The 8th Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was active during the First World War. It was formed in October 1914, consisting mainly of soldiers of the regular army drawn from overseas garrisons of the British Empire. The formation served on the Western Front throughout the war, sustaining a high number of casualties, before being disbanded in 1919. During the conflict, 12 men from the division earned the Victoria Cross. The 8th Division had previously seen action in the Second Boer War. It was reformed in the inter-war period for service in Palestine and had a short history during the Second World War.
History 1914 Formation The 8th Division, as with the 7th Division, was a regular army formation composed mostly of regular troops drawn from the garrisons of the Empire after the declaration of War. The division headquarters was set up on 19 September 1914 in the Polygon Hotel in Southampton under Major-General F.J. Davies.Boraston, Bax p. 1 Within a week, troops arriving from Malta and Egypt had been formed up on Baddesley Common as the 23rd Brigade under Brigadier-general F.J. Davis C.B.. On 2 October the division HQ moved to Hursley Park, near Winchester, and by the end of the month the remaining troops had assembled, the 24th Brigade with troops from Egypt, India and South Africa under Brigadier-general F.C. Carter C.B. and the 25th Brigade, under Brigadier-general H.W. Cobham D.S.O., with troops from India, Bermuda and Aden.Boraston, Bax pp. 1–2
The artillery was composed of the regulars from the V Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery and the XXXIII and XLV Brigades of the Royal Field Artillery. The engineers were also regulars from the 2nd Field Company from Egypt, and 15th Field Company from Gibraltar, where it was the 15th Fortress Company. The mounted troops came from the Territorial Force, the Northamptonshire Yeomanry, as did the Field Ambulance from the Wessex Division, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Wessex Field Ambulances forming the 23rd, 24th and 25th Field Ambulances. The division Signal Company was also from the Territorial Force.
The division was formed rapidly during the Race to the sea, initially in fine weather, which broke at the end of October, giving the men a mild taste of the muddy conditions at the front. It did not, however, allow the men from hot climates sufficient time to acclimatise, and as a result the sick list during the first winter overseas was "grievously high". The first troops embarked for France from Southampton on 4 November, followed by the rest of the division on the night of 5/6 November.Boraston, Bax p. 2
France The division landed at Le Havre and by the evening of 7 November was in temporary rest camps outside of the town.Boraston, Bax p.2 By 9 November the division HQ was installed at Merville, and with the last of the large German assaults in the First Battle of Ypres on 12 November, the 23rd Brigade was placed under orders of the Cavalry Corps, with the 2nd Devons first to go into the front line north of Ploegsteert Wood. On 14 November the 24th and 25th Brigades relieved the 8th and 14th brigades (3rd Division and 5th Division respectively), and like them came under command of the 3rd (Lahore) Division of the Indian Corps, the brigades had been reinforced with territorials from the 5th Black Watch (to the 24th Brigade) and the 13th London Regiment (to the 25th). The 24th and 25th Brigades were positioned opposite the Aubers Ridge, about south west of the 23rd Brigade; on 15 November these southerly brigades came under heavy bombardment and the division incurred its first casualties. The same day the divisional artillery reached the same area and began supporting its troops, as did the remainder of the division train.Boraston, Bax pp.3-4
On 16 November the 24th and 25th Brigades came under command of its own division HQ and took over the adjacent lines from the Ferozepore and Jullunder Brigades, and the 23rd Brigade re-joined the division, now on a front of . The division was now part of IV Corps.Boraston, Bax p.4 In the cold and wet of November, the troops of the division, and of all armies on the front, learned to live in the trenches, which were initially of primitive construction, drainage and defensive organisation compared to those that would develop. The men of the division suffered particularly with frost-bitten feet.Boraston, Bax pp.7–8 The first trench raid was carried out on 24 November by the eight men of the 2nd Lincs., who used snow camouflage made from white sheets and ladies night dresses, advanced on a part of the German line, surprised and shot up the garrison that was enfilading part of their own line. Three days later another raid by nine man of the 2nd West Yorks. and a party of Royal Engineers blew up a farmhouse being used by snipers in no-mans land close to the British trenches.Boraston, Bax pp.8, 11
The first planned action by the division took place on 18 December at Neuve-Chapelle, and was at the end of a containing action, in conjunction with the Lahore Division, to prevent reinforcement against the main French attack by the 58th Division south of the la Bassée Canal. Verbal instructions for the attack were received from IV Corps at midnight 17/18 December, and at 04:30, after a 15-minute artillery bombardment, the 2nd Devons and 2nd West Yorks advanced and succeeded in capturing a section of German trench by bayonet and (early, primitive) grenade, although one company of the 2nd West Yorks became caught on the wire, both British and German, and took heavy casualties. Consolidation of the captured line began, but at 07:30 the next day the Germans counterattacked, and with their better designed grenades began bombing the West Yorks, overrunning a platoon, while they were trying to light the fuses of improvised 'jam tin' grenades. Lieutenant Philip Neame of the Royal Engineers found a method of lighting these fuses and while standing on the parapet of the trench threw sufficient numbers of the grenades that the Germans were delayed enough for the remainder of the British and the wounded to get clear. For this action he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the first to men of the division. The trenches gained were abandoned due to flooding later that day; the operation had cost 48 killed and 188 wounded or missing and gained 24 prisoners. The 2nd R.B. had also advanced at the same time and taken a section of the German line further north which was also abandoned when the 23rd brigade withdrew.Boraston, Bax pp.9–12
A thaw made conditions in the trenches difficult with some sections flooded due to the low-lying ground, and constant repairs being needed. On Christmas Day the troops met with their German opponents in no-mans land exchanged cigarettes, "kicked footballs about" and "lent each other implements for reinforcing each other's wire entanglements". Before the end of the month, with the deteriorating weather, there was of water in some trenches.Boraston, Bax p.13
1915 The wet weather continued with the river Lys bursting its banks and breastworks were constructed on some parts of the line. The flooding reached an extent that the line was held by the minimum number of men with the bulk withdrawn to the rear, and strongpoints were built to cover sectors, in two separate lines to the rear, anticipating the Defence in depth of 1918. Inevitably, Trench foot made its appearance in the division. On 22 February the 4th Battalion Cameron Highlanders joined the 24th Brigade.Boraston, Bax pp.13–15
Neuve Chapelle
The village of Neuve Chapelle had been in German hands since immediately before the division's arrival in the area, its still intact houses at the northern end being used by German snipers. Planning by the division had begum for the capture of the village in February, while the ground was still waterlogged, over a short front intending to capture the village from the north. The Army HQ had larger ideas and the attack planned by them included the 7th (Meerut) Division of the Indian Corps and the 7th British Division and an intention to press on to the Aubers Ridge. On the left of the line the Dehra Dun brigade relieved the 23rd Brigade west and south west of the village, on the right the 22nd Brigade relieved the 25th Brigade north of the village, and the 24th Brigade moved to the left west and north west of the village, with the division mounted troops and cyclists. The 23rd and 25th brigades went into the rear to rest, although the 25th supplied work parties for the preparations of the attack. IV Corps had gathered 202 pieces of artillery and a naval gun manned by naval officers for the assault, and the Indian Corps a similar number. The engineers created supply dumps and made the flooded front line trenches serviceable for the advancing troops.Boraston, Bax pp.16–18
On the night of 9–10 March the 23rd and 25th Brigades formed up, with the 25th Brigade to the right (south), the division's southern boundary passed through the northern end of Neuve Chapelle and to north was the northern divisional boundary. The brigade boundary followed a lane christened "Sign Post Lane" which ran centrally, south of east through the division area. At 07:30 the artillery, trench mortars and machine guns began to fire and at 08:05 the 2nd Royal Berks, 2nd Lincs, 2nd Scottish Rifles and 2nd Middlesex (right to left) began their advance. Except for the left most battalion the German front line trench was gained by 08:30. On the left the artillery support was provided by batteries which had arrived on 9 March directly from Britain, and their suppressing fire was much less effective.Boraston, Bax pp.20–22
Three times the 2nd Middlesex was beaten back with heavy losses, which lead to the 2nd S.R. having an open flank. As a result, they secured only around of the right of their objective trench losing 10 officers. On the right, after another 30 minutes of artillery bombardment on Neuve Chapelle itself, the 2nd Rifle Brigade and 1st R. Irish R. passed through the first two battalions. By 09:00 they had reached the road running through and north of the village up to cross roads on Sign Post Lane. Again the rightmost battalion (2nd R.B.) had comparatively slight losses, while the 2nd R.I.R. were more strongly engaged, they captured a chateau to the road north of the village and the road from it leading north, with their left flank facing north.
A new bombardment of this section of the line was called for, while the 2nd Devons. were moved up. The second bombardment was more effective, causing 65 Germans (including an officer) to leave their trenches and surrender to the British. At 10:00 the 24th Brigade began to be deployed with the 2nd East Lancs. moving forward, with the instructions to bridge the gap between the 23rd and 25th brigades at the Sign Post Lane crossroads. the 2nd West Yorks. now reinforced the 2nd Devons. and 2nd S.R. fighting fiercely northwards along the German trenches along their original objective line. By mid day the Germans had been cleared from the trenches between Sign Post Road and Rue Tillerloy, moving into the 7th Division area. Additionally reinforced by 1st Worcs. by 12:30 a line from the orchard to the Moated Grange had been secured. by 13:00 the second objective line had been secured and the troops were digging in, the 4th Cameron Highlanders were assigned the Moated Grange area and the 25th Brigade was in touch with the Bareilly and Garwal Brigades of the 7th Indian Division. The original Division plan had been accomplished, the Army plan was now to be attempted.Boraston, Bax pp.21, 22–23