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The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.
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The 4th Division was originally formed in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsula War. It fought in the Battle of Talavera and the Battle of Salamanca , Battle of Badajoz (1812) and the Battle of Roncesvalles (1813) , Battle of Vitoria , Battle of the Pyrenees , Battle of Orthez , Battle of Toulouse (1814).
(from January 1812)
Major General Sir Charles Colville (to April 1812) Major General Lowry Cole (from June 1812)
At the Battle of Waterloo it was tasked with holding Wellington's right flank and, with the exception of its 4th brigade, took no active part in the fighting, but did capture the town of Cambrai afterwards.
The commanding General at this time was Charles Colville ,In his novel Les Misérables Victor Hugo credits Colville with asking for the surrender of the Imperial Guard at Waterloo and receiving General Cambronne's reply of "Merd".[1]
The Division was also called for service during the Crimean War fought between the allied forces of the United Kingdom, French Empire and the Ottoman Empire on one side and Russia on the other. It saw action in the Battle of Alma the Battle of Inkerman and the Battle of Balaclava ,fought on 25 October 1854 ( famous for the Charge of the Light Brigade and the Thin Red Line ).
Commanding General: Major General Sir George Cathcart
As a permanently established Regular Army division it was amongst the first to be sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of the First World War. It served on the Western Front for the duration of the war and was present during all the major offensives including the Battle of the Marne , Battle of Ypres , Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Passchendaele.
From early November 1915 until February 1916 the 12th Brigade was swapped with the 107th Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division.
The Division served during the Second World War and was sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), together with the 3rd Infantry Division forming the British II Corps. After the 1940 Battle of France and the evacuation at Dunkirk, it spent the next two years in the United Kingdom on Invasion duties and training for its next deployment which would be as part of the British First Army and Operation Torch, the landings on the North West African coast.
During the Tunisia Campaign it was involved in Operation Vulcan the final ground attack against Axis forces in North Africa.
After the Axis defeat in Africa it was next involved in the Italian Campaign, and fought at the Battle of Monte Cassino.
In November 1944 it was dispatched to Greece to provide assistance during the Greek Civil War.
It was reformed from 11th Armoured Division on 1 April 1956, and took on 20th Armoured Brigade Group from the disbanding 6th Armoured Division in May 1958. At the time the Division also incorporated the (Canadian) 4th Infantry Brigade and the 4th Guards Brigade. It was redesignated 4th Armoured Division on 1 January 1978, parenting Task Force Golf and Task Force Hotel, and served as part of I (BR) Corps in Germany. Following the 1981–1983 Army reorganisation, I (BR) Corps consisted of 1st and 4th Armoured Divisions, which would have manned the front line against the anticipated attack by the Soviet 3rd Shock Army. It ceased this role on 1 July 1993.
The Division was reformed again in 1995 as a regenerative division – a military district in all but name – that serves as the parent formation for units in Southern England.
The Division's current insignia is a tiger. It is currently commanded by Major General Lamont Kirkland, from HQ at Steeles Road, Aldershot. The Division reports to Army Headquarters at Andover. The Division is responsible for the administration of Aldershot Garrison and three Regional Brigades:
For administrative purposes, the following formations are also under the administrative control of 4th Division:
Recent Commanders have been:[2]
GOC 4th Division
GOC 4th Armoured Division
GOC 4th Division
A single UK Support Command, which is planned to replace three existing divisional headquarters, will be based in Aldershot. HQ 2nd division in Edinburgh, HQ 4th division in Aldershot and HQ 5th division in Shrewsbury will all be disbanded in 2012.[5] 4th Division will disband on 1 January 2012.[6]
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