# British Expeditionary Force order of battle (1940)

This is the British Expeditionary Force order of battle on 9 May 1940, the day before the German forces initiated the Battle of France.

## High-level order of battle

First Expeditionary Force
    General John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
       5th Infantry Division (Major-General Harold Franklyn)
    I Corps (Lieutenant-General Michael Barker)
       1st Infantry Division (Major-General Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander)
       2nd Infantry Division (Major-General Henry Charles Loyd)
       48th (South Midland) Infantry Division (Major-General Augustus Francis Andrew Nicol Thorne)
    II Corps (Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke)
       3rd Infantry Division (Major-General Bernard Montgomery)
       4th Infantry Division (Major-General Dudley Johnson)
       50th (Northumbrian) Motor Infantry Division (Major-General Giffard Martel)
    III Corps (Lieutenant-General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam
       42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division (Major-General William Holmes)
       44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division (Major-General Edmund Osborne)
    Saar Force (Major-General Victor Fortune)
       51st (Highland) Infantry Division (Major-General V. M. Fortune)
    Formations undergoing training and performing labour duties
    HQ Lines of Communication British Expeditionary Force (Major-General Philip de Fonblanque)
    Units arriving in France after 10 May 1940
Other formations
    Air Component
    Second Expeditionary Force

## First Expeditionary Force
### General Headquarters (GHQ)

    General Officer Commanding-in-Chief: General John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
    Chief of the General Staff: Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Royds Pownall
    Adjutant General: Lieutenant-General Sir W. D. S. Brownrigg
    Quartermaster General: Lieutenant-General W. G. Lindsell
    Deputy Chief of the General Staff; Major-General Philip Neame
    Major-General Royal Artillery: Major-General Sydney Rigby Wason
    Engineer-in-Chief: Major-General Ridley Pakenham-Walsh

#### GHQ, BEF Headquarters Troops
### Armoured Brigades

    1st Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade
       Brigade manning armoured cars
          1st Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade Headquarters and Signals Section, Royal Signals
          1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
          1st East Riding of Yorkshire Lancers
    2nd Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade
       Brigade manning armoured cars
          2nd Light Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade Headquarters and Signals Section, Royal Signals
          5th (Royal Inniskilling) Dragoon Guards
          15th/19th (The King's) Royal Hussars
    1st Army Tank Brigade
       Brigade manning infantry and cavalry tank
          1st Army Tank Brigade Headquarters and Signals Section, Royal Signals
          4th Royal Tank Regiment
          7th Royal Tank Regiment

### Commander Royal Engineers

Major-General Ridley Pakenham Pakenham-Walsh
    Direct reports
       100th (Monmouthshire) Army Field Company, Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
       101st (Monmouthshire) Army Field Company, Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers
       216th (1st London) Army Field Company, Royal Engineers
       228th (West Riding) Field Company, Royal Engineers
       242nd (Lowland) Field Company, Royal Engineers
       223rd (2nd London) Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
       109th Workshop and Park Company, Royal Engineers
       1st Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers
       2nd Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers
       19th Army Field Survey Company, Royal Engineers
       119th Road Construction Company, Royal Engineers
       135th Excavator Company, Royal Engineers
       1st Boring Section, Royal Engineers
       2nd Boring Section, Royal Engineers
       1st Anti-Gas Laboratory, Royal Engineers
       58th (Chemical Warfare) Company, Royal Engineers
       61st (Chemical Warfare) Company, Royal Engineers
       62nd (Chemical Warfare) Company, Royal Engineers
    1st Tunnelling Group, Royal Engineers
       170th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
       171st Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
       172nd Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers
       173rd Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers

### 5th Infantry Division

Major-General Harold Franklyn

### I Corps

Lieutenant-General Michael Barker

#### 1st Infantry Division

Major-General Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander

#### 2nd Infantry Division

Major-General Henry Charles Loyd

#### 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division

Major-General Augustus Francis Andrew Nicol Thorne

### II Corps

Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke

#### 3rd Infantry Division

Major-General Bernard Montgomery

#### 4th Infantry Division

Major-General Dudley Johnson

#### 50th (Northumbrian) Motor Infantry Division

Major-General Giffard Martel

### III Corps

Lieutenant-General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam

#### 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division

Major-General William Holmes

#### 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division

Major-General Edmund Osborne

### Saar Force

Major-General Victor Fortune
On 10 May 1940, this force, which was really just the 51st Division reinforced by various small units, was part of the Colonial Army Corps of the French Third Army in front of the Maginot Line.
Units attached to the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division in April 1940 to form Saar Force
    Lothians and Border Horse
    7th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers (Machine-Guns)
    1st Battalion Princess Louise's Kensington Regiment (Machine-Guns)
    7th Battalion The Royal Norfolk Regiment (Pioneers)
    6th Battalion The Royal Scots Fusiliers (Pioneers)
    Sound Ranging and Survey Troop - detached from 3rd Survey Regiment RA
    1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (Field)
    51st (Midland) Medium Regiment Royal Artillery
    385/97 Army Field Battery Royal Artillery
    213th (North Midland) Army Field Company Royal Engineers
    Topographic Section from 19th Army Field Survey Company Royal Engineers
    22nd Animal Transportation Company Royal Indian Army Service Corps
    Sub-Division from III Corps Ammunition Park Royal Army Service Corps
    F Section from III Corps Petrol Park Royal Army Service Corps
    10th Army Field Workshop Royal Army Ordnance Corps
    10th Salvage Unit

#### 51st (Highland) Infantry Division

Major-General V. M. Fortune

### Formations undergoing training and performing labour duties
#### 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division

Major-General R. L. Petre

#### 23rd (Northumbrian) Division

Major-General W. N. Herbert

#### 46th Infantry Division

Major-General H. O. Curtis

### HQ Lines of Communication British Expeditionary Force

Major-General Philip de Fonblanque

### Units arriving in France after 10 May 1940
#### 1st Armoured Division

Major-General R. Evans

## Air component

    Air Vice-Marshal Charles Blount (Data from Jackson 1974 unless indicated.)
       85 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter)
       87 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter)
       607 Squadron: Gladiator (fighter, converting to Hurricane May 1940)
       615 Squadron: Gladiator (fighter, converting to Hurricane May 1940)
          3 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter; reinforcement, May 1940)
          79 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter; reinforcement, May 1940)
          504 Squadron: Hurricane (fighter; reinforcement, May 1940)
       From 22 (Army Co-operation) Group
       81 Squadron: Blenheim I (strategic reconnaissance)
       57 Squadron: Blenheim I (strategic reconnaissance)
       53 Squadron: Blenheim IV (bomber)
       59 Squadron: Blenheim IV (bomber)
       2 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
       4 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
       13 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
       16 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)
       26 Squadron: Lysander (army co-operation)

## Second Expeditionary Force

The following force was sent to France during the second week of June 1940 in an unsuccessful attempt to form a second British Expeditionary Force. This second formation was to be commanded by Lieutenant-General A. F. Brooke. All units were evacuated in late June 1940, during Operation Aerial.
    1st Canadian Infantry Brigade (from 1st Canadian Infantry Division)
       Royal Canadian Regiment
       Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
       48th Highlanders of Canada
       1st Field Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery

### 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division

Major-General J. S. Drew