39th Division (United Kingdom)


The 39th Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised during the First World War. The division was part of Kitchener's New Armies and saw service on the Western Front and in Italy from 1916 onwards.

History

The division was formed as part of the fifth wave of divisions in the New Army; it did not have a regional title, but was composed primarily of recruits from the Midlands, London, and the south of England. Several of its battalions had been raised by local communities, and were named for their towns or industries. After training and home service, it deployed to the Western Front in early 1916, and fought in the Battle of the Somme. The following year, it saw action at the Third Battle of Ypres, and in 1918 took heavy losses in the German Army's Spring Offensive. The General Office Commanding, Major-General Edward Feetham, was killed in the action in March 1918.
, British 39th Division, near Moulle, France, 22 May 1918.
Following near-destruction at the Battle of the Lys, the division was reduced to a cadre, which spent the remainder of the war training newly arrived units of the American Expeditionary Forces. The division demobilised after the Armistice with Germany, and had ceased to exist by July 1919.

Order of battle

The following units served with the division:
116th Brigade
117th Brigade
118th Brigade
39th Divisional Composite Brigade
Formed on 10 April 1918 after the Division suffered heavy losses and placed under command of Brig-Gen. A. Hubback. Fought in the Battles of the Lys as an independent command attached to XXII Corps. Returned to Division and men deployed to old units by 6 May 1918.
  • 1st Battalion
  • 2nd Battalion
  • 3rd Battalion
  • 4th Battalion
  • 5th Battalion
  • 118th Trench Mortar Battery
  • No 4 Company, 39th Divisional Train Army Service Corps
Divisional Troops
For short periods in the summer of 1918, 47 battalion cadres from reorganised divisions that had suffered heavy losses in the German spring offensives were attached to the brigades and division HQ.
Royal Artillery
The three field gun Brigades were all raised by the Thames Ironworks Company.
  • CLXXIV Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
  • CLXXIX Brigade, R.F.A.
  • CLXXXIV Brigade, R.F.A.
  • CLXXXVI Brigade, R.F.A.
  • 39th Divisional Ammunition Column R.F.A.
  • V.39 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, R.F.A.
  • X.39, Y.39 and Z.39 Medium Mortar Batteries, R.F.A.
Royal Engineers
  • 225th Field Company
  • 227th Field Company
  • 234th Company
  • 39th Divisional Signals Company
Royal Army Medical Corps'''