30th Division (United Kingdom)

The British 30th Division was a New Army division that was originally made up of battalions raised by public subscription or private patronage. The division was taken over by the British War Office in August 1915 and moved to France in December. It served on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War.

30th Division
Formation sign of the 30th Division.[1]
Active1915 – September 1919
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry
EngagementsFirst World War
Battle of the Somme (1916)
Battle of Albert (1916)

Unit history

The Division was the first of the six created for the Fourth New Army on 10 December 1914. It landed in France in December 1915. It saw action at the Battle of the Somme in autumn 1916 and the Battle of Passchendaele in autumn 1917. It was disbanded on 1 September 1919.[2]

Order of Battle

The following units served with the division:[2]

21st Brigade

The brigade joined from the 7th Division in December 1915, swapping with the 91st Brigade.

On reorganisation in July 1918:

89th Brigade
  • 17th (Service) Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (left June 1918)
  • 18th (Service) Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (transferred to 21st Brigade December 1915, returned from 21st Brigade February 1918, left June 1918)
  • 19th (Service) Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) ((reduced to cadre left 19 June 1918)[3]
  • 20th (Service) Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (disbanded February 1918)
  • 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment (joined from 21st Brigade 20 December 1915, transferred to 90th Brigade February 1918)
  • 89th Machine Gun Company (joined 13 March 1916, moved to 30th Battalion M.G.C. 1 March 1918)
  • 89th Trench Mortar Battery (joined by 16 June 1916)

On reorganisation in July 1918:

90th Brigade
  • 16th (Service) Battalion (1st City), Manchester Regiment (left June 1918)
  • 17th (Service) Battalion (2nd City), Manchester Regiment (left February 1918)
  • 18th (Service) Battalion (3rd City), Manchester Regiment (disbanded February 1918)
  • 19th (Service) Battalion (3rd City), Manchester Regiment (left December 1915)
  • 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers (joined December 1915 left April 1918)
  • 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment (joined from 89th Brigade February 1918 left May 1918)
  • 14th (Service) Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (joined April 1918, left June 1918)
  • 90th Machine Gun Company (joined 13 March 1916, moved to 30th Battalion M.G.C. 1 March 1918)
  • 90th Trench Mortar Battery (formed by 16 June 1916)

On reorganisation in July 1918:

  • 2/14th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment
  • 2/15th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment
  • 2/16th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment
  • 90th Trench Mortar Battery
91st Brigade

The brigade formed in April 1915 and moved to the 7th Division in December of that year, swapping with the 21st Brigade.

  • 20th (Service) Battalion (5th City), The Manchester Regiment
  • 21st (Service) Battalion (6th City), The Manchester Regiment
  • 22nd (Service) Battalion (7th City), The Manchester Regiment
  • 24th (Service) Battalion (Oldham), The Manchester Regiment

Divisional Troops

  • 11th (Service) Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion May 1915, left as cadre June 1918)
  • 6th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers (joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion July 1918)
  • 226th Machine Gun Company (joined 19 July 1917, moved to 30th Battalion M.G.C. 1 March 1918)
  • 19th Motor Machine Gun Battery (joined 10 February 1916, left 6 June 1916)
  • 30th Battalion M.G.C. (formed 1 March 1918, reduced to cadre 13 May 1918 replaced on 29 June 1918 by a redesignated “A” Bn, MGC)
  • Divisional Mounted Troops
  • 30th Divisional Train Army Service Corps
    • 186th, 187th, 188th and 189th Companies (joined from 22nd Division in France in November 1915)
  • 40th Mobile Veterinary Section Army Veterinary Corps
  • 227th Divisional Employment Company (joined 24 May 1917)

Royal Artillery

  • CXLVIII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (R.F.A.)
  • CXLIX Brigade, R.F.A.
  • CL Brigade, R.F.A. (left 2 January 1917)
  • CLI (Howitzer) Brigade, R.F.A. (broken up 26 August 1916)
  • 11th (Hull) Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery (R.G.A.) (joined June 1915, left March 1916)
  • 125th Heavy Battery, R.G.A. (raised with the Division but moved independently to France on 29 April 1916)
  • 30th Divisional Ammunition Column R.F.A.
  • V.30 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, R.F.A. (joined by 7 October 1916, left by 11 February 1918)
  • X.30, Y.30 and Z.30 Medium Mortar Batteries, R.F.A.(joined April 1916, 11 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries distributed among X and Y batteries)

Royal Engineers

  • 200th (County Palatine) Field Company
  • 201st (County Palatine) Field Company
  • 202nd (County Palatine) Field Company
  • 30th Divisional Signals Company

Royal Army Medical Corps

  • 111th Field Ambulance (left September 1915)
  • 112th Field Ambulance (left September 1915)
  • 113th Field Ambulance (left September 1915)
  • 70th Sanitary Section (left 2 April 1917)
  • 96th Field Ambulance(joined November 1915)
  • 97th Field Ambulance (joined November 1915)
  • 98th Field Ambulance (joined November 1915)

General officer commanding

See also

Notes
  1. Chappell p. 17
  2. Baker, Chris. "30th Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  3. Baker, Chris. "King's (Liverpool Regiment)". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 18 November 2018.

Bibliography

Further reading
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