- 26th Division during the Great War -
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About
26th Division
The 26th Division was established in September 1914 as part of Army Order 388 authorising Kitchener's Third New Army, K3. The units began to to assemble in the Salisbury Plain area from September 1914. Khaki uniform and equipment were not made available until February-April 1915 and in the meantime eveything was improvised. Embarkation for France began in September 1915 and the concentration of units at Guignemicourt (west of Amiens) was completed before the end of the month. However, the Division was not destined to remain on the Western Front, because in November 1915 it moved to Salonika where it then remained. On 2 November, the Division concentrated at Flesselles and moved to Salonika via embarkation at Marseilles. On 26 December 1915, units began to move from Lembet to Happy Valley Camp and all units were in place there by 8 February 1916. The 26th Division remained in the Salonika theatre for the rest of the war, taking part in the following operations:1916
- The Battle of Horseshoe Hill
1917
- The Battles of Doiran
1918
The Division lost a number of units in mid 1918, which were transferred to France
- The Battle of Doiran
- The Pursuit to the Strumica Valley.
Forward units crossed the Serbian-Bulgarian boundary on 25 September 1918. Hostilities with Bulgaria ceased two days later. The Division advanced towards Adrianople (as the war with Turkey was still underway) but this also soon ceased. 26th Division successively became part of the Army of the Danube and then of the Occupation of Bulgaria. Demobilisation began in February 1919, with Italian troops arriving to replace the dwindling British presence. By 10 May 1919, the Division ceased to exist.
The 26th Division had suffered casualties of 8,022 killed, wounded and missing during the war but vastly larger numbers sick with malaria, dysentery and other diseases rife in the Salonika theatre.
Order of Battle of the 26th Division
77th Brigade
- 8th Btn, Royal Scots Fusiliers
- 11th Btn, Cameronians
- 10th Btn, Black Watch left 30 June 1918
- 12th Btn, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
- 77th Machine Gun Company joined 24 July 1916
- 77th SAA Section Ammunition Column joined 27 July 1916
- 77th Trench Mortar Battery joined 3 November 1916
78th Brigade
- 9th Btn, Gloucestershire Regiment left 4 July 1918
- 11th Btn, Worcestershire Regiment
- 7th Btn, Ox & Bucks. Light Infantry
- 7th Btn, the Royal Berkshire Regiment
- 78th Machine Gun Company joined 22 July 1916
- 78th SAA Section Ammunition Column joined 27 July 1916
- 78th Trench Mortar Battery joined 12 November 1916
79th Brigade
- 10th Btn, Devonshire Regiment
- 8th Btn, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
- 12th Btn, Hampshire Regiment
- 7th Btn, Wiltshire Regiment left 16 June 1918
- 79th Machine Gun Company joined 15 July 1916
- 79th SAA Section Ammunition Column joined 27 July 1916
- 79th Trench Mortar Battery joined 3 November 1916
Divisional Troops
- 10th Btn, Gloucestershire Regiment left August 1915
- 8th Btn, Oxford & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry became Divisional Pioneer Battalion in February 1915
- 8th Btn, Royal Berkshire Regiment left August 1915
Divisional Mounted Troops
- A Sqn, e Lothians & Border Horse Yeomanry joined 30 July 1915, left 29 November 1916
- 26th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps formed 4 January 1915, left 16 December 1916
Divisional Artillery
- CXIV Brigade, RFA
- CXV Brigade, RFA
- CXVI Brigade, RFA
- CXVII Brigade, RFA left 9 August 1917 for 74th (Yeomanry) Division
- 26th Divisional Ammunition Column RFA transferred to XII Corps Ammunition Column, 22 January 1917. 22nd Division retained the Brigade Ammunition Columns
- 131st Heavy Battery, RGA raised with the Division in January 1915 but moved to France joining XXIII Heavy Artillery Brigade on 12 March 1916
- LVII Brigade, RFA joined September 1917
- XXXI Brigade, RFA briefly attached 17 June to 24 August 1917
- IV Highland Mountain Brigade, RGA briefly attached in August 1918
Royal Engineers
- 95th Field Company left 29 January 1915 for 16th (Irish) Division
- 96th Field Company left 1 February 1915 for 20th (Light) Division
- 107th Field Company joined 30 January 1915 from 35th Division
- 108th Field Company joined 30 January 1915 from 35th Division
- 131st Field Company joined 25 April 1915
- 26th Divisional Signals Company
Royal Army Medical Corps
- 78th Field Ambulance joined 25 August 1915
- 79th Field Ambulance joined 25 August 1915
- 80th Field Ambulance joined 25 August 1915
- 43rd Sanitary Section
Other Divisional Troops
- 26th Divisional Train ASC 202, 203, 204 and 205 Companies ASC joined in November and December 1914 but remained when the Division moved to Salonika, becoming the 32nd Divisional Train. 112, 113, 114 and 115 Coys ASC then transferred from 11th (Northern) Division.
- On 22 January 1916, the Train was on board the "Norseman" when it was torpedoed in the Gulk of Salonika but all personnel were saved, although 600 mules lost their lives.
- In October 1916 the Train was reorganised into "Pack and Wheel Echelons"; in July 1917 it was further reorganised, to suit local conditions
- 38th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC
- 817th Divisional Employment Company formed October 1917
- 26th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop joined June 1915 but remained in France
25th Jul 1915 Sports
7th of July 1915
Jul 1915 Training Instruction
Jul 1915 Billets
21st July 1915 On the Move
20th Sep 1915 On the Move
29th of September 1915 Engineers Arrive
29th Sep 1915 On the March
30th Sep 1915 Instruction
1st Oct 1915 Instruction
2nd of October 1915 Training
2nd of October 1915 `Shows' and Football
2nd Oct 1915 Instruction
3rd of October 1915 Battalion Dispositions
3rd Oct 1915 Instruction
4th of October 1915 New Biplane Spotted
4th Oct 1915 Instruction
5th Oct 1915 Instruction
6th Oct 1915 Instruction
7th Oct 1915 Instruction
8th Oct 1915 Instruction
9th Oct 1915 On the March
10th of October 1915 30 Whizzbangs
10th Oct 1915 Training
12th of October 1915 77th Brigade Arrives
14th of October 1915 Germans Explode Mine
15th of October 1915 No Ammunition
16th of October 1915 Bombs and Reliefs
17th of October 1915 New Drafts
18th Oct 1915 On the March
20th of October 1915 Reliefs and Moves
20th of October 1915 Gun Distribution
21st of October 1915 Relieved by the French
22nd of October 1915 Reliefs
23rd of October 1915 French Take Over Front
25th of October 1915 German Mine Exploded
27th of October 1915 German Work Destroyed
31st of October 1915 Unusual Activity
1st of November 1915 East Surreys Shoot German
2nd of November 1915 Heavy Transport
24th Nov 1915 On the Move
25th Nov 1915 In Camp
26th Nov 1915 In Camp
27th Nov 1915 Snow
28th Nov 1915 Route March
29th Nov 1915 Route March
30th Nov 1915 Route March
2nd Dec 1915 Exercise
3rd Dec 1915 Baths
4th Dec 1915 Training
5th Dec 1915 Church Parade
6th Dec 1915 Route March
7th Dec 1915 Fatigues
8th Dec 1915 Fatigues
9th Dec 1915 Fatigues
10th Dec 1915 Fatigues
11th Dec 1915 Fatigues
12th Dec 1915 Working Parties
13th Dec 1915 Working Parties
14th Dec 1915 On the March
15th Dec 1915 Attachment
30th Dec 1915 Air Raid
1st Jan 1916 Patients
2nd Jan 1916 Detachment
9th Feb 1916 Transfer
25th of April 1917
18th Aug 1917 Inferno
1st September 1917 Shedule of Codenames
24th Dec 1917 Reorganisation
21st Jan 1918 Course
5th Feb 1918 Course Ends
13th Feb 1918 Personnel
21st Feb 1918 Reorganisation
18th Mar 1918 Orders
16th Apr 1918 Reliefs
6th of October 1918 Orders
9th of October 1918If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
Want to know more about 26th Division?
There are:77 items tagged 26th 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
26th Division
during the Great War 1914-1918.
- Dracup Lister. Cpl. 11th Btn. (d.19th Nov 1916)
- Fitts Sydney Albert. Pte. 10th Btn. (d.8th Aug 1916)
- Stallard Charles Albert. L/Cpl. 9th Btn. (d.25th Apr 1917)
- Taylor John Wood. Spr. 131st Field Company (d.28th November 1917)
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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1206088Pte. Sydney Albert Fitts 10th Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment (d.8th Aug 1916)
Sydney Fitts was my Great Uncle, and all I know about him is that he was injured at Somme and died of his wounds in Manchester. He is buried with his brother at Cheltenham Cemetery, Prestbury in a CWGC grave. (only his name appears on the stone).Barry Wilson
250915Spr. John Wood Taylor 131st Field Company Royal Engineers (d.28th November 1917)
John Taylor was my grandfather on my Dad's side. No one ever spoke about him when I was growing up. I did some research myself, but living in the U.S. now it is difficult. Would like to know a little more about what the 131st Field Company actually did. All I know is that it was part of the 26th Division on the Doiran Front.John Taylor
218370L/Cpl. Charles Albert Stallard 9th Btn. Gloucestershire Regiment (d.25th Apr 1917)
Charles Albert Stallard served with the 9th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment during WW1 and died on the 25th April 1917, aged 29 in the Salonika campaign. He is remembered on the Doiran Memorial in Greece. He was the son of Mrs. Edith Stallard, of 36, Jervis Rd., Stamshaw, Portsmouth.S Flynn
218354Cpl. Lister Dracup 11th Btn. Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (d.19th Nov 1916)
Lister Dracup served with the 11th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) during WW1 and died on the 19th November 1916, aged 20. He is buried in Karasouli Military Cemetery, Greece. He was the son of Abraham and Sarah Dracup, of 105, Hufling Lane, Burnley.S Flynn
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