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British 51st (Highland) Division (World War I)

 

 
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British 51st (Highland) Division (World War I)
 
 
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The 51st (Highland) Division was a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Territorial Force
Territorial Force

The Territorial Force was a volunteer component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army....
 division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
 that fought on the Western Front
Western Front

Western Front was a term used during the World War I and World War II world war to describe the "contested armed frontier" between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West....
 in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 during the First World War
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. The division's insignia was a stylised 'HD' inside a red circle. Early doubts about the division's performance earned it the nickname
Nickname

A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
 of "Harper's Duds" after the name of its commander Major General
Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
 G.M. Harper
George Montague Harper

Lieutenant General Sir George Montague Harper Order of the Bath, Distinguished Service Order was a United Kingdom general during the First World War....
.

Such doubts were the result of the way in which the division was plundered in late 1914 to early 1915, during a period of great strain on the Regular Army
Regular Army

In contemporary use, the term Regular Army refers to the full-time active component of the United States Army, as opposed to the United States Army Reserve or the Army National Guard....
.






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The 51st (Highland) Division was a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 Territorial Force
Territorial Force

The Territorial Force was a volunteer component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army....
 division
Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or Formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps....
 that fought on the Western Front
Western Front

Western Front was a term used during the World War I and World War II world war to describe the "contested armed frontier" between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West....
 in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 during the First World War
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. The division's insignia was a stylised 'HD' inside a red circle. Early doubts about the division's performance earned it the nickname
Nickname

A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
 of "Harper's Duds" after the name of its commander Major General
Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
 G.M. Harper
George Montague Harper

Lieutenant General Sir George Montague Harper Order of the Bath, Distinguished Service Order was a United Kingdom general during the First World War....
.

Such doubts were the result of the way in which the division was plundered in late 1914 to early 1915, during a period of great strain on the Regular Army
Regular Army

In contemporary use, the term Regular Army refers to the full-time active component of the United States Army, as opposed to the United States Army Reserve or the Army National Guard....
. 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
Ypres

Ypres , Ieper , or Ypern is a Belgium Municipalities in Belgium located in the Flemish Region Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders....
. 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
Festubert

Festubert is a Communes of France in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France....
 and Givenchy
Givenchy

Givenchy is a France brand of clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics with Parfums Givenchy.The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of F?d?ration fran?aise de la couture....
. Indeed, General Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig

Douglas Haig may refer to:*Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, British Earl and a Field Marshall during the First World War*Club Atl?tico Douglas Haig, a football club from Argentina...
 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
Black Watch

The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.Prior to 28 March 2006, the Black Watch was an infantry regiment in its own right; The Black Watch from 1931 to 2006, and The Royal Highland Regiment from 1881 to 1931....
, not originally in the division. Given the chance to show their mettle in July 1916, they assaulted High Wood
High Wood

High Wood is a small forest near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme D?partements of France of northern France which was the scene of intense fighting for two months from 14 July to 15 September, 1916 during the Battle of the Somme ....
, 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
Beaumont-Hamel

Beaumont-Hamel is a communes of the Somme d?partement in the Somme d?partement in France in the Picardie region of France.Population...
 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
Arras

Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard language dialect....
 in April/May to the combined tank-infantry assault at Cambrai
Cambrai

Cambrai is a Communes of France in the Nord Departments of France in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France of the department.Cambrai is the seat of Archdiocese of Cambrai whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages....
 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.

The division ended the war with a high reputation, so much so that it merited a high position on the German High Command’s “Most Feared” list.

See British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)

For the First World War unit, see British 51st Division .The 51st Infantry Division was a United Kingdom Territorial Army division that fought during the World War II....
 for the division's formation and history during the Second World War.

Unit history


Formation


152nd (1st Highland) Brigade :

  • 1/5th (The Sutherland
    Sutherland

    Sutherland is a registration county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland and historic administrative Counties of Scotland of Scotland. It is now within the Highland Council areas of Scotland....
     and Caithness
    Caithness

    Caithness is a registration county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland and historic Local government in Scotland of Scotland. The name was used also for the Earl of Caithness and the Caithness of the Parliament of the United Kingdom ....
    ) Bn, the Seaforth Highlanders
    Seaforth Highlanders

    The Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the World War I....
  • 1/6th (Morayshire) Bn, the Seaforth Highlanders
    Seaforth Highlanders

    The Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the World War I....
  • 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
    Renfrewshire

    Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic Renfrewshire , also known as the County of Renfrew or Greater Renfrewshire, the other two being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east....
    ) 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
    Black Watch

    The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.Prior to 28 March 2006, the Black Watch was an infantry regiment in its own right; The Black Watch from 1931 to 2006, and The Royal Highland Regiment from 1881 to 1931....
  • 1/7th (Fife
    Fife

    Fife is a council area of Scotland, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire....
    ) Bn, the Black Watch
  • The Shetland Companies, the Gordon Highlanders
  • 1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (until February 1915)
  • 1/5th (Buchan
    Buchan

    Buchan is one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by the council in 1996, when the Aberdeenshire Council areas of Scotland was created under the Local Government etc Act 1994....
     and Formartin) Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (until February 1918)
  • 1/7th (Deeside
    Deeside

    For Strathdee in Scotland see River Dee, AberdeenshireDeeside is the name given to the predominantly industrial conurbation of towns that are on, or near the River Dee, Wales in Flintshire, north east Wales....
     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
    Dunbartonshire

    Dunbartonshire or the County of Dumbarton, is a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland and a registration county of Scotland. Until 1975 it was a Counties of Scotland....
    ) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders


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

The British 55th Infantry Division was a Territorial Force division which served on the Western Front during the World War I.History ...
.

  • 1/4th Bn TF
    Territorial Army

    The Territorial Army is the volunteer Military reserve force of the British Army, the army of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at a similar rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents....
    , the King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment
  • 1/8th (Irish) Bn, The King's (Liverpool) Regiment
  • 2/5th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers
    Lancashire Fusiliers

    The Lancashire Fusiliers was a United Kingdom infantry regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers....
  • 1/4th Bn, the Loyal North Lancashire
    Lancashire

    Lancashire is a Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England of Historic counties of England in the North West England of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea....
     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
    Seaforth Highlanders

    The Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the World War I....
  • 1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders
  • 1/9th (Highlanders) Bn, the Royal Scots Regiment
  • 1/7th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders


Battles

  • Battle of the Somme (1916)
    Battle of the Somme (1916)

    The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July to November 1916, was among the largest List of World War I Battles of the World War I....
  • Battle of Arras (1917)
    Battle of Arras (1917)

    The Battle of Arras was a British Empire offensive during World War I. From 9 April to 16 May, 1917, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australian troops attacked Germany trench warfare near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
  • Battle of Cambrai (1917)


See also

  • List of British divisions in WWI


External links