| 46th (North Midland) Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1908 – June 1919 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Branch | Territorial Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | World War I |
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The British 46th (North Midland) Division was a 1st Line Territorial Force division. At the outbreak of the war, the 46th Division was commanded by Major General Hon. E.J. Montagu-Stuart-Wortley. Originally called the 'North Midland Division', it was redesignated as the 46th Division in 1915. The division was sent to France in February 1915 and served on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War. During the Battle of Loos the Division was decimated in an attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 13 October 1915. It was later involved in the Battle of the Somme (1916) and the Battle of Albert.
As part of VII Corps, the southern-most corps of the Third Army, the 46th Division was involved in the diversion at Gommecourt on the first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916.
On 29 September 1918 the 46th Division crossed the St. Quentin Canal with the help of life-belts and collapsible boats, and used scaling ladders to seize the fortified machine gun positions on the far bank.
The division was disbanded in 1936 but the 46th Infantry Division was formed in 1939.