History of the 9th (Scottish) Division

When the 8th (Light) Division was re-numbered 14th, the 9th (Scottish) became the senior division of the first of Kitchener's New Armies. It came into being towards the end of August 1914, and although the history has very little to say about its training this period is graphically and amusingly described in The First Hundred Thousand , a novel by Ian Hay who was an officer in the division. The 9th began its move to France on 8 May 1915, the first of the New Army divisions to go on active service, and at the beginning of July it took over a sector of the line around Festubert. Its first major battle was Loos (September 1915) in which it suffered 6,000 casualties in three days; among the dead was the divisional commander, Major-General Thesiger. The first half of 1916 was spent in the `Plugstreet' sector during which time Churchill was there, commanding 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers. In May 1916 one of the brigades, the 28th, was broken up and replaced by the South African Brigade, which had just arrived from Egypt; it proved to be one of the finest brigades in the BEF.
For the first three weeks of July the division was on the Somme - Bernafay, Longueval and Delville Wood (now the site of South Africa's National Memorial) - with losses of 7,200. After a rest and a month in the Vimy sector it returned to the Somme in October, near the Butte de Warlencourt. Several unsuccessful attacks against that feature resulted in a further 3,100 casualties. From December 1916 to August 1917 the division was on the Arras front, taking part in the First and Third Battles of the Scarpe (5,000 casualties) before moving to Ypres in September at the height of Third Ypres. A month's fighting there cost nearly another 5,000 casualties. In 1918 the division distinguished itself during the German offensive, earning the praises of the C in C and even of the Kaiser, and in the final advance to victory. The 9th Scottish was a first class division. It gained seven VCs and the total casualty list amounted to some 54,600. It was selected to be part of the Army of the Rhine, one of four New Army divisions, and in March 1919 it was renamed `The Lowland Division.'
The division's record is graphically described in this history - what Field Marshal Lord Plumer in his foreword referred to as "a record of wonderful development of fighting efficiency." There are useful appendices giving the Order of Battle, command and staff lists with the various changes; a table showing periods spent in the line, with locations; a table of battle casualties and the VC citations. The maps are good with adequate detail for actions to be followed.

51 The Highland Division was one of the pre-war Territorial divisions. Its HQ was in Perth with brigade HQs in Aberdeen, Inverness and Stirling. On mobilization the division moved down to its war station in Bedford where it remained, carrying out training till embarking for France in May 1915. During this period six of its battalions were sent to France, three in November 1914 and three in the following March, replaced by two Highland battalions and a brigade of four Lancashire battalions; it is not clear whether the latter were required to wear kilts. They were transferred to the 55th (West Lancashire) Division when that division reformed in France in January 1916 and were replaced, appropriately, by Scottish battalions. It was in May 1915, just as the division arrived in France, that it was designated 51st and the brigades 152nd, 153rd and 154th; by the end of the war the 51st (Highland) Division had become one of the best known divisions in the BEF. The division was quickly into action at Festubert. The 51st (Highland) Division was a BritishTerritorial Forcedivision that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War. The division's insignia was a stylised 'HD' inside a red circle. Early doubts about the division's performance earned it the nickname of "Harper's Duds" after the name of its commander Major GeneralG.M. Harper. The division also fought during the Second World War. The division was nicknamed the "Highway Decorators" in reference to the 'HD' insignia which adorned road signs along their axis of advance.

A related formation, the 51st (Scottish) Division, was reformed in the Territorial Army after the Second World War. Beckett 2008 says that TA units that were in suspended animation were formally reactivated on 1 January 1947, though no personnel were assigned until commanding officers and permanent staff had been appointed in March and April 1947.[1] By December 1947 the formation had become 51st/52nd Scottish Division,[2] but by March 1950 52nd Division had been recreated as an independent formation.[3] From December 1955, the division was placed on a lower establishment, for home defence purposes only.[4] On 1 May 1961 the division was merged with Highland District to become 51st Highland Division/District.[5]

Contents
[hide]
  • 1 First World War
  • 1.1 First World War composition
  • 2 Second World War
  • 2.1 France 1940
  • 2.2 The Mediterranean
  • 2.3 Battle of Normandy
  • 2.4 After Normandy
  • 2.5 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, 1939-1940
  • 2.6 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, 1940-1945
  • 2.7 Commanders
  • 3 Legacy
  • 3.1 Music
  • 3.2 Dance
  • 4 See also
  • 5 Notes
  • 6 References
  • 7 External links

[edit] First World War

The First World War doubts were the result of the way in which the division was initially plundered in late 1914 to early 1915, during a period of great strain on the Regular Army. In August 1914, upon mobilization, the division’s infantry element had comprised 12 battalions in 3 regimentally-named brigades:- The Gordon Highlanders Brigade, The Seaforths and Camerons Brigade and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Brigade. A crisis on the Western Front in the Autumn of 1914 saw increasing numbers of individual Territorial Force battalions being seconded to Regular Army formations on the Western Front. The first T.F. formation to be plundered in this way was the 1st London Division. By early 1915, the Highland Division had lost 6 of its 12 pre-war Highland infantry battalions to Regular Divisions. When T.F. divisions were finally ordered overseas as complete formations in their own right in early 1915, the Highland Division was only at half-strength and in no shape to be sent abroad at that time. Only by the last-minute addition of 2 Lowland battalions and a complete English brigade from North Lancashire was the division, now numbered 51st Highland Division, considered numerically complete and was rushed to the Western Front in May 1915 to help stem the latest German onslaught at Ypres. Obviously, the lack of familiarity amongst these newly introduced disparate units hampered division efficiency and the division could only fare moderately in further the actions at Festubert and Givenchy. Indeed, General Douglas Haig commented that the 51st was, at the time of Festubert, “practically untrained and very green in all field duties”. Moved to the quiet Somme front in late summer of 1915, the division had yet to satisfy the expectations of those expecting the familiar Highland flare in battle - this was the period of Harper's Duds.

The situation was only resolved when, by January 1916, the Lancashire brigade left the division and their place was filled by original Highland battalions released by the regular divisions and by battalions of the Black Watch, not originally in the division. Given the chance to show their mettle in July 1916, they assaulted High Wood, which they attacked forcefully in the midst of a murderous field of fire without shelter. Though they failed to take the position, they had shown the fighting spirit expected of Highlanders. The division’s reputation grew and they were chosen to capture the notorious fortress village of Beaumont-Hamel in November 1916. The 51st were “Harper’s Duds” no longer, now they were, according to the German nickname, “The Ladies From Hell”.

By 1917, the 51st was considered a leading assault division and was handed more and more difficult tasks, throughout the year, from Arras in April/May to the combined tank-infantry assault at Cambrai in November. By early 1918, the division was below-strength due to losses in 1917 and the tired survivors were given a quiet part of the front line to hold. Unfortunately, the Germans had by chance chosen that location as one of the focal points for their Kaiserschlacht, the last great German assault on the West in March 1918. The neighbouring Portuguese troops bore the brunt of the initial German assault and when they started to retire from their positions and ran across the 51st's positions, they were mistaken for Germans in the poor visual conditions and the 51st opened fire on them, causing casualties. The under-strength 51st was also pushed back, but eventually held as the German offensive ebbed and flowed. The remains of the division survived the Spring battles and received reinforcements in time for Haig's Allied offensives of August 1918 onward.

Battles the division participated in in the First World War included:

  • Battle of the Somme (1916)
  • Battle of Arras (1917)
  • Battle of Cambrai (1917)

[edit] First World War composition

152nd (1st Highland) Brigade

  • 1/5th (The Sutherland and Caithness) Bn, the Seaforth Highlanders
  • 1/6th (Morayshire) Bn, the Seaforth Highlanders
  • 1/8th (The Argyllshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (from 154th Bde. April 1915)
  • 1/4th Bn, the Cameron Highlanders (until February 1915)
  • 1/6th (Renfrewshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (from 154th Bde. April 1915 to June 1915)
  • 1/6th (Banff and Donside) Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (from June 1916)

153rd (2nd Highland) Brigade

  • 1/6th Bn, the Black Watch
  • 1/7th (Fife) Bn, the Black Watch
  • The Shetland Companies, the Gordon Highlanders
  • 1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (until February 1915)
  • 1/5th (Buchan and Formartine) Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (until February 1918)
  • 1/7th (Deeside Highland) Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (until October 1918)

154th (3rd Highland) Brigade

The original brigade comprised the following battalions until April 1915 when some of the battalions moved to the 152nd Brigade:

  • 1/7th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
  • 1/6th (Renfrewshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
  • 1/8th (The Argyllshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
  • 1/9th (The Dunbartonshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

Between 18 April 1915 and January 1916, the brigade was replaced by the battalions of the 164th (North Lancashire) Brigade from the 55th (West Lancashire) Division.

  • 1/4th Bn TF, the King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
  • 1/8th (Irish) Bn, The King's (Liverpool) Regiment
  • 2/5th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers
  • 1/4th Bn, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
  • 1/6th Bn, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

After early 1916, the brigade contained the following battalions:

  • 1/4th (Ross Highland) Bn, the Seaforth Highlanders
  • 1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders
  • 1/9th (Highlanders) Bn, the Royal Scots Regiment
  • 1/7th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

The 15 (Scottish) Division

First World War

The division was a New Army unit formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. The division moved to France in July 1915 and spent the duration of the First World War in action on the Western Front. The division fought in the Battle of Loos, the Battle of the Somme (1916) which included the battles of Pozieres and Flers-Courcelette, and the Third Battle of Ypres.

[edit] 44th Brigade

  • 8th (Service) Battalion, the Seaforth Highlanders
  • 9th (Service) Battalion, the Gordon Highlanders (until January 1915)
  • 10th (Service) Battalion, the Gordon Highlanders (merged with 8th Gordon Highlanders May 1916)
  • 8/10th (Service) Battalion, the Gordon Highlanders (from May 1916 until June 1918)
  • 9th (Service) Battalion, the Black Watch (until February 1918)
  • 4/5th Battalion, the Black Watch (from June 1918)
  • 1/5th (Buchan and Formartine) Battalion, the Gordon Highlanders (from June 1918)
  • 7th (Service) Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (from January 1915 until June 1918)

In May 1916 the 8th and 10th Battalions of the Gordon Highlanders merged to form the 8/10th Battalion.

[edit] 45th Brigade

  • 13th (Service) Battalion, the Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)
  • 6th (Service) Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
  • 6/7th (Service) Battalion, the Royal Scots Fusiliers (until February 1918)
  • 1/8th (The Argyllshire) Battalion, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (from June 1918)
  • 11th (Service) Battalion, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (until June 1918)

The 7th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers was an original member of the brigade. It merged with the 6th Battalion in May 1916 to form the 6/7th Battalion.

[edit] 46th Brigade

  • 10th (Service) Battalion, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
  • 12th (Service) Battalion, the Highland Light Infantry (until February 1918)
  • 7th (Service) Battalion, the King's Own Scottish Borderers (merged with the 8th Battalion, May 1916)
  • 8th (Service) Battalion, the King's Own Scottish Borderers (merged with the 7th Battalion, May 1916)
  • 1/4th (Ross Highland) Battalion, the Seaforth Highlanders (from November 1915 until January 1916)
  • 1/4th Battalion, the Suffolk Regiment (from November 1915 until February 1916)
  • 9th (Service) Battalion, the Black Watch (from February 1918 until May 1918)
  • 1/9th (Highlanders) Battalion, the Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) (from June 1918)
  • 10/11th (Service) Battalion, the Highland Light Infantry (from May 1916 until February 1918)

In May 1916 the 7th and 8th Battalions of the King's Own Scottish Borderers merged to form the 7/8th Battalion.

The LONDON Scottish originated in 1859 at a meeting of the Scottish residents in London at the Freemasons' Tavern, in which it was decided to form a Volunteer Rifle Corps, to be designated the London Scottish Rifle Volunteers. A half company served with the Gordon Highlanders in S Africa and other volunteers in the City Imperial Volunteers. When the Territorial Force was created in 1908 the London Scottish became the 14th Battalion of the newly formed London Regiment, in the 4th London Brigade of the 2nd London Division. Soon after the outbreak of war second and third line battalions were formed, 2/14th and 3/14th (the latter became a reserve battalion); the original battalion was now 1/14th.
1/14th London Scottish was the first TF infantry battalion to join the BEF, in September 1914, where it was attached to GHQ. Just over a month later, on the night of 31st October, it fought its first battle at Messines, commemorated today by the memorial that stands beside the Messines-Ypres road. Among those who took part was the actor Ronald Colman who was wounded. The battalion remained on the Western Front for the rest of the war, fighting at Ypres, on the Somme, at Arras and Cambrai. 2/14th arrived in France in June 1916 with 179th Brigade, 60th (2/2nd London) Division, but five months later, in November, the division went to Macedonia and in June 1917 it moved again, to Palestine. 2/14th fought in both theatres, winning two VCs in Palestine. In May 1918 it left 60th Division and went to France where it joined 30th Division.
This is a good history which deals with the two active battalions separately. The author himself commanded the 1/14th, but was seriously wounded on the Somme in October 1916 by a sniper. The operations in which they were engaged are well described and supported by good maps. Appendices give the composition of the various divisions in which the battalions served, the list of honours and awards (including Mentions in Despatches they total 438), and the roll of honour. In all 1,542 died serving with the London Scottish.

......

Of the Gordon Highlanders about 500 were taken but a few escaped... For a time they practically ceased to exist as a battalion.'
- 1st Gordon Highlanders at Le Cateau, August 1914 Official History of the War: Military Operations in France and Belgium, 1914

THE SCOTTISH REGIMENTS IN THE GREAT WAR 1914- 1918

The Scottish infantry during the Great War were, arguably, the most distinctive of the British Expeditionary Force. Their contribution left a lasting impact on the history of the War and gave us some of its most enduring images; from the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers holding the Jemappes canal bridge at Mons in 1914, to the kilted 6th Seaforths in steel helmets, clambering over the desolated landscape at the battle of Scarpe in 1918. What follows is a brief assessment of the Scottish regiments from 1914-1918, with a few ideas for recreating them and their campaigns in small scale.

Of the British Divisions raised for the war, many were wholly comprised of Scottish battalions. These included the famous 51st (Highland) and 52nd (Lowland) Divisions, both of which were formed from members of the Territorial Force at the outbreak of hostilities. Two further 'reserve' Divisions, the 64th (2nd Highland) and 65th (2nd Lowland), were raised in September 1914 from those Territorials who had enlisted post-war. Additionally, to cope with the mass of volunteers eager for active service, another two 'New Army' Service Divisions were raised as well; the 9th (Scottish) and 15th (Scottish) both serving with considerable distinction.

In the desperate need for men, recruits who had been 'weeded out' from volunteers for other units were accepted into 'Bantam' battalions, comprised of men under regulation height. Paradoxically, these men were often treated with ridicule and sometimes even contempt, but were also held in a certain awe at their fearless courage and tenacity. The 18th (4th Glasgow) Highland Light Infantry was a 'bantam' battalion, with such a bellicose reputation that they were unofficially known as the 'Demon Dwarves'.

There were also the Scots Guards, 1/14th (County of London) London Regiment (London Scottish), 1/10th (Scottish) King's Liverpool Regiment, 20th-23rd (Service) Battalions, Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Scottish) and other Scottish units specifically raised the war throughout the Empire. As well as those Scots serving in other British forces, there were five 'lowland' and five 'highland' regiments. Despite this, there were many 'highland' units in 'lowland' regiments, notably, the Highland Light Infantry. Confusingly, this was officially a lowland regiment, as it recruited from Glasgow and its environs, although it did have 'highland' battalions.

Scottish regimental uniform details can also be split into 'highland' and 'lowland' styles. The highland regiments were, perhaps, the most distinctive and instantly recognisable as they wore the kilt, for the most part, on active service. This was frequently worn with a protective khaki kilt apron, which had a pocket on the front to replace the sporran. Sometimes, as an alternative, the gas helmet haversack was worn at the front of the kilt instead. Despite its greatest drawback (namely extreme vulnerability to gas attacks), some suggest that in the damp conditions of trench warfare, the kilt became a useful piece of clothing. It saw widespread use and, although highland service dress was modified due to the practicalities of war, by and large, the kilt was worn in all weathers and campaigns. For example, the London Scottish served in their grey hodder kilts in Salonika, whilst the 1st Seaforths fought in theirs throughout Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq).