| 38th (Welsh) Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | December 1914–June 1919 1939–1944 |
| Branch | New Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | Battle of the Somme (1916) Third Battle of Ypres Battle of Epehy |
The 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division was a British Army division. A 38th Division was in existence in both the First and Second World Wars, but not between the wars and there is no direct link between the two formations. The division's insignia was The Red Dragon of Wales.
During the Second World War the insignia was changed to the cross of Saint David (yellow, on a black background).
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The 38th (Welsh) Division (originally numbered 43rd), was a New Army division formed in December 1914 comprising battalions from Wales which were raised by public subscription and private patronage. It was intended to be half of a Welsh Army Corps. Authorisation to create these new divisions, part of Kitchener's Army, was given on 10 October 1914. In the event, only the 38th Division was created, and the Welsh Army Corps, which had the support of David Lloyd George, never formed.
The division began moving to France in November 1915 and was in action by December 1915. It spent the duration of the First World War in action on the Western Front until the Armistice of 1918. The division's single action of 1916 was the capture of Mametz Wood during the Battle of the Somme — it was so badly mauled that it did not return to major action for over a year, when it successfully captured the Pilckem Ridge on 31 July 1917, during the Battle of Pilckem Ridge. There is now a memorial at Mametz Wood in honour of the division (see second link below). It was later involved in the Third Battle of Ypres and the Battle of Epehy.
The division was, for a fifth line Kitchener formation, relatively successful and well regarded. The division was disbanded between 1918 and 1920.
In 1939, the British government ordered the expansion of the Territorial Army, including the creation of a second line of infantry divisions. The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division provided officers and men, but little equipment for the new 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division. The second line Welsh territorial division had not seen service in France during the First World War, so that the 38th Division had a much more prestigious record. The division again included the 113th, 114th and 115th Infantry Brigades , although the battalions which they commanded had no relation to those of the First World War division.
The division remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war. From 1943 the division was placed on the lower establishment, meaning that it had fewer men and less equipment than first line formations. In January 1944 it became a reserve training division and its brigades were detached. While reformed on paper in September 1944, this was simply a deception exercise and the original 38th division was disbanded. Its number was assumed by the 80th Division, a training formation which provided men for the British forces in North-West Europe. This new 38th division was again disbanded at the end of the war.