The 46th (North Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force, that saw service in the First World War. 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 May 1915.[1]
| North Midland Division 46th (North Midland) Division | |
|---|---|
First World War division insignia
| |
| Active | 1908 – June 1919 1922–1935 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Territorial Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Peacetime HQ | Lichfield |
| Engagements | Hohenzollern Redoubt Gommecourt Hill 70 St Quentin Canal Selle Sambre |
The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Force, the Honourable Artillery Company and the Yeomanry. On formation, the TF contained 14 infantry divisions and 14 mounted yeomanry brigades.[2] One of the divisions was the North Midland Division.[3]
The North Midland Division was created by combining two existing Volunteer Infantry brigades, the Staffordshire Brigade and the North Midland Brigade. The Staffordshire Brigade was composed of battalions of the South Staffordshire Regiment and the Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment). The North Midland Brigade was split into two, one, the Lincoln and Leicester Brigade, composed of battalions of the Lincolnshire and Leicestershire Regiments, the other, the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Brigade, comprising the four TF battalions of the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment (later the Sherwood Foresters).[4] In peacetime, the divisional headquarters was in Lichfield.[3][5]
The North Midland Division was sent to France in February 1915 and served on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War. On 12 May 1915 the division was numbered 46th (North Midland) Division and the brigades were also numbered. During the Battle of Loos the 46th Division was decimated in an attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 13 October 1915.[6]
It was later involved in the Battle of the Somme in July 1916, where in the opening phase as part of VII Corps, the southernmost corps of the British Third Army, the Division took part in the diversionary attack at Gommecourt on the first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916, which was a catastrophic failure resulting in heavy losses.[7]
The event dogged the division afterwards with a poor reputation until 29 September 1918, during the Hundred Days Offensive, when it re-established its name at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal where, utilising life-belts and collapsible boats, it crossed the formidable obstacle of the canal and used scaling ladders to surmount the steep gradient of the opposite bank and captured multiple fortified machine-gun posts.[8]
The total losses for the Division between February 1915 and 11 November 1918 were: Officers, 275 killed, 1,104 wounded and 123 missing; Other Ranks, 3,475 killed, 21,285 wounded and 3,307 missing.[9]
During the war, it served in the First, Second, Third and Fifth Armies, and in the I, II, III, V, VII, XI, XIII, XIV, XVII and XVIII Corps.[10]
During the war, the composition of the division was as follows:[1][11][12][13]
The Territorial Force was disbanded after the war. It was reformed as the Territorial Army in 1920 as was the 46th Division. However, the 46th Division was disbanded in 1936, the headquarters was converted into 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division and several of its infantry battalions into AA units.[14] Most of the remainder of 46th Division's units were sent to other divisions, mainly the 49th (West Riding).[15]
The following officers commanded the division at various times:[16][17]
| Appointed | General officer commanding |
|---|---|
| April 1908 | Brigadier-General Hugh J. Archdale |
| January 1911 | Major-General Hubert I. W. Hamilton |
| 1 June 1914 | Major-General Hon. Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley |
| 6 July 1916 | Brigadier-General H. M. Campbell (acting) |
| 8 July 1916 | Major-General William Thwaites |
| 2 September 1918 | Brigadier-General F. G. M. Rowley (acting) |
| 5 September 1918 | Major-General Gerald F. Boyd |
| June 1919 | Major-General Sir A. Reginald Hoskins |
| June 1923 | Major-General Casimir C. van Straubenzee |
| May 1927 | Major-General Sir Percy O. Hambro |
| May 1931 | Major-General Oswald C. Borrett |
| December 1932 | Major-General Maurice G. Taylor |
| April 1934 | Major-General Sir Hereward Wake |
