55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division

West Lancashire Division
55th (West Lancashire) Division
55th (West Lancashire) Motor Division
55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division

55th (West Lancashire) Division insignia, Second World War
Active 1908-1915
1916-1919
1920–1945
Country  United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
Type Infantry
Motorised infantry
Size Division
Engagements Battle of the Somme
Third Battle of Ypres
Battle of Cambrai
Battle of Estaires
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Sir William Morgan
Sir Frederick Morgan

The 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. It was raised in 1908 upon the creation of the Territorial Force originally as the West Lancashire Division, gaining its number in 1915. The division served with distinction on the Western Front during the Great War from 1915 to 1918. Disbanded after the war in 1919, it was reformed in the Territorial Army in 1920 and remained in the United Kingdom for World War II and was disbanded in late 1945.

Formation

Originally, the division was raised in 1908 as the West Lancashire Division with the North Lancashire Brigade, the Liverpool Brigade and the South Lancashire Brigade under command. In 1915, during the First World War, it became the 55th (West Lancashire) Division and the 164th (North Lancashire) Brigade, the 165th (Liverpool) Brigade and the 166th (South Lancashire) Brigade respectively.

First World War

Between November 1914 and April 1915 the divisional brigades were detached as reinforcements with other divisions already in serving on the Western Front in France and Belgium. The 55th Division was reformed in January 1916. In April 1915 the 164th (North Lancashire) Brigade joined the 51st (Highland) Division as the 154th Brigade, but it returned to the 55th Division less than a year later, in January 1916.

The first Victoria Cross awarded by the reformed division occurred near Arras on the 17 April 1916 when 2nd Lieutenant Edward Felix Baxter won the award while on a raid by the 1/8th (Irish) Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment. The division moved to the Somme on 25 July to take part in that battle. The division took part in the Battle of Guillemont and the Battle of Ginchy, followed by a short rest period before being thrown back into the Battle of Morval. The 55th Division was then moved to the Ypres salient, where it remained for up to a year.

In 1917 the division took part in the Third Battles of Ypres and Cambrai. At Cambrai they lost many men taken prisoner, apparently due to a collapse during a German attack.

Troops of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division blinded by tear gas during the Battle of Estaires, 10 April 1918.

After a rest and a period of retraining, the division took part in the Battle of Estaires in 1918, where it successfully fought the "First Defence of Givenchy" under the leadership of Major-General Hugh Jeudwine. This was to become the single most famous action of the Division, fighting off continuous attacks from three German divisions between 9–16 April. "It was afterwards publicly stated by an officer of the German General Staff that the stand made by the Division on April 9 and the days which followed marked the final ruination of the supreme German effort of 1918", says the Divisional history. Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée was eventually selected as the location of a large memorial to the Division. By the Armistice of 11 November 1918, the division had reached the Tournai area, having advanced fifty miles in eighty days.

Order of battle

Throughout the war the division comprised the following units:[1]

164th (North Lancashire) Brigade (left 18 April 1915, rejoined January 1916)

165th (Liverpool) Brigade

166th (South Lancashire) Brigade

Divisional Troops

Between the wars

The division was disbanded after the Great War when the Territorial Force was disbanded but it was later reformed as the Territorial Army and saw a significant change in units throughout the inter-war years, with many battalions in the division being converted into anti-aircraft or searchlight units of the Royal Engineers or the Royal Artillery, and absorbed numerous units from divisions that were converted or disbanded, such as the three Staffordshire battalions, the 5th and 6th South Staffs and 6th North Staffs, from the 46th (North Midland) Division which was converted into 2nd AA Division.[2] In late 1938 it was converted into a motorised infantry division, of only two infantry brigades.[3]

Second World War

Universal Carriers of the 9th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool), of 164th Brigade, moving through a Sussex village, 3 July 1941.

At the start of World War II, the division was organised as a motorised infantry division with only two infantry brigades and was reorganised as a standard infantry division in June 1940 when the 66th Infantry Division was disbanded, after the BEF was evacuated from Dunkirk, and the 199th Brigade joined the 55th Division and it later became the 166th Infantry Brigade in August 1944. In October 1941, the division was no longer an operation formation to be sent overseas and, in January 1942, was placed on a Lower Establishment but did not become a training division as many others did. In December 1943 it was sent to Northern Ireland and came under command of British Troops Northern Ireland. In May 1944, shortly before the Allies invaded Normandy, the division was again raised to a Higher Establishment and returned to the mainland in July.

On 4 September 1939, the day after war was declared, the 55th (West Lancashire) Division was split up to form the 55th and 59th (Staffordshire) Division. The 59th Division received the 176th (ex 166th) and 177th brigades along with the 61st and 116th Field regiments and the 6th Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire). All other units remained with the 55th Division.

Order of battle

The 55th Infantry Division was constituted as follows during the war:[4]

164th Infantry Brigade (left 17 June 1945)[5]

165th Infantry Brigade[6]

199th Infantry Brigade (from 23 July 1940, redesignated 166th Infantry Brigade 15 August 1944)[7]

Divisional Troops

Battles

Commanders

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.1914-1918.net/55div.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/55_Division__1930_36_.pdf
  3. ↑ http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/55_Division__1937_38_.pdf
  4. ↑ Joslen, pp. 90-91.
  5. ↑ Joslen, p. 352.
  6. ↑ Joslen, p. 353.
  7. ↑ Joslen, p. 363.

Bibliography

External links

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