# 61st (2nd South Midland) Division

The 61st (2nd South Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army raised in 1915 during the Great War as a second-line reserve for the first-line battalions of the 48th (South Midland) Division. The division was sent to the Western Front in May 1916 and served there for the duration of the First World War.

## Unit history

The division landed in France in May 1916. On 19 July 1916, together with the 5th Australian Division, the 61st Division fought the Battle of Fromelles, designed as a feint attack as part of the Somme Offensive. The attack, against well prepared German positions based on a ridge, was a disaster and responsible for the subsequent poor reputation of the Division. The division later took part in the advance to the Hindenburg Line and the Third Battle of Ypres.

## Order of Battle

The order of battle was as follows:

### 182nd (2nd Warwickshire) Brigade

* 2/5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (disbanded February 1918)
* 2/6th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
* 2/7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
* 2/8th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (disbanded February 1918)
* 2/8th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (from 183rd Bde. February 1918)

### 183rd (2nd Gloucester and Worcester) Brigade

The brigade contained the following battalions until February 1918 when most of them were disbanded.
* 2/4th (City of Bristol) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
* 2/6th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
* 2/7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
* 2/8th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (to 182nd Bde. February 1918)
Between February and June 1918 the 183rd Brigade contained the following battalions.
* 1/9th (Highlanders) Battalion, Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)
* 1/5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
* 1/8th (Argyllshire) Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
From May 1918 the following battalions joined the Brigade.
* 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment
* 9th (Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
* 11th (Service) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (Cambridgeshire)

### 184th (2nd South Midland) Brigade

* 2/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
* 2/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
* 2/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (disbanded February 1918)
* 2/4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment

### Divisional Troops

* 1/5th Bn, the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry joined as Divisional Pioneer Bn April 1916
* 267th Machine Gun Company joined 18 January 1918, moved to 61st Bn MGC 1 March 1918
* 61st Battalion MGC formed 1 March 1918

### Divisional Mounted Troops

* 2/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry joined October 1915, left February 1916
* 2/2nd County of London Yeomanry joined 24 January 1916, left February 1916
* C Sqn, 1/1st Hampshire Yeomanry joined 18 March 1916, left 7 June 1916
* 2nd South Midland Divisional Cyclist Company left June 1916

### 61st (2nd South Midland) Divisional Artillery

    (the artillery of 59th Division was also attached between 8 and 26 August 1918)
* CCCV (2/I South Midland) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (RFA) broken up 17 September 1916
* CCCVI (2/II South Midland) Brigade, RFA
* CCCVII (2/III South Midland) Brigade, RFA
* CCCVIII (2/IV S.M.) (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA broken up 27 January 1917
* 2/1st South Midland (Warwicks) Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) left 3 February 1916
* 2/2nd London Heavy Battery RGA joined 24 January 1916, left 3 February 1916
* 1/1st Wessex Heavy Battery RGA attached 24 January to February 1916
* 2/1st Wessex Heavy Battery RGA attached 24 January to February 1916
* 61st Divisional Ammunition Column RFA
* V.61 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, RFA formed by 16 August 1916; left 7 February 1918
* X.61, Y.61 and Z.61 Medium Mortar Batteries, RFA formed June 1916; on 7 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each

### 61st (2nd South Midland) Divisional Engineers

* 477th (2/1st South Midland) Field Company moved independently to France and joined 48th Division June 1915
* 478th (2/2nd South Midland) Field Company
* 479th (3/1st South Midland) Field Company
* 476th (1/3rd South Midland) Field Company joined by May 1916
* 61st Divisional Signals Company

### Royal Army Medical Corps

* 2/1st South Midland Field Ambulance
* 2/2nd South Midland Ambulance
* 2/3rd South Midland Field Ambulance
* 61st Sanitary Section left for IV Corps 12 April 1917

### Other Divisional Troops

* 61st Divisional Train ASC 521, 522, 523 and 524 Companies ASC
* 2/1st South Midland Mobile Veterinary Section AVC
* 251st Divisional Employment Company joined 7 June 1917

## Battles

* Battle of Fromelles

## General Officer Commanding

Commanding officers were:
* Brigadier-General The Marquess of Salisbury, September 1915 – December 1916
* Major-General Richard Bannatine-Allason, December 1915 – February 1916
* Major-General Sir Colin Mackenzie, KCB, February 1916 – May 1918
* Major-General F. John Duncan, CB, CMG, DSO 1918