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- 26th Division during the Great War -


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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment

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  location map

2nd Oct 1915 Instruction

3rd of October 1915 Battalion Dispositions  location map

3rd Oct 1915 Instruction

4th of October 1915  New Biplane Spotted  location map

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   location map

10th Oct 1915 Training

12th of October 1915 77th Brigade Arrives  location map

14th of October 1915 Germans Explode Mine  location map

15th of October 1915 No Ammunition  location map

16th of October 1915  Bombs and Reliefs  location map

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  location map

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  location map

27th of October 1915 German Work Destroyed  location map

31st of October 1915  Unusual Activity  location map

1st of November 1915 East Surreys Shoot German  location map

2nd of November 1915 Heavy Transport  location map

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   location map

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  location map

9th of October 1918   location map

If 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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1206088

Pte. 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




250915

Spr. 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




218370

L/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




218354

Cpl. 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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