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22nd Division
Divisional History The 22nd Division in 1914-1918The history of 22nd Division
This Division was established in September 1914 as part of Army Order 388 authorising Kitchener's Third New Army, K3. The units began to assemble in the area of Eastbourne and Seaford, with the artillery at Lewes, from September 1914. The Division remained in these areas, other than when the infantry moved for two weeks entrenchment training to Maidstone in April 1915, as it was trained and equipped.
The Division crossed to France in early September 1915, all units being concentrated near Flesselles by 9th of the month. But the stay in France was to be very short.
On 27 October 1915, the Division, having been moved by train to Marseilles, began to embark for Salonika. It completed concentration there in November, although the final artillery units were still coming in as late as 13 December 1915. The 22nd Division remained in the theatre for the rest of the war, taking part in the following operations:
1915
8-13 December: the Retreat from Serbia (Advanced Divisional HQ, 6th Brigade, 9th Border and 68th Field Ambulance only)
1916
- 10-18 August 1916: the Battle of Horseshoe Hill
- 13-14 September 1916: the Battle of Machukovo
1917
24-25 April and 8-9 May 1917: the Battles of Doiran
1918
The Division lost a number of units in mid 1918; they were transferred to France
18-19 September 1918: the Battle of Doiran
An Armistice with Bulgaria was signed on 30 September 1918.
By 18-20 October, units of the Division had marched back to Stavros. Here they embarked on destroyers with the intention of a landing at Dede Agach to continue the fight against Turkey. After one attempt was called off due to rough weather, the infantry finally landed on 28 October 1918. On reaching Makri, the Division learned that an Armistice with Turkey was imminent. Demobilisation began at Chugunsi and the Division ceased to exist by 31 March 1919.
The 22nd Division had suffered casualties of 7,728 killed, wounded and missing during the war but vastly larger numbers sick with malaria, dysentery and other diseases rife in the Salonika theatre.
The Units forming the Divisional Order of Battle of the 22nd Division
65th Brigade
- 9th Bn, the King's Own
- 14th Bn, the King's (Liverpool Regiment) left 11 June 1918
- 12th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers left 2 July 1918
- 9th Bn, the East Lancashire Regiment
- 65th Machine Gun Company joined 14 July 1916
- 65th SAA Section Ammunition Column joined by 17 July 1916
- 65th Trench Mortar Battery joined 3 November 1916
- 8th Bn, the South Wales Borderers joined July 1918
66th Brigade
- 9th Bn, the Border Regiment left February 1915
- 9th Bn, the South Lancashire Regiment
- 8th Bn, the King's Shropshire Light Infantry
- 13th Bn, the Manchester Regiment left 28 June 1918
- 12th Bn, the Cheshire Regiment joined February 1915
- 66th Machine Gun Company joined 14 July 1916
- 66th SAA Section Ammunition Column joined by 17 July 1916
- 66th Trench Mortar Battery joined 5 November 1916
67th Brigade
- 11th Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers
- 7th Bn, the South Wales Borderers
- 8th Bn, the South Wales Borderers left 30 June 1918
- 11th Bn, the Welsh Regiment
- 67th Machine Gun Company joined 14 July 1916
- 67th SAA Section Ammunition Column joined by 17 July 1916
- 67th Trench Mortar Battery joined 4 November 1916
Divisional Troops
- 12th Bn, the Cheshire regiment left February 1915
- 10th Bn, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment left April 1915
- 9th Bn, the North Staffordshire Regiment left April 1915
- 9th Bn, the Border Regiment joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion in February 1915
- 10th Bn, the Hampshire Regiment joined January 1919, left February 1919
- 2nd Bn, the QVO Rajput Light Infantry joined January 1919, left February 1919
- 10th Bn, the Hampshire Regiment joined January 1919, left February 1919
- 1/10th Bn, the Jats briefly in January 1919
- 95th Bn, Russell's Infantry joined January 1919, left February 1919
Divisional Mounted Troops
- D Sqn, the Lothians & Border Horse Yeomanry joined July 1915, left 29 November 1916
- 22nd Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps formed February 1915, left November 1916
Divisional Artillery
- XCVIII Brigade, RFA
- XCIX Brigade, RFA
- C Brigade, RFA
- CI Brigade, RFA
- 22nd Divisional Ammunition Column RFA transferred to become 'A' Section of XII Corps Ammunition Column, January 1915. 22nd Division retained the Brigade Ammunition Columns
- 22nd Heavy Battery, RGA raised with the Division but moved to France joining XXIII Heavy Artillery Brigade on 31 August 1915
Royal Engineers
- 87th Field Company left February 1915
- 88th Field Company left February 1915
- 99th Field Company joined February 1915
- 100th Field Company joined February 1915
- 127th Field Company joined by June 1915
- 22nd Divisional Signals Company
Royal Army Medical Corps
- 66th Field Ambulance
- 67th Field Ambulance
- 68th Field Ambulance
- 39th Sanitary Section
Other Divisional Troops
- 22nd Divisional Train ASC 186, 187, 188 and 189 Coys ASC joined October 1914 but moved to 30th Division when 22nd Division left France; 108, 109, 110 and 111 Coys ASC joined from 10th (Irish) Division when in Salonika
- 34th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC
- 816th Divisional Employment Company formed 10 October 1917
- 22nd Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop remained in France
5th Sep 1915 On the March
Jul 1915 Training Instruction
Jul 1915 Billets
29th Aug 1915 65th Bde Advance Party leave for France
3rd Sep 1915 65th Bde Proceed to France
3rd of September 1915 Off to France
3rd Sep 1915 Advance Party Leave
4th Sep 1915 On the Move
5th of September 1915 In France
5th of September 1915 Concentration of Units
5th Sep 1915 On the Move
6th of September 1915 More Arrivals
6th Sep 1915 On the Move
7th Sept 1915 65th Bde in Billets
7th Sep 1915 Division Assembles
7th of September 1915 More Units Join
7th Sep 1915 In Billets
8th Sept 1915 65th Bde Inspected
8th Sep 1915 Inspection
8th of September 1915 More Troops Join
8th Sep 1915 Inspection
9th Sep 1915 65th Bde attach for training
9th of September 1915 Trench Training
9th of September 1915 Moves Made
9th Sep 1915 On the March
9th of September 1915 Quiet Time
10th Sep 1915 9th Kings Own at work
10th Sep 1915 9th East Lancs at work
10th Sep 1915 14th Liverpools at work
10th Sep 1915 12th Lancs Fusiliers under instruction
10th of September 1915 On the Move
10th of September 1915 More Moves
10th Sep 1915 Instruction
10th of September 1915 Enemy Hit Dummy Battery
11th Sep 1915 9th East Lancs under instruction
11th Sep 1915 14th Liverpools under instruction
11th Sep 1915 12th Lancs Fusiliers under instruction
11th of September 1915 Moves
11th Sep 1915 Instruction
11th of September 1915 Changes of Command
11th Sep 1915 9th Kings Own at work
12th of September 1915 First Casualty
12th of September 1915 First Casualty
12th Sep 1915 Instruction
12th Sep 1915 Instruction
13th of September 1915 Artillery Moves
13th of September 1915 RFA Moves
13th Sep 1915 Mines Explode
14th of September 1915 To the Somme
14th of September 1915 More RFA Movement
14th Sep 1915 Instruction
14th of September 1915 Both Sides Retaliate
15th of September 1915 Reconnoitres and Plans
15th Sep 1915 Instruction
16th of September 1915 Mining Operations
16th Sep 1915 Reliefs
16th of September 1915 Reliefs
17th of September 1915 Advance Units Arrive
17th of September 1915 Moves
17th of September 1915 Moves
17th Sep 1915 Instruction
18th of September 1915 Relieving the French
18th of September 1915 On the March
18th Sep 1915 On the March
19th Sep 1915 On the March
19th of September 1915 Reliefs
19th of September 1915 Moving
19th Sep 1915 On the March
19th Sep 1915 On the March
20th of September 1915 Infantry and Guns Relieved
20th of September 1915 A New Front
20th Sep 1915 On the March
21st of September 1915 In the Front Line
21st of September 1915 Water Problems
21st Sep 1915 Poor conditions
21st Sep 1915 Report
22nd of September 1915 Gas Precautions
22nd of September 1915 Field Ambulances Sited
22nd Sep 1915 Gas Helmets
23rd Sep 1915 Artillery Active
23rd of September 1915 Divisional Front Reduced
23rd of September 1915 Blanket Wagons
23rd Sep 1915 Bombardment
24th of September 1915 Forward Trenches Shelled
24th of September 1915 HQ Moves
24th Sep 1915 Reliefs
25th of September 1915 Limited Ammunition
25th of September 1915 Overcrowded Billets
25th Sep 1915 Wet
25th Sep 1915 Artillery Active
26th of September 1915 Trench Work
26th of September 1915 Bathing Arrangements
27th of September 1915 TM Battery Arrives
27th of September 1915 A Draft Arrives
27th Sep 1915 News
28th of September 1915 Know Your Enemy
28th of September 1915 Wagons Leave
28th Sep 1915 Motor Cars
29th of September 1915 Snipers and Reliefs
29th of September 1915 Engineers Arrive
30th of September 1915 A Quiet Time
30th of September 1915 A Quiet Time
30th of September 1915 Summing Up the Month
30th Sep 1915 Wounded
1st of October 1915 A Basket of Snipers
1st of October 1915 New Troops
2nd of October 1915 Training
2nd of October 1915 Wood Problems
2nd Oct 1915 Scheme
3rd of October 1915 Front Line Changes
3rd of October 1915 Casualties
4th of October 1915 A Sniper Downed
4th of October 1915 A Sniper Downed
4th of October 1915 Tents Arrive
5th of October 1915 Retaliation
5th of October 1915 Sock Menders
6th of October 1915 Relief Completed
6th of October 1915 Four Casualties
7th of October 1915 Active Enemy Snipers
7th of October 1915 More Casualties
7th Oct 1915 Collecting Post
8th of October 1915 German Dud Shell
8th of October 1915 New Men Arrive
9th of October 1915 Artillery Regrouped
9th of October 1915 Casualties - Nil
9th Oct 1915 Sanitary Arrangements
9th Oct 1915 Report
10th of October 1915 New and Old Armies
10th of October 1915 No Blankets
10th Oct 1915 Rest Station
11th of October 1915 Subalterns Adventures
11th of October 1915 Divisional Grenade School
11th Oct 1915 Defence
11th Oct 1915 Wells
12th of October 1915 Catapulting Mills' Bombs
12th of October 1915 Heavy Guns Arrive
12th Oct 1915 Orders
13th of October 1915 Grenade School
13th of October 1915 Grenade School
13th of October 1915 Bread Shortage
13th Oct 1915 Alarms
14th of October 1915 Snipers' Course
14th of October 1915 Up to Strength
14th Oct 1915 Wells
15th of October 1915 Patrols and Snipers
15th of October 1915 Billets and Casualties
15th Oct 1915 Plans
15th Oct 1915 Scabies
16th of October 1915 In a Shell Hole
16th of October 1915 Casualties
17th of October 1915 New Drafts
18th of October 1915 More Reliefs
18th of October 1915 Rain Needed
19th of October 1915 Shelling and Sniping
19th of October 1915 Bridging Train Arrives
19th Oct 1915 Underground
20th of October 1915 Reliefs and Moves
20th of October 1915 An Appointment
20th Oct 1915 Rehearsal
21st of October 1915 Relieved by the French
21st of October 1915 French Take Over
21st Oct 1915 Orders
22nd of October 1915 Reliefs
22nd of October 1915 An Appointment
23rd of October 1915 French Take Over Front
23rd of October 1915 Div HQ Relocates
24th of October 1915 Entraining Orders
24th of October 1915 A New Posting
25th of October 1915 Entraining Begins
26th of October 1915 Infantry on the Move
26th Oct 1915 Orders
28th of October 1915 At Marseille
29th of October 1915 Embarkation
29th Oct 1915 On the Move
30th of October 1915 Ready to Go
31st of October 1915 Off to Salonika
8th Oct 1915 Telegram
24th Apr 1917 Attack Made
25th Apr 1917 Wiring
26th Apr 1917 Enemy Attack
30th Apr 1917 Awards
30th Apr 1917 Awards
6th June 1917 Battalion Orders
17th of October 1915 Reliefs
24th Dec 1917 Reorganisation
21st Jan 1918 Course
31st Jan 1918 Shells
5th Feb 1918 Course Ends
7th Feb 1918 Orders
10th Feb 1918 Reliefs
13th Feb 1918 Personnel
21st Feb 1918 Reorganisation
18th Mar 1918 Orders
15th Jun 1918 Theatre
16th Jun 1918 Church Parade
28th Jun 1918 On the MoveIf you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
Want to know more about 22nd Division?
There are:196 items tagged 22nd Division available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
Those known to have served with
22nd Division
during the Great War 1914-1918.
- Brown Herbert. Pte. 9th Btn. (d.28th April 1917)
- Deeble Arthur. Pte. 11th Btn. (d.18th Sep 1918)
- Doran James. Pte. 12th Btn. (d.14th Sep 1916)
- Drake Denis Timothy. Sgt. 90th Heavy Battery (d.11th Jun 1917)
- Fishwick George. Pte. 9th Btn. (d.14th Sep 1916)
- Gatenby Joseph. Pte.
- Graham George Frederick. Pte. 12th Btn. (d.30th Sep 1918)
- Kendall James Edward. Pte. 9th Btn. (d.4th Jun 1917)
- Metcalfe Sam. Pte. 9th Btn. (d.28th Apr 1917)
- O'Grady B.. Capt. 12th Btn.
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List
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1206568Pte. Joseph Gatenby South Wales Borderers
I found my Grandfather's service records on line, and discovered he was notified of the death of his one-year old daughter at the end of his service in Salonika (Thessalonica). What a terrible shock for him and the family.48246 Private Joseph Gatenby served with the South Wales Borderers during WW1. He also served as a Driver in the Army Service Corps (T/359186) On 21 May 1918, he had been alarmed by a machine gun opening up, ran for cover and in the darkness fell into a trench/drain where he sprained an ankle. He was demobilized in November, 1919 to return to house painting in Middlesbrough, with a 10% disability arising from malaria, and a very sore ankle.
Ian Black
243932Capt. B. O'Grady 12th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers
Captain O'Grady ran the 22nd Division Grenade School at Guillaucourt in the autumn of 1915.
218368Pte. James Doran 12th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers (d.14th Sep 1916)
James Doran served with the 12th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers during WW1 and was killed in action at the Battle of Machukovo on the 14th September 1916, aged 38. He is commemorated on the Doiran Memorial within the Doiran Military Cemetery in Greece. He was the son of Michael and Sarah Doran, of Burnley, Lancs. His brother Michael 64372 Scottish Rifles of 10 Bedford St. was twice wounded during WW1.S Flynn
218358Pte. Sam Metcalfe 9th Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.28th Apr 1917)
Sam Metcalfe served with the 9th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment during WW1 and died on the 28th April 1917, aged 26. He is buried in Karasouli Military Cemetery, Greece. He was the son of George William and Mary Elizabeth Metcalfe, of 4, Norman St., Burnley.S Flynn
218357Pte. James Edward Kendall 9th Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.4th Jun 1917)
James Edward Kendall served with the 9th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment during WW1 and died on the 4th June 1917. He is buried in Karasouli Military Cemetery, Greece.S Flynn
218356Pte. George Frederick Graham 12th Btn. Cheshire Regiment (d.30th Sep 1918)
Frederick George Graham served with the 12th Battalion Cheshire Regiment during WW1 and died on the 30th September 1918, aged 22. He is buried in Karasouli Military Cemetery, Greece. He was the son of Frederick and Martha Graham, of 5, Whittlefield St., Burnley.S Flynn
218355Pte. George Fishwick 9th Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.14th Sep 1916)
George Fishwick served with the 9th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment during WW1 and died on the 14th September 1916, aged 26. He is buried in Karasouli Military Cemetery, Greece.S Flynn
218353Pte. Arthur Deeble 11th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.18th Sep 1918)
Arthur Deeble served with the 11th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers during WW1 and died on the 18th September 1918, aged 23. He is buried in Karasouli Military Cemetery in Greece. Arthur was the son of John and Sarah Ann Deeble, of 59, Cavour St., Burnley.S Flynn
218352Pte. Herbert Brown 9th Btn. East Lancashire Regiment (d.28th April 1917)
Herbert Brown served with the 9th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment during WW1 and died on the 28th April 1917. He is buried in Karasouli Military Cemetery in Greece.S Flynn
213331Sgt. Denis Timothy Drake 90th Heavy Battery Royal Garrsion Artillery (d.11th Jun 1917)
My Great Grand Uncle Denis Drake enlisted in Waterford on the 7th December 1903 aged 18 years. He was then sent to the Royal Garrison Artillery's No. 3 Depot at the Citadel in Plymouth, England in order to undertake his basic training.From the 1911 census I know that Denis was serving with the RGA 90th Heavy Battery at Multan in India and had the rank of Gunner. On the 1st June 1915 Denis and the 90th Heavy Battery landed at Cape Helles in Gallipoli having departed from Nowgong in Central India. The 90th Heavy Battery served throughout the rest of the Gallipoli campaign and was under the command of the 29th Artillery Division. In January 1916 the 90th was evacuated along with the rest of the British force at Cape Helles and moved to Egypt where it was reorganised and resumed training.
In April 1916, the 90th was sent to the Western Front and came under the command of the 22nd Heavy Artillery Group. The 90th spent the rest of 1916 on the battlefield of the Somme and was heavily engaged at times during that battle. In early 1917, Denis and the 90th were moved to Flanders and came under the orders of the 2nd New Zealand and Australian Army Corps.
In June 1917 the British Army launched the "Battle of Messines" at Ypres. The intention of this battle was to capture a ridge of high ground running southwards from Ypres. This was required before a larger offensive could be undertaken aimed at breaking out of the Ypres area and recapturing the Belgian coast. The British attack involved a heavy artillery bombardment of enemy positions and the detonation of 19 enormous mines below key German strong points. This attack was a success and the Ridge was gained. However once the German's recovered from the initial shock they launched Heavy Artillery down on the newly won ground and on the British Artillery behind it. It was in one of these artillery attacks on the 11th June 1917 that Sergeant Denis Drake was killed aged 32 years.
According to the war diary for the 90th Heavy Battery, during the initial British attack at Messines the 90th Battery's job was "Counter Battery work" - that is firing to destroy or neutralise enemy artillery. During this work the Germans responded by "the battery and vicinity was shelled by asphyxiating gas shell from dusk to dawn", but the gunners toiled away throughout this wearing gas masks. The entry in the War Diary for the 11th June 1917 states that an enemy gun fired several high explosive shells into the battery's position at about 1600 hrs and "Sgt Drake was severely wounded and died in a few minutes". Three other men were also badly wounded, one dying in Hospital later in the day.
Sergeant Denis Drake is buried at Saint Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery in Belgium.
Alan Roche
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