The history of 40th Division
This Division was formed between September and December 1915, composed of some bantam units and others which had a mixture of regulation-height and shorter men. Weeding out of very under-sized or unfit men delayed the training programme and it was not until late spring 1916 that the Division was ready to proceed on active service. The Divisional staff assembled at Stanhope Lines, Aldershot, early in September 1915 and by December the various units had concentrated at nearby Blackdown, Pirbright and Woking.
The Division moved to France between 2 and 6 June 1916 and by 9 June had concentrated near Lillers. It then served between June and late October 1916 on the front near Loos. The 40th Division remained on the Western Front throughout the rest of the war and took part in the following engagements:
1916
The Battle of the Ancre (a phase of the Battles of the Somme 1916)
1917
The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line (March)
The capture of Fifteen Ravine, Villers Plouich, Beaucamp and La Vacquerie (April and early May)
The Cambrai Operations, in which the Division participated in the capture of Bourlon Wood (November)
1918
The Battle of St Quentin*
The Battle of Bapaume*
* the battles marked * are phases of the First Battles of the Somme 1918
The Battle of Estaires+
The Battle of Hazebrouck+
+ the battles marked + are phases of the Battles of the Lys
After suffering heavy losses during the Battles of the Lys a decision was taken to reduce the Division down to a cadre. This took place from 2 May. Divisional HQ moved to St Omer to 4 June, then went to Lederzeele and Renescure (from 23 June). By the middle of the month all training cadres had left. A number of Garrison Guard Battalions joined during June and were converted to fighting units. Orders were received to reorganise the Division and this was completed by mid July 1918. From 18 July the Division once again took part in active operations.
1918
The Final Advance in Flanders, including the Battle of Ypres
On the night 10/11 November the Division was relieved and Divisional HQ moved to Lannoy.
The Division moved to Roubaix on 25 November. Demobilisation proceeded and by mid May 1919 the Division ceased to exist.
The Great War cost 40th Division 19179 men killed, wounded or missing.
The order of battle of the 40th Division
| 119th Brigade | |
| This brigade was often known as the Welsh Bantam Brigade, until February 1918. | |
| 19th Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers | disbanded February 1918 |
| 12th Bn, the South Wales Borderers | disbanded February 1918 |
| 17th Bn, the Welsh Regiment | disbanded February 1918 |
| 18th Bn, the Welsh Regiment | joined brigade July 1915. Reduced to cadre in May 1918 and left brigade 18 June 1918. |
| 119th Machine Gun Company | joined 19 June 1916, moved to 40th Bn MGC March 1918 |
| 119th Trench Mortar Battery | formed 25 June 1916 |
| 13th Bn, the East Surrey Regiment | joined from 120th Bde February 1918, left as cadre June 1918 |
| 21st Bn, the Middlesex Regiment | joined February 1918, left as cadre May 1918 |
| 10/11th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | joined and left February 1918 |
| 13th Bn, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers | joined as 13th Garrison Bn in June 1918 |
| 13th Bn, the East Lancashire Regiment | joined as 8th Garrison Guard Bn in June 1918 |
| 12th Bn, the North Staffordshire Regiment | joined as 12th Garrison Bn in June 1918 |
| 120th Brigade | |
| 11th Bn, the King’s Own | disbanded February 1918 |
| 13th Bn, the Cameronians | left February 1916 |
| 14th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | left as a cadre June 1918 |
| 13th Bn, the East Surrey Regiment | joined February 1916, left for 119th Bde February 1918 |
| 14th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders | left April 1918 |
| 12th Bn, the South Lancashire Regiment | joined January 1916, absorbed into 11th King’s Own March 1916 |
| 120th Machine Gun Company | joined 19 June 1916, moved to 40th Bn MGC March 1918 |
| 120th Trench Mortar Battery | joined 8 June 1916 |
| 10/11th Bn, the Highland Light Infantry | joined February 1918, left as cadre June 1918 |
| 2nd Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers | joined and left April 1918 |
| 10th Bn, the King’s Own Scottish Borderers | joined June 1918 |
| 15th Bn, the Yorkshire Light Infantry | joined June 1918 |
| 11th Bn, the Cameron Highlanders | joined as 6th Garrison Guard Bn June 1918 |
| 121st Brigade | |
| 12th Bn, the Suffolk Regiment | left May 1918 |
| 13th Bn, the Yorkshire Regiment | left June 1918 |
| 18th Bn, the Sherwood Foresters | merged with 13th Yorkshire R in April 1916 |
| 22nd Bn, the Middlesex Regiment | disbanded April 1916 |
| 20th Bn, the Middlesex Regiment | joined 23 February 1916, left as cadre May 1918 |
| 21st Bn, the Middlesex Regiment | joined 23 February 1916, left February 1918 |
| 121st Machine Gun Company | joined 19 June 1916, moved to 40th Bn MGC March 1918 |
| 121st Trench Mortar Battery | formed by the brigade 15 June 1916 |
| 8th Bn, the Royal Irish Regiment | joined as 8th Garrison Bn June 1918 |
| 23rd Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers | joined as 23rd Garrison Bn June 1918 |
| 23rd Bn, the Cheshire Regiment | joined June 1918 |
| 9th Bn, the Worcestershire Regiment | joined as cadre June 1918, absorbed July 1918 |
| Divisional Troops | |
| 12th Bn, the Yorkshire Regiment | Divisional Pioneer Bn left June 1918 |
| 244th Machine Gun Company | joined July 1917, moved to 40th Bn MGC March 1918 |
| 40th Battalion MGC | formed March 1918, disbanded May 1918 |
| 17th Bn, the Worcestershire Regiment | Divisional Pioneer Bn joined June 1918 |
| 104th Battalion MGC | formed 24 August 1918, left 16 September 1918 |
| 39th Battalion MGC | joined 11 September 1918 |
| Divisional Mounted Troops | |
| A Sqn, the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry | left 20 June 1916 |
| 40th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps | left 11 June 1916 |
| Divisional Artillery | |
| CLXXVIII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA | |
| CLXXXI Brigade, RFA | |
| CLXXXV Brigade, RFA | broken up 31 August 1916 |
| CLXXXVIII Brigade, RFA | broken up 1 September 1916 |
| 40th Divisional Ammunition Column RFA | (Hammersmith) |
| V.40 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, RFA | formed 4 July 1916; broken up 7 March 1918 |
| X.40, Y.40 and Z.40 Medium Mortar Batteries, RFA | formed 25 June 1916; on 7 March 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each |
| Royal Engineers | |
| 224th Field Company | |
| 229th Field Company | |
| 231st Company | |
| 40th Divisional Signals Company | |
| Royal Army Medical Corps | |
| 135th Field Ambulance | |
| 136th Field Ambulance | |
| 137th Field Ambulance | |
| 83rd Sanitary Section | left April 1917 |
| Other Divisional Troops | |
| 40th Divisional Train ASC | 225, 226, 227, 228 Companies joined November 1915 but were replaced by 292, 293, 294 and 295 Companies by April 1916 |
| 51st Mobile Veterinary Section AVC | |
| 237th Divisional Employment Company | joined April 1917 |
| 40th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop | left after June 1918 |
Divisional histories
“History of the 40th Division” by Lt_col. F. E. Whitton
A copy of this book is free to view and download at Archive.org via this link
Divisional memorials
The altar of the village church at Bourlon near Cambrai is a memorial to the 40th Division.