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| 60th (London) Division | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 60th (London) Division |
| Dates | 1908–1919 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
60th (London) Division
The 60th (London) Division was a Territorial Force infantry division of the British Army formed in 1908, which served with distinction during the First World War. Raised primarily from units in London, Middlesex, and Surrey, the division saw service on the Western Front, in the Salonika Campaign, and in the Palestine Campaign before demobilisation in 1919. Its formations included battalions from the London Regiment, the Royal Fusiliers, and the Middlesex Regiment, among others, and it fought in major actions alongside formations such as the British Expeditionary Force, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, and allied troops from France, Serbia, and Greece.
The division traces its roots to the 1908 creation of the Territorial Force under the Haldane Reforms, which reorganised the Volunteer Force and the Militia into a home defence force. Units drawn from City of London, Hammersmith, Camberwell, Woolwich, Chelsea, Islington, and other London boroughs were grouped into brigades and brigaded with battalions of the London Regiment, the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), and the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own). Early peacetime training took place on ranges near Aldershot, Colchester, and army training grounds used by the War Office. With the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 the division was mobilised for wartime service, initially tasked with home defence duties and later the raising of 2nd Line units under the numbering system established by the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907.
After mobilisation the division supplied drafts to the British Expeditionary Force during the 1914–1915 expansions and subsequently was deployed overseas. In 1915 the division embarked for Gallipoli and served in the Dardanelles Campaign as part of operations involving the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force alongside formations from Australia, New Zealand, and the Royal Naval Division. Following evacuation from Gallipoli, elements were concentrated in Egypt and later transferred to the Salonika Campaign where they served with the British Salonika Force in concert with French, Serbian, and Russian units attempting to relieve pressure on the Serbian Army. In 1917–1918 the division formed part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force under generals such as Edmund Allenby during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, taking part in operations that advanced British and Imperial lines towards Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley.
The division's peacetime organisation followed Territorial Force conventions with three infantry brigades, divisional artillery, engineers, medical services, and support troops. Key infantry formations included the 179th, 180th, and 181st Brigades, each composed of battalions such as the 1st City of London Regiment, 2nd City of London Regiment, and battalions of the Royal Fusiliers, Middlesex Regiment, and the London Regiment territorial battalions. Artillery units were drawn from the Royal Field Artillery and the Royal Garrison Artillery, with engineer companies from the Royal Engineers and medical units from the Royal Army Medical Corps. Machine gun companies and trench mortar batteries were later integrated reflecting changes after the Battle of the Somme and doctrinal shifts driven by the War Office and commander decisions influenced by experiences of the Western Front.
The division participated in a sequence of notable actions across different theatres. During the Gallipoli Campaign it engaged in amphibious operations and trench warfare on the Gallipoli Peninsula alongside the ANZAC formations and the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division. In Salonika it fought in the complex multinational campaign that included the Battle of Kosturino and other entanglements with Bulgarian forces, cooperating with allied contingents from Greece and Serbia. In Palestine the division was engaged in offensive operations such as the battles around El Mughar, the Capture of Jerusalem (1917), and the Megiddo offensive (1918), contributing to the collapse of Ottoman resistance in the Levant and working with mounted formations like the Desert Mounted Corps and infantry divisions from the Indian Army and ANZAC Mounted Division.
Throughout its wartime service the division was commanded by several senior officers drawn from the British Army officer corps. Commanders and senior staff had previous service records in regiments such as the Royal Fusiliers, the Coldstream Guards, and the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and worked in coordination with higher commanders including Sir Ian Hamilton at Gallipoli and Edmund Allenby in Palestine. Senior subordinate commanders included brigade leaders and artillery officers who had served in campaigns like the Boer War and on the Western Front, and staff officers from institutions such as the Staff College, Camberley who implemented tactical lessons from the wider conflict.
Following the Armistice of 1918 the division was progressively demobilised and formally disbanded in 1919 as part of the postwar reduction of the Territorial Force and the wider reorganisation under the Army Orders that followed the Treaty of Versailles settlement. Veterans returned to civic life in London and surrounding counties, bringing home battle honours awarded for service in theatres from Gallipoli to Palestine. The division's lineage and traditions influenced later Territorial Army formations and regimental histories kept by organisations such as regimental museums of the Royal Fusiliers, the Middlesex Regiment, and the London Regiment. Its campaigns are commemorated in memorials in London, memorials at Helles, and in regimental rolls preserved at institutions like the National Army Museum and county archives.
Category:Infantry divisions of the British Army Category:Military units and formations established in 1908 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919