The history of 29th Division

As regular units from the further garrisons of Empire arrived back in England, many having waited until a Territorial unit had gone out to replace them, they were formed up into three Divisions, numbered 27th to 29th. The 29th, consisting of units that arrived from the most distant stations, was formed in the Stratford-Warwick-Leamington-Rugby-Nuneaton area in January-March 1915. Originally intended for France, pressure on Lord Kitchener to launch a ground attack at Gallipoli forced him to deploy the Division there. The Division embarked at Avonmouth on 16-22 March 1915 and went via Malta to Alexandria. On 7 April re-embarkation began for the first units to have arrived at Egypt, for the move to Mudros. The Division landed at Cape Helles on Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 and subsequently took part in the following actions:

1915
Gallipoli

The memorial to the 29th Division, on the A45 at Stretton-on-Dunsmore between Coventry and Rugby, marks the spot where the troops were inspected by King George V just before the departure for Gallipoli. Thanks to Rlangham at Planetalk for this photo.

1916
On the nights 7-8 January 1916, the Division was evacuated from Gallipoli and all units returned to Egypt. Orders were received there on 25 February for a move to France. Embarking in March it arrived at marseilles and moved to concentrate in the area east of Pont Remy between 15 and 29 March. The Division remained on the Western Front for the remainder of the war.

The Battle of Albert*
The Battle of the Transloy Ridges*
* the battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916

The memorial to the 29th Division in Newfoundland Park near Beaumont-Hamel, a reminder of the costly attack on this ground on 1 July 1916

1917
The First Battle of the Scarpe**
The Second Battle of the Scarpe**
The Third Battle of the Scarpe**
** the battles marked ** are phases of the Arras Offensive 1917

The Battle of Langemarck^
The Battle of Broodseinde^
The Battle of Poelcapelle^
^ the battles marked ^ are phases of the Third Battles of Ypres 1917

The Battle of Cambrai

1918
The Battle of Estaires+
The Battle of Messines 1918+
The Battle of Hazebrouck+ including the defence on Nieppe Forest
The Battle of Bailleul+
+ the battles marked + are phases of the Battles of the Lys

The Action of Outtersteene Ridge-
The capture of Ploegsteert and Hill 63-
- the battles marked - are phases of the Advance in Flanders
The Battle of Ypres 1918++
The Battle of Courtrai++
++ the battles marked ++ are phases of the Final Advance in Flanders

After the Armistice the Division was among those selected to march into Germany to occupy the Rhine bridgehead. All units crossed the Belgian-German border at Malmedy on 4 December 1918 and arrived in Cologne five days later. The Division crossed the Rhine by the Honhenzollern Bridge on 13 December. Gradually, demobilisation began and by March 1919 most units were down to cadre strength.

The order of battle of the 29th Division

86th Brigade
2nd Bn, the Royal Fusiliers
1st Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers
1st Bn, the Royal Munster Fusiliers	left April 1916
1st Bn, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers	left October 1917, rejoined April 1918
2/3rd Bn, the London Regiment	joined August 1915, left January 1916
86th Machine Gun Company	formed 26 February 1916, moved to 29 Battalion 15 Feb 1918
16th Bn, the Middlesex Regiment	joined April 1916, disbanded February 1918
86th Trench Mortar Battery	formed 21 April 1916
1st Bn, the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry	joined October 1917, left April 1918
87th Brigade
2nd Bn, the South Wales Borderers
1st Bn, the King's Own Scottish Borderers
1st Bn, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers	left February 1918
1st Bn, the Border Regiment
87th Machine Gun Company	formed 16 February 1916, moved to 29 Battalion 15 Feb 1918
87th Trench Mortar Battery	formed 28 April 1916
88th Brigade
4th Bn, the Worcestershire Regiment
2nd Bn, the Hampshire Regiment
1st Bn, the Essex Regiment	left February 1918
1st Bn, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment	left April 1918
1/5th Bn, the Royal Scots	joined March 1915, left July 1915
2/1st Bn, the London Regiment	joined August 1915, left Hanuary 1916
88th Machine Gun Company	formed 21 February 1916, moved to 29 Battalion 15 Feb 1918
88th Trench Mortar Battery	formed 16 April 1916
2nd Bn, the Leinster Regiment	joined April 1918
Divisional Troops
1/2nd Bn, the Monmouthshire Regiment	joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion in May 1916
227th Machine Gun Company	joined 20 July 1917, moved to 29 Battalion 15 Feb 1918
29th Machine Gun Battalion MGC	formed 15 February 1918
Divisional Mounted Troops
C Sqn, the Surrey Yeomanry	left 11 May 1916
1 Section, 10 Squadron, Royal Naval Armoured Car Detachment	attached between 5 May 1915 and 20 June 1915
Divisional Artillery
XV Brigade, RHA
XVII Brigade, RFA
CXLVII Brigade, RFA	left January 1917
IV Highland Mountain Brigade, RGA	left July 1915
29th Divisional Ammunition Column RFA	original 29th DAC remained in Egypt when the Division moved to France (in October 1916 it was transferred to the 10th (Irish) Division. While en-route to Salonika its ship was torpedoed and more than 100 men were lost). On arrival in France the former DAC of the 53rd (Welsh) Division joined 29th Division
CXXXII Brigade, RFA	formerly LVII (H) joined 2 March 1916, broken up 12 September 1916
V.29 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, RFA	formed May 1916, broken up 4 February 1918
X.29, Y.29 and Z.29 Medium Trench Moratr Batteries, RFA	joined April 1916; on 4 February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each
Royal Engineers
2nd (Lowland) Field Company	left February 1916
510th Field Company	renamed from 2nd (London) Field Company
455th Field Company	renamed from 1st (West Riding) Field Company
497th Field Company	joined February 1916, renamed from 3rd (kent) Field Company
1st London Divisional Signals Company
Royal Army Medical Corps
87th (1st West Lancashire) Field Ambulance
88th (1st East Anglian) Field Ambulance
89th (1st Highland) Field Ambulance
16th Sanitary Section	left April 1917
Other Divisional Troops
29th Divisional Train ASC	246, 247, 248 and 249 TF Companies, ASC. This was originally the Wessex Divisional Train from the Wessex Division. This transferred to 53rd (Welsh) Division in Egypt, March 1916, after seeing action in Gallipoli. A new Divisional Train was formed in England, consisting of 225, 226, 227 and 228 Companies, ASC. It moved to France and joined the Division 24 March 1916
18th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC
226th Divisional Employment Company	joined on 25 May 1917, as 28th Employment Company, 1st Labour Corps; redesignated in June 1917
29th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop	remained in Egypt when Division moved to France. A fresh unit joined in France, and it was absorbed by the Divisional Supply Column in April 1916

This page is dedicated to the memory of men like Walter Leslie Schwartz, an Australian citizen of German parentage who served in the Australian regular forces from before the war. Despite being a fine soldier and senior NCO, he was kept at home due to anti-German prejudice and had to badger the authorities to let him go to France. He eventually arrived in England in June 1915 but once again found himself being held back from the front. Walter deserted the Australian forces and re-enlisted into the 23rd Royal Fusiliers under the assumed name of Walter Lancelot Merritt. He landed in France on 23 September 1916 and was immediately recommended for a commission.

He joined 2nd Royal Fusiliers in France as a Second Lieutenant on 3 June 1917 and served with 29th Division until the end of the war. Walter was wounded at Langemarck in 1917 and then taken onto the staff of 86th Brigade as Intelligence Officer. He won the Military Cross in the attack at Ploegsteert: "At a very critical moment, when one battalion was completely out of touch with both flanks which had been held up, he readjusted to whole line under extremely heavy fire at close range, and led troops into position gained touch with the advanced Battalion and ensuring the safety of its flanks. Throughout the whole operation his courage and initiative were most marked". Soon afterward, in the attack at Ypres "This attack was a very great success and as the area to be crossed by the 86th Infantry Brigade was devoid of any landmarks, I carried a large red flag in the centre of the attack, which would be easily seen by the troops on either flank, and by advancing on a compass bearing I was able to bring the troops on to the objective, without losing ground to either flank". From reports afterwards received it was found his flag not only kept the direction of the attacking waves, but enabled the following waves to keep direction. Soon after this he was wounded near Ledeghem.

This brave and admirable man was, after a great deal of debate, eventually pardoned of any charges arising from his desertion.

Walter was researched in detail by fourteeneighteen|research