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| 42nd Division (United Kingdom) | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 42nd Division (United Kingdom) |
| Dates | 1908–1919, 1920–1946, 1947–present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Infantry, later Armoured reconnaissance |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison | York |
| Nickname | "East Lancashire", "Rainbow" |
| Notable commanders | Henry Rawlinson, Hubert Gough, Ivor Maxse |
42nd Division (United Kingdom) was a British Army formation raised in the Territorial Force in 1908 and later serving in both the First World War and the Second World War. The division, associated with the Territorial Force and later the Territorial Army, drew units primarily from Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and the North West, and became noted for actions on the Western Front, at Gallipoli, in Egypt, and later in North-West Europe. Its history intersects with formations, battles, and personalities across British military campaigns, including links to commands, corps and army structures.
The division traces origins to the Haldane Reforms which created the Territorial Force, linking volunteer battalions from the Lancashire Fusiliers, East Lancashire Regiment, Manchester Regiment, Norfolk Regiment, and regiments associated with Lancashire. Pre-war structures connected the division to county associations, the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, and regional depots such as the Fulwood Barracks. During the First World War the division served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli before transfer to the Western Front as part of the British Expeditionary Force (World War I). Post-war demobilisation under the Geddes Axe saw reorganisation into the Territorial Army; interwar defence reviews affected its composition alongside formations such as the 54th (East Anglian) Division and 42nd (East Lancashire) Division's units being converted during mechanisation programmes before the division was reconstituted for the Second World War. In 1939–1945 the formation served in home defence and later overseas with links to the Home Forces (United Kingdom) and commands under British Expeditionary Force (World War II), later elements served under 21st Army Group in North-West Europe. Post-1945 amalgamations and the 1967 Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve reforms affected the division's successor formations, with lineage preserved in regimental museums such as the Imperial War Museum collections and county museums.
The division's order of battle in 1914 included brigades drawn from pre-war Territorial formations: the 125th (Lancashire Fusiliers) Brigade, the 126th (East Lancashire) Brigade, and the 127th (Manchester) Brigade, comprising battalions from the Lancashire Fusiliers, East Lancashire Regiment, Manchester Regiment, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), and support units including Royal Engineers companies, Royal Army Medical Corps field ambulances, and Royal Field Artillery brigades. Attachment and reinforcement often brought units such as the Cheshire Regiment, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and Yeomanry elements like the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Yeomanry. Second World War reorganization saw incorporation of armoured reconnaissance elements, Royal Artillery regiments, Royal Corps of Signals formations, and divisional engineers from the Royal Engineers, reflecting doctrinal shifts influenced by lessons from the Arab Revolt (1936–1939), the Spanish Civil War, and mechanized experiments in the British Army of the Rhine. Throughout both wars the division frequently operated under corps-level commands including IX Corps (United Kingdom), XVIII Corps, and VIII Corps (United Kingdom).
On mobilisation the division formed 1st Line and 2nd Line units, with the 1st Line deployed to the Gallipoli Campaign as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, participating in operations on the Suvla Bay and Cape Helles sectors alongside formations such as the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division's contemporaries in the allied order of battle including the 29th Division (United Kingdom). Evacuation from Gallipoli led to redeployment to Egypt where the division defended the Suez Canal and fought against Ottoman forces during the Sinai and Palestine campaign before transfer to the Western Front in 1916 to join the British Expeditionary Force (World War I). There it fought in major battles including the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Arras (1917), the Third Battle of Ypres, and the Spring Offensive (1918), often operating in concert with divisions such as the 1st Division (United Kingdom), 2nd Division (United Kingdom), and later under army commands like Fourth Army (United Kingdom) and Fifth Army (United Kingdom). Senior officers who shaped its performance included Ivor Maxse and Henry Rawlinson, and the division's units earned battle honours recorded alongside regimental histories in the National Archives (United Kingdom).
Following demobilisation, the division was reconstituted in the Territorial Army during the early 1920s, amid defence cuts influenced by the Ten Year Rule and the Washington Naval Treaty era fiscal constraints. Reorganisation altered brigade structures, and some battalions were amalgamated or converted to roles in the Royal Tank Corps and Royal Artillery, mirroring broader British Army reforms under figures like Basil Liddell Hart. The division's territorial associations continued to link it with county regiments, cadet forces, and regional training centres such as Aldershot Garrison. In the late 1930s the rise of Nazi Germany prompted expansion and duplication of territorial divisions, and the division formed 2nd Line counterparts while modernising with vehicles from manufacturers such as Vickers-Armstrongs and equipment policies guided by the British War Office.
At the outbreak of the Second World War the division mobilised within the Territorial Army and initially served on home defence duties under Home Forces (United Kingdom), conducting training alongside formations like 1st Armoured Division (United Kingdom) and 51st (Highland) Division. Elements were earmarked for expeditionary commitments and later re-roleled, with units joining corps-level operations under commands including 8th Army (United Kingdom) in the Mediterranean and 21st Army Group in North-West Europe. Throughout the campaign the division adapted to combined arms operations, working with Royal Navy convoys, RAF Coastal Command, and Allied formations including the Canadian Army, United States Army, and Free French forces. Post-war reductions and the 1947 reformation of the Territorial Army saw the division's lineage continue in brigade and regimental successors, with several battalions absorbed into new units during the 1957 Defence White Paper and later reorganisations under Options for Change.
Notable commanders included Territorial and Regular officers who influenced doctrine and operations: Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson (whose career also spanned commands in the Fourth Army (United Kingdom)), Ivor Maxse (famed for instructional reforms), Hubert Gough (linked to actions in Gallipoli and the Somme), and other divisional generals and brigadiers whose service records appear in the Army List (United Kingdom) and the London Gazette. Command appointments reflected shifts between Territorial and Regular leadership, with influences from the War Office and inter-service coordination with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during combined operations.
The division retained territorial badges and regimental insignia reflecting links to the Lancashire Fusiliers, Manchester Regiment, East Lancashire Regiment, and county colours displayed on shoulder titles, cap badges and regimental colours preserved in museums such as the Imperial War Museum and county military museums. The divisional sign, marching songs, and memorials—often erected after battles like Gallipoli and the Somme—formed part of local commemorations alongside national remembrance at The Cenotaph, Whitehall. Traditions included association with local cadet units, annual parades at county towns, and published regimental histories that detail affiliations with institutions such as the Royal British Legion and local civic bodies.
Category:Infantry divisions of the British Army Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom