20th (Light) Division

20th (Light) Division
Unit name	20th (Light) Division
Dates	August 1914 – March 1919
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Light infantry operations
Size	Division
Notable commanders	Henry Jackson

20th (Light) Division was an infantry formation of the British Army raised during the First World War that served on the Western Front, participating in major actions during the Battles of the Somme, Arras, and Passchendaele. Formed under the aegis of Kitchener's New Armies, the division comprised battalions drawn from light infantry regiments and served alongside contemporaries such as the 29th Division, 11th (Northern) Division, 8th Division, 12th (Eastern) Division, and 36th (Ulster) Division. Its operational life intersected with commanders, formations, and events including Douglas Haig, Herbert Plumer, Henry Rawlinson, Arthur Currie, and the Battle of the Somme (1916).

Formation and Recruitment

The division was created in August 1914 as part of the volunteer expansion overseen by Lord Kitchener, raised from battalions associated with light infantry traditions such as the Wiltshire Regiment, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Somerset Light Infantry, and Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. Recruitment drives tied to local regiments, municipal initiatives in Bristol, Plymouth, Exeter, and York and patriotic appeals similar to those used for the Pals battalions brought recruits from across England, including industrial centers like Sheffield and Leeds. Training followed doctrines influenced by staff officers who had served in the Second Boer War and under the oversight of the War Office and Army Council.

Structure and Organization

The divisional structure conformed to contemporary British infantry organization, comprising three infantry brigades, divisional artillery, engineers, medical units, signal companies, and logistics elements modeled after established templates used by the British Expeditionary Force. Infantry brigades included battalions from the Royal Scots Fusiliers, Royal Welch Fusiliers, Northumberland Fusiliers, and Manchester Regiment in various attachments, while divisional artillery contained batteries of the Royal Field Artillery and support from the Royal Garrison Artillery. Engineers were drawn from the Royal Engineers, medical support from the Royal Army Medical Corps, and logistics handled by the Army Service Corps and Royal Army Ordnance Corps, coordinating with corps-level formations such as the XII Corps and III Corps when deployed.

Operational History

After training in the British Isles and on Salisbury Plain, the division moved to the Western Front in 1915 where it became part of the British Expeditionary Force. It was committed to trench warfare sectors near Armentières, Loos, and later shifted to the Somme sector in 1916 to support operations orchestrated by Sir Douglas Haig and corps commanders including Henry Rawlinson. In 1917 the division participated in the Battle of Arras (1917) under commanders coordinating with Arthur Currie's Canadian Corps and elements of the Second Army. Later, during the Third Battle of Ypres, units operated around Passchendaele and supported combined operations alongside formations such as the New Zealand Division and the Anzac Corps.

Battles and Engagements

The division saw action in the Battle of the Somme (1916), particularly in subsidiary actions around Gommecourt and La Boisselle, and in the capture and defense of trench systems contested during the offensive. At Arras in 1917 the division assaulted fortified positions and took part in diversionary and consolidation phases coordinated with the Canadian Corps and XVIII Corps. During the Third Battle of Ypres the division faced the notorious conditions of Passchendaele and fought alongside formations including the 15th (Scottish) Division and 19th (Western) Division. The division also participated in local operations during the German Spring Offensive of 1918 and the subsequent Allied Hundred Days Offensive alongside units from the First Army, Second Army, and allied contingents such as the French Army and United States Army.

Casualties and Decorations

Like many New Army formations, the division suffered heavy casualties in major offensives, with battalions incurring severe losses at the Somme and in 1917 at Passchendaele. Casualty figures affected infantry, artillery, engineers, and medical services, and the division's soldiers received individual awards including the Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, and Military Medal among others. Several officers were mentioned in dispatches by commanders such as Douglas Haig and Herbert Plumer for leadership in actions during the Battle of Arras (1917) and the Hundred Days Offensive.

Disbandment and Legacy

Following the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and subsequent demobilisation overseen by the War Office and Army Council, the division was progressively disbanded in early 1919. Its legacy persists in regimental histories of light infantry units like the Somerset Light Infantry and Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, in memorials at Thiepval, Pozières, and regimental museums in Taunton and York, and in scholarly works on the New Armies by historians referencing the experiences of formations raised under Lord Kitchener. The division's operational record informs studies of British tactical evolution in conjunction with leaders such as Henry Rawlinson and doctrines developed during the First World War.

Category:Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I