The history of 6th Division

Under command of Major-General J. L. Keir

This peacetime division of the pre-war army was quartered in Ireland and England at the outbreak of war, and was ordered on mobilisation to concentrate near Cambridge. By early September it was fully equipped and trained. On the 10 September 1914 it landed at St Nazaire and proceeded to the Western Front, where it remained throughout the war. The division arrived in time to reinforce the hard-pressed British Expeditionary Force on the Aisne front, before the whole BEF was moved north into Flanders. The division is fornmally recognised as participating in the followng battles and engagements:

1914

• The actions on the Aisne heights (only 18th Infantry Brigade, 20 September)
• The Battle of Armentières (only 19th Infantry Brigade, 13 October – 2 November)

1915

Under command of Major-General W. N. Congreve VC (newly promoted from command of 18th Infantry Brigade), who replaced Keir (who had been promoted to take command of VI Corps) on 27 May 1915

• The action at Hooge (9 August)

Under command of Major-General C. Ross (newly promoted from command of 61st Infantry Brigade), who replaced Congreve VC (who had been promoted to take command of XIII Corps) on 14 November 1915

1916

• The Battles of the Somme 1916, in phases:
  • The Battle of Flers-Courcelette (15-22 September)
  • The Battle of Morval (25-28 September)
  • The Battle of Le Transloy (1-18 October)

1917

• The Battle of Hill 70 (15-25 August)

Under command of Major-General T. O. Marden (newly promoted) who replaced Ross (who had been ordered to England) on 21 August 1917.

• The Cambrai operations (Battle of Cambrai 1917) in phases:
  • The tank attack (20-21 November)
  • The capture of Bourlon Wood (23-28 November)
  • The German counter-attacks (30 November-3 December)

1918

• The First Battles of the Somme 1918 (fighting against German Operation “Michael” or “Kaiserschlacht”) in phase:
  • The Battle of St Quentin (21-23 March)
• The Battles of the Lys (fighting agansit German Operation “Georgette) in phases:
  • The Battle of Bailleul (only 71st Infantry Brigade, 13-15 April)
  • The First Battle of Kemmel (only 71st Infantry Brigade, 17-19 April)
  • The Second Battle of Kemmel (only 71st Infantry Brigade, 25-26 April)
  • -he Battle of the Scherpenberg (29 April)
• The Advance in Flanders (18 August – 6 September)
• The Battles of the Hindenburg Line, in phases:
  • The Battle of Epehy (18 September)
  • The Battle of the St Quentin Canal (29 September – 2 October)
  • The Battle of Beaurevoir (3-5 October)
  • The Battle of Cambrai 1918 (8-9 October)
• The pursuit to the Selle (9-12 October)
• The Final Advance in Pcardy, in phase:
  • The Battle of the Selle (17-25 October)

The 6th Division was billeted around Bohain at the Armistice on 11 November 1918. It was selected to march into Germany as part of the occupation force and began to move on 14-18 November to assemble near Solre-le-Chateau. The division crossed the German border on 13 December and reached its destination at Bruehl on 23 December.

The order of battle of the 6th Division

Units and sub-formations	Dates
Divisional Headquarters
16th Infantry Brigade
1st Bn, Buffs (East Kent Regiment)	Throughout
1st Bn, Leicestershire Regiment	From start, moved to 71st Infantry Brigade 17 November 1915
1st Bn, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry	Throughout
2nd Bn, York & Lancaster Regiment	Throughout
1/5th Bn, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment	Joined 15 February 1915, left for 51st (Highland) Division 11 June 1915
8th Bn, Bedfordshire Regiment	Joined from 71st Infantry Brigade 17 November 1915, disbanded 16 February 1918
16th Machine Gun Company	Formed in February 1916, left to move into 6th MG Battalion 1 March 1918
16th Trench Mortar Battery	Formed 3 April 1916
17th Brigade	Transferred to 24th Division in exchange for 71st Infantry Brigade on 14 October 1915
1st Bn, Royal Fusiliers
1st Bn, North Staffordshire Regiment
2nd Bn, Leinster Regiment
3rd Bn, Rifle Brigade
2nd Bn, Manchester Regiment
1/2nd Bn, London Regiment	Joined 21 February 1915
18th Infantry Brigade
1st Bn, West Yorkshire Regiment	Throughout
1st Bn, East Yorkshire Regiment	From start, left for 21st Division 26 November 1915
2nd Bn, Sherwood Foresters	From start, moved to 71st Infantry Brigade 27 October 1915
2nd Bn, Durham Light Infantry	Throughout
1/16th Bn, London Regiment	Joined 12 November 1914, left for 56th (London) Division 9 February 1916
11th Bn, Essex Regiment	Joined from 71st Infantry Brigade 27 October 1915
14th Bn, Durham Light Infantry	Joined from 21st Division 28 November 1915, disbanded 1 February 1918
18th Brigade Machine Gun Company	Formed in February 1916, left to move into 6th MG Battalion 1 March 1918
18th Trench Mortar Battery	Formed 16 April 1916
19th Infantry Brigade	Brigade joined from GHQ Troops on 12 October 1914 and left to join 27th Division on 31 May 1915
2nd Bn, Royal Welsh Fusiliers
1st Bn, Cameronians
1st Bn, Middlesex Regiment
2nd Bn, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
1/5th Bn, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)	Joined 19 November 1914
71st Infantry Brigade	Brigade transferred from 24th Division in exchange for 17th Infantry Brigade on 11 October 1915
9th Bn, Norfolk Regiment
9th Bn, Suffolk Regiment	Disbanded 16 February 1918
8th Bn, Bedfordshire Regiment	Moved to 16th Infantry Brigade 17 November 1915
11th Bn, Essex Regiment	Moved to 18th Infantry Brigade 27 October 1915
2nd Bn, Sherwood Foresters	Joined from 18th Infantry Brigade 18 October 1915
1st Bn, Leicestershire Regiment	Joined from 16th Infantry Brigade 17 November 1915
71st Machine Gun Company	Formed 14 March 1916, left to move into 6th MG Battalion 1 March 1918
71st Trench Mortar Battery	Formed April 1916
Divisional Troops	Units that were under direct command of Divisional HQ
11th Bn, Leicestershire Regiment	Joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion 1 April 1916
192nd Machine Gun Company	Joined 15 December 1916, left to move into 6th MG Battalion 1 March 191 8
6th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps	Formed 1 March 1918
Divisional Mounted Troops	Units that were under direct command of Divisional HQ
C Squadron, the 19th Hussars	From start, left for 9th Cavalry Brigade 14 April 1915
B Sqn, the 1/st Northamptonshire Yeomanry	Joined 14 April 1915, left for VI Corps 9 May 1916
6th Company, Army Cyclist Corps	From start, left for XIV Corps 26 May 1916
Divisional Artillery	Units that were under orders of Divisional Commander Royal Artillery
II Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
XII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA	left May 1916
XXIV Brigade, RFA
XXXVIII Brigade, RFA	left January 1917
6th Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA
24th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery	left April 1915
2 Pom-Pom (Anti-Aircraft) Section, RGA	Attached 4 October 1914 to 16 December 1914
V.6 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, RFA	Formed 20 July 1916, left 6 March 1918
X.6, Y.6 and Z.6 Medium Mortar Batteries, RFA	Joined on 1 April 1916; on 15 March 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each
Royal Engineers	Units that were under orders of Divisional Commander Royal Engineers
12th Field Company	Throughout
38th Field Company	Left for 28th Division 7 April 1915
1st (London) Field Company	Joined 23 December 1914, later renamed 509th Field Company RE
2/2nd (West Riding) Field Company	Joined 13 October 1915, later renamed 459th Field Company RE
6th Divisional Signal Company	Throughout
Royal Army Medical Corps
16th Field Ambulance	Throughout
17th Field Ambulance	Throughout
18th Field Ambulance	Throughout
8th Sanitary Section	Joined 9 January 1915, left for First Army 5 April 1917
Other Divisional Troops
6th Divisional Train, Army Service Corps	Throughout. Comprised numbers 17, 19, 23 and 24 (Horse Transport) Companies ASC
6th Mobile Veterinary Section, Army Veterinary Corps	Throughout
209th Divisional Employment Company, Labour Corps	Joined 20 May 1917 at which time it was named 11th Divisional Employment Company; renamed in June 1917
6th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop	Joined by 10 June 1915, transferred to Divisional Supply Column 9 April 1916

Divisional histories

A free PDF copy of Sir T. O.Marden’s “A short history of the 6th Division Aug. 1914- March 1919” can be downloaded from archive.org: here

Divisional memorials

There appears to be no memorial to the 6th Division

Links

Other Divisions