. Two of the field artillery brigades and the heavy battery remained on the Forth defences. The first units landed on Gallipoli (Cape Helles) on 6 June. The division was then involved in the following moves and engagements:
Gully Ravine (28-29 June)=
Achi Baba Nullah (12-13 July)=
Krithia Nullahs (29 December)=
The evcuation of Helles (7-8 January 1916)=
= the battles marked = are phases of the Gallipoli campaign
1916
The division moved to Egypt after being evaacuated from Gallipoli and concentrated at Abbassia near Cairo. It subsequently moved to El Kantara and on 2 March took over No 3 Section of the Suez Canal defences.
Dueidar (22 April)*
The Battle of Romani (4-5 August)*
* the battles marked * are phases of the Palestine campaign
1917
The First Battle of Gaza (26-27 March, this Division being in reserve)*
The Second Battle of Gaza (17-19 April)*
The Third Battle of Gaza (1-7 November)*
Wadi el Hesi (8 November)*
Burqa (12 November, 156th Brigade only)*
El Maghar (13 November, 155th Brigade only)*
The capture of Junction Station (14 November)*
The Battle of Nabi Samweil (20 – 24 November)*
The Battle of Jaffa (21-22 December)*, including the passage of the Nahr-el-Auja
* the battles marked * are phases of the Palestine campaign
1918
The division remained in the line near Arsuf until March 1918. Orders were received on 24 March that the division would be relieved by the 7th (Meerut) Division and that it would then proceed to France. The divisional artillery was exchanged with that of the Indian Division and all units sailed from Alexandria between 4 and 11 April. The division went via Marseilles and concentrated near Abbeville by 23 April. En route the ship Kingstonian, carring IX Brigade RFA, 413 Company RE and a section of the Divisinal Ammunition Column) was torpedoed on 11 April.
On 29 April the division moved to Aire and took over a sector of front line near Vimy on 6 May. It was withdrawn into reserve on 23 July and eight days later once again went into the line north east of Arras:
The Battle of Albert**
** the battle marked ** is a phase of the Second Battles of the Somme 1918
The Battle of the Scarpe^
The Battle of the Drocourt-Queant Line^
^ the battles marked ^ are phases of the Second Battles of Arras 1918
The Battle of the Canal du Nord+
+ the battle marked + is a phase of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line
The Final Advance in Artois
The division was in the front line north of the Mons canal and was engaged on clearing Herchies on 11 November 1918. The demobilisation of the Division began in December and the service of the Division came to an end on 31 May when the final cadres left for home. The Division reformed as part of the Territorial Army in April 1920.
The order of battle of the 52nd (Lowland) Division
| 155th (South Scottish) Brigade | |
| 1/4th Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers | |
| 1/5th Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers | |
| 1/4th Bn, the King’s Own Scottish Borderers | |
| 1/5th Bn, the King’s Own Scottish Borderers | left 28 June 1918 |
| 155th Machine Gun Company | formed 23 March 1916, moved to 52nd Bn MGC 28 April 1918 |
| 155th Trench Mortar Battery | formed 24 May 1917 |
| 156th (Scottish Rifles) Brigade | |
| 1/5th Bn, the Cameronians | left November 1914 |
| 1/6th Bn, the Cameronians | left March 1915 |
| 1/7th Bn, the Cameronians | |
| 1/8th Bn, the Cameronians | left 28 June 1918 |
| 1/4th, the Royal Scots | joined April 1915 |
| 1/7th, the Royal Scots | joined April 1915 |
| 156th Machine Gun Company | formed 16 March 1916, moved to 52nd Bn MGC 28 April 1918 |
| 156th Trench Mortar Battery | formed 27 June 1917 |
| 157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigade | |
| 1/5th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | |
| 1/6th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | |
| 1/7th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | |
| 1/9th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | left November 1914 |
| 1/5th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders | joined April 1915, left 28 June 1918 |
| 157th Machine Gun Company | formed 14 March 1916, moved to 52nd Bn MGC 28 April 1918 |
| 157th Trench Mortar Battery | formed 11 June 1917 |
| Divisional Troops | |
| 5th Bn, the Royal Irish Regiment | joined as Divisional Pioneer Bn 3 April 1918, left 31 May 1918 |
| 17th Bn, the Northumberland Fusiliers | joined as Divisional Pioneer Bn 31 May 1918 |
| 211th Machine Gun Company | formed by 15 September 1917 in XXI Corps, joined Division 1/4/1918, went into 52nd Bn MGC 28 April 1918 |
| 52nd Battalion MGC | formed 28 April 1918 |
| The 1st Dismounted Brigade (consisting of the Ayrshire and Lanarkshire regiments of Yeomanry, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Scottish Horse, 1 Signals Coy, 1 MG Coy, 1 Field Ambulance) was also attached to the Division between 8 february 1916 and 28 June 1916 on Suez Canal defences | |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | |
| Lowland Divisional Cyclist Company | broken up 1 August 1915, reformed in Egypt 27 March 1916, left for XXI Corps 8 December 1917 |
| RHQ and C Sqn, the 1/1st Royal Glasgow Yeomanry | joined 10 October 1915, left for XXI Corps Cavalary regiment on 21 August 1917 |
| The Lowland Mounted Brigade (consisting of the Ayrshire and Lanarkshire regiments of Yeomanry) was also attached to the Division between 11 October and 31 December 1915 | |
| A troop of the 4th Hussars and a detachment of VIII Corps Cyclist Battalion were attached to the Division between 30 October and 11 November 1918 | |
| Divisional Artillery | |
| From 1 August 1918, the Divisional Artillery served variously under the command of 18th, 58th, 47th, 3rd Australian and 11th Divisions, and did not return to 52nd Division until 20 October 1918 | |
| CCLXI (II Lowland) Brigade, RFA | see history of 52nd Divisional artillery |
| CCLXIII (IV Lowland) (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | ditto |
| CCLXII (III Lowland) Brigade, RFA | ditto |
| CCLXIV (V Lowland) Brigade, RFA | ditto |
| Lowland (Edinburgh) Heavy Battery, RGA | ditto |
| 52nd Pom-Pom Battery, RFA | ditto |
| IX Battery, RFA | joined 1 April 1918 ditto |
| LVI Battery, RFA | joined 1 April 1918 ditto |
| 52nd Divisional Ammunition Column RFA | see history of 52nd Divisional artillery |
| X.52, Y.52 and Z.52 Medium Mortar Batteries, RFA | joined 30 October 1917, all left for 7th (Indian) Division 3 April 1918, replaced by two batteries (X and Y) from TM School on 8 May 1918 |
| Royal Engineers | |
| 1st Lowland Field Company | left December 1914 |
| 410th (2nd Lowland) Field Company | left March 1915, rejoined 24 February 1916 |
| 412th (2/1st Lowland) Field Company | joined March 1915 |
| 413th (2/2nd Lowland) Field Company | joined March 1915 |
| 52nd Divisional Signals Company | |
| Royal Army Medical Corps | |
| 1st Lowland Field Ambulance | |
| 2nd Lowland Field Ambulance | |
| 3rd Lowland Field Ambulance | |
| 52nd Sanitary Section | left for 10th (Irish) Division October 1915, rejoined October 1917, left for XI Corps 4 May 1918 |
| Other Divisional Troops | |
| 52nd Divisional Train ASC | retitled from the Lowland Divisional Transport and Supply Column, and the units also retitled as 471, 472, 473 and 474 Companies ASC. Train left to join 10th (Irish) Division October 1915. 217, 218, 219 and 220 Companies ASC joined from 31st Division March 1916. |
| 1st Lowland Mobile Veterinary Section AVC | |
| 52nd Divisional Ambulance Workshop | joined from 31st Division 21 April 1916, absorbed into Divisional Supply Column June 1917 |
| 984th Divisional Employment Company | formed in France April 1918 |
Divisional histories
“The Fifty-Second Lowland Division 1914-1918” by R. R. Thompson.
Divisional memorials
There is a memorial to 155th Infantry Brigade located where the Division crossed the Auja in Palestine. This is now the town of Ramat Gan in Israel.