British 10th (Irish) Division
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The 10th (Irish) Division, was a New Army division, one of Kitchener's New Army K1 Army Group divisions raised largely in Ireland from the Irish National Volunteers in 1914. It fought at Gallipoli, Salonika and Palestine during the First World War and was the first Irish Division ever to take the field in war.
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Formation
Image:10th (Irish) Division at Basingstoke.jpg
The division comprised the following brigades:
- 29th Brigade
- 5th Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment [1]
- 6th Battalion, The Royal Irish Rifles [2]
- 5th Battalion, The Connaught Rangers [3]
- 6th Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment Royal Canadian Regiment [3]
- 10th Battalion, The Royal Hampshire Regiment [4]
- 1st Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment Royal Canadian Regiment [5]
- 30th Brigade
- 6th Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers [6]
- 7th Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers [6]
- 6th Battalion, The Royal Dublin Fusiliers [7]
- 7th Battalion, The Royal Dublin Fusiliers [8]
- 1st Battalion, The ´Royal Irish Regiment [9]
- 38th Battalion, Dogras [10]
- 46th Battalion, Punjabis [10]
- 1st Battalion, The Kashmir Rifles [10]
- 31st Brigade
- 5th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers [11]
- 6th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers [11]
- 5th Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) [12]
- 6th Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) [12]
- 2nd Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) [13]
- 2/42nd Battalion, Deolie [14]
- 74th Battalion, Punjabis [14]
- 2/101st Grenadiers [14]
- 38th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers {for reference only}.aka Jewish Legion
- Pioneers
- 5th Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment [1,15]
Unit History
The 10th Division was sent to Gallipoli where, as part of General Sir Frederick Stopford's IX Corps, it landed at Suvla Bay on August 7 to participate in the August offensive. Some battalions of the division were landed at Anzac and fought at Chunuk Bair.
In September, 1915, when the Suvla front became a stalemate, the division was moved to Salonika where it remained for two years.
In September 1917 the division moved to Egypt where it joined General Chetwode's XX Corps. The division fought in the Third Battle of Gaza which succeeded in breaking the resistance of the Turkish defenders in southern Palestine.
Battles
Notes
- Became Divisional Pioneer battalion in June 1915
- Disbanded May 1918
- Transferred to 66th Division April 1918
- Joined Division March 1915, transferred to 27th Division November 1916
- Replaced 10th Battalion November 1916
- Amalgamated into 6th Battalion November 1916 transferred and amalgamated into the 2nd Munsters (Regular Army, 1st Division) in April 1918
- Transferred to 66th Division May 1918
- Transferred and absorbed into 11th Royal Irish Fusiliers, (Regular Army)
- Regular Army Battalion, joined Division to replace 7th Battalion The Royal Munsters November 1916
- Indian Battalions arrived May 1918 until demobilisation.
- Both Battalions left for service in France May 1918. 5th Bn. joined 66th Division and 6th Bn. joined 50th Division.
- Amalgamated as 5th Battalion in November 1916. Transferred to 16th (Irish) Division May, 1918
- Joined Division in November 1916 as replacement for 6th Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers.
- Indian and Guards Battalions replaced France bound Battalions in May 1918.
- Transferred to 50th Division, April 1918.
Reading
- Thomas P. Dooley: Irishmen or English Soldiers: ?
the Times of a Southern Catholic Irish Man (1876-1916).
Liverpool Press (1995). - Bryan Cooper (1918): The 10th (Irish) Division in Gallipoli.
Irish Academic Press (1993), (2003). ISBN 0-7165-2517-8. - Desmond & Jean Bowen: Heroic Option: The Irish in the British Army
Pen & Sword BooKs (2005), ISBN 1-84415-152-2. - Steven Moore: The Irish on the Somme (2005). ISBN 0-954-9715-1-5.