52nd ( Lowland ) Infantry Division The British 52nd ( Lowland ) Division was a Territorial Army division that was originally formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908 . The 52nd ( Lowland ) Division fought in the First World War before being disbanded . It was again raised , during the inter - war years , as the 52nd ( Lowland ) Infantry Division - a First Line Territorial Army Infantry Division - and went on to serve during the Second World War . The division was merged with the 51st ( Highland ) Infantry Division in 1948 . The history of the division was carried on by the 52nd Lowland Brigade , and later the 52nd Lowland Regiment . First World War . The famous territorial regiments that were incorporated in the division , were all drawn from the Scottish Lowlands , and have a history that in some cases goes back more than 300 years . It consisted of three Brigades , the 155th ( South Scottish ) , 156th ( Scottish Rifles ) , and 157th ( Highland Light Infantry ) Brigade s . Initially assigned to the defence of the Scottish coast , the division moved to Gallipoli ( without two of its artillery brigades ) arriving there in early July 1915 . While moving from Scotland the division suffered the loss of 210 officers and men killed , and another 224 injured in the Quintinshill rail crash , near Gretna , that involved the 1 / 7th Royal Scots . During the First World War , the division fought at Gallipoli , in the Middle East ( Sinai and Palestine ) , and on the Western Front in France . The division began landing at the Helles front , on the Gallipoli peninsula , in June 1915 as part of VIII Corps . The 156th Brigade was landed in time to take part in the Battle of Gully Ravine , where it was mauled , under the notorious Lieutenant - General Aylmer Hunter - Weston . Advancing along Fir Tree Spur , to the right of the ravine , the brigade had little artillery support and no experience of the Gallipoli battlefield . The brigade suffered 1 , 400 casualties , or about half its strength , of which 800 were killed . When the remaining brigades were landed , they attacked towards Krithia , along Achi Baba Nullah , on 12 July . They succeeded in capturing the Ottoman trenches , but were left unsupported and vulnerable to counter - attack . For a modest gain in ground , they suffered 30 per cent casualties and were in no fit state to exploit their position . The division moved to Egypt as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force , where it manned the east - facing defensive fortifications during the Battle of Romani . On the first , and most crucial day , of the battle the division was heavily engaged with the enemy ' s right flank , while the Australian Light Horse , New Zealand Mounted Rifles , and 5th Mounted Brigade s fought the centre and left flank in extended order . With insufficient water , the mid - summer conditions proved too much for the infantry ordered to advance the following day and were not heavily involved in the fighting thereafter . Following the battle , they advanced across the Sinai occupying Bir el Abd , El Mazar and El Arish , but remained in a supporting role as the fluid nature of the fighting best suited the mounted troops . The division fought in the First and Second Battle of Gaza in March and April 1917 . The annihilation of Sea Post , a strong Ottoman redoubt west of Gaza , in June 1917 , by 1 / 5th King ' s Own Scottish Borderers , inaugurated the series of successful raids that did much to harass the enemy during the four months prior to the winter campaign . As a division of XXI Corps , it played an important part in the final overthrow of the Ottomans at the Third Battle of Gaza and the subsequent advance . The division then participated in the Battle of Jerusalem . The Battle of Jaffa saw the passage of the Nahr El Auja , on the night of 20 – 21 December 1917 , by the division ' s three Brigades , which according to General Sir Edmund Allenby ' s despatch " reflects great credit on the 52nd ( Lowland ) Division . It involved considerable preparation , the details of which were thought out with care and precision . The sodden state of the ground , and , on the night of the crossing , the swollen state of the river , added to the difficulties , yet by dawn the whole of the infantry had crossed . The fact that the enemy were taken by surprise , and , that all resistance was overcome with the bayonet without a shot being fired , bears testimony to the discipline of this division . The operation , by increasing the distance between the enemy and Jaffa from three to eight miles , rendered Jaffa and its harbour secure , and gained elbow - room for the troops covering Ludd and Ramleh and the main Jaffa - Jerusalem road . " In March 1918 the division moved to France where it fought in the 2nd Battle of the Somme , the 2nd Battle of Arras , and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line during the Hundred Days Offensive . After the war the Division was disbanded along with the rest of the Territorial Force . However it was re - established in 1920 as part of the Territorial Army and was mobilised again in 1939 as part of the British Expeditionary Force in France . First World War Order of battle . The division comprised three infantry brigade s : Second World War . In June 1940 , following the Dunkirk evacuation , the division was shipped to France as part of the Second BEF to cover the withdrawal of forces near Cherbourg during Operation Ariel . From May 1942 until June 1944 , the division was trained in a Mountain warfare capacity , but was never employed in this role . Following June , the division was reorganised and trained in airlanding operations . As part of this new role , the division was transferred to the First Allied Airborne Army . Several operations were planned for the division , following the conclusion of the Normandy Campaign . Operation Transfigure planned to have the British 1st and the American 101st Airborne Divisions capture landing strips near Rambouillet , for the 52nd to land at . The three divisions would have then blocked the German line of retreat towards Paris . Operation Linnet proposed , the usage of most of the First Airborne Army including the 52nd Division , to seize areas in north - eastern France to block the German line of retreat . As part of Operation Market Garden , the 1st Airborne Division was given a subsidiary mission of capturing Deelen airfield , on which the 52nd division would land . Due to the course of events that unfolded during the Battle of Arnhem , the division was not deployed . The division would never be utilised in either of the roles it had trained for , and was transferred to Belgium via sea landing in Ostend . The 157th Infantry Brigade landed first at the end of the first week of October , and the rest of the division arrived over the course of the following fortnight . On 15 October , the 157th Brigade was , temporarily , attached to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and relieved the Canadian units in the bridgehead over the Leopold Canal . From 23 October until December , the division was assigned to the First Canadian Army . The divisions first operation would be to aid in opening the vital port of Antwerp , in the Battle of the Scheldt . Ironically , the first operation of the division would not be in mountainous terrain or being deployed by air , but fighting below sea level on the flooded polders around the Scheldt Estuary of Belgium and the Netherlands . Operation Vitality and Operation Infatuate were aimed at capturing South Beveland and the island of Walcheren to open the mouth of the Scheldt estuary . This would enable the Allies to use the port of Antwerp as a supply route for the troops in North - West Europe . It was in this vital operation that the 52nd Division was to fight its first battle with brilliant success . During the battle , the division was given command " of all the military operations " on Walcheren . This included command of the 4th Special Service Brigade , after it had landed on the island , and No . 4 Commando during the assault on Flushing . Following the battle the division would remain on Walcheren until November , when it was relieved by the 4th Canadian Armoured Division . On 5 December , the division was transferred to British Second Army . During the month , the 157th Brigade was attached to the 43rd ( Wessex ) Infantry Division for several days . In January 1945 , the 52nd Division participated in Operation Blackcock , the clearing of the Roer Triangle between the rivers Meuse and Roer . During the operation , the 155th Infantry Brigade was attached to the 7th Armoured Division . During February and March , the division was slightly reorganised with battalions being transferred amongst the division ’ s brigades . Peter White , a platoon lieutenant within the division , describes this change due to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery ’ s " aversion to two Battalions of the same Regiment " being in the same brigade as it could result " in one home district or town having disproportionate losses after any sticky action " . For most of April , the 155th Infantry Brigade was again attached to the 7th Armoured Division " to drive for the Elbe across Lüneburg Heath " . Second World War Order of battle : 1944 onwards . The battalions of the division were bolstered with large drafts of soldiers from all over Great Britain and were not just drawn from their traditional regimental recruiting areas . Post Second World War . During 1946 , the First Canadian Army was withdrawn from Germany and disbanded . As it withdrew from Germany , it " turned over its responsibilities " to the 52nd Division . In 1947 - 48 , the division was amalgamated with 51st ( Highland ) Infantry Division to become the 51st / 52nd Scottish Division . In 1947 units of the 51st / 52nd Division included The Scottish Horse , Dunkeld , 275 Field Regiment , Aberdeen , 277 Field Regiment , Greenock , 278 Field Regiment , Edinburgh , 254 Anti - tank Regiment , Dumbarton , 117 Engineer Regiment , Aberdeen , 51 / 52 Divisional Signal Regiment , Aberdeen , 51 / 52 Divisional RASC , 51 / 52 Ordnance Field Park , 51 / 52 Divisional REME , and 51 / 52 Divisional RAMC . 153 ( Highland ) Brigade comprised 11 Bn Seaforth Highlanders , Golspie , 4 / 5 Bn Cameron Highlanders , Inverness , the Lovat Scouts , Beauly , 4 / 7 Bn Gordon Highlanders , Aberdeen , and 5 / 6 Bn Gordon Highlanders , Bucksburn . 154 ( Highland ) Brigade comprised only two battalions , the 7 Bn Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders , Stirling , and 8 Bn Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders , Dunoon . 157 ( Lowland ) Brigade comprised 4 / 5 Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers , Ayr , 6 Bn Cameronians , Glasgow , 7 Bn Cameronians , Glasgow , 5 / 6 Bn Highland Light Infantry , Glasgow , and The Glasgow Highlanders at Glasgow . In 1950 , the 51st / 52nd ( Scottish ) Division was split , restoring the independence of the 52nd Lowland Division , which took regional command of Territorial Army units based in the Scottish Lowlands , including the TA infantry battalions of the Lowland Brigade regiments . In 1967 - 68 , the Division was split into two brigade level districts based in the Highlands and Lowlands , with the Lowland District Headquarters in Hamilton , near Glasgow . General Officer Commanding . Commanders included :