This is the order of battle for the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme was an offensive fought on the Western Front during World War I from 1 July to 18 November 1916 as one of the greatest engagements of the war. It was fought between French, British and Dominion forces and the German Empire in the Somme River valley and vicinity in northern France.
Background
British and Dominion forces In typical British county regiments, the 1st and 2nd Battalions were regular army, the 3rd was the special reserve battalion which did not normally serve overseas but remained at home as the regimental depot and training unit, from which replacements were sent to the regular battalions. The 4th, 5th and 6th Battalions were normally Territorial Force battalions. Amongst the terms of service in the Territorial Force, service outside the United Kingdom was voluntary. Territorial battalions raised second line battalions which would be numbered 2/4th, 2/5th and 2/6th, initially from men who declined to volunteer for overseas service. The number of battalions depended on the recruitment potential of the area from which the battalions were raised (the Dorsetshire Regiment raised eleven battalions, whilst the London Regiment managed to raise eighty-eight battalions).Hart p. 42 Regular army divisions were numbered 1st to 8th. "New Army" divisions of Kitchener's Army raised after the outbreak of war were numbered 9th to 26th. The 27th to 29th Divisions were Regular army divisions made up from units recalled from garrisons around the empire. The 30th to 41st were New Army and the 42nd to 74th were Territorial. The 63rd Division (Royal Naval Division) was made up from Naval Reserves and did not follow this numbering pattern.Hart p.43
Army and Corps organisation
Army British Expeditionary Force: Commander: General Sir Douglas Haig (since 10 December 1915) Third Army: Army Commander: General Sir Edmund Allenby Fourth Army: The Fourth Army was formed on 5 February 1916.Liddle p. 175 Army Commander: General Sir Henry Rawlinson.Western Front Association website Reserve Army: The Reserve Army was formed on 23 May 1916 and took over VIII and X Corps from the Fourth Army on 4 July 1916, during the Battle of Albert.Liddle p.174 Army Commander: General Sir Hubert Gough Fifth Army: The Reserve Army was renamed the Fifth Army on 30 October 1916Liddle p.175
Corps II Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant-General Claud Jacob III Corps. Corps Commander: Major-General Henry HudsonHart p.164 later replaced by Lieutenant-General Sir William PulteneyHart p.385 V Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant-General Edward Fanshawe VII Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas d'Oyly Snow VIII Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant-General Aylmer Hunter-WestonHart p.132 X Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Morland XIII Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant-General Walter Congreve VCHart p.184 XIV Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant-General Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan XV Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant General D.M.G. Campbell, then Lt–Gen Henry Horne then Lt–General John Du CaneLiddell-Hart p.322 Canadian Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant-General the Honourable Sir Julian Byng ANZAC Corps. Corps Commander: Lieutenant-General Sir William BirdwoodHart p.308 Machine Gun CorpsKeegan p.320
Formations per battle Refer following section titled "Divisions" for brigades, regiments and battalions associated with each division participating in the listed battles. Battle nomenclature and participating units information taken from source British Army Council Command Notice 1138 unless stated.Army Council, Cmnd 1138
+Colour coding for division typeRegular Army and Naval divisionsNew Army divisions recruited under Kitchener Recruitment PlanTerritorial divisionsDominion divisions
Battle of Albert: 1–13 July Capture of Montauban Capture of Mametz Capture of Fricourt Capture of Contalmaison Capture of La Boisselle
ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyIII Corps1st Division8th Division12th Division19th Division34th DivisionVIII Corps4th Division29th Division 31st Division48th DivisionX Corps23rd Division 25th Division 32nd Division 36th Division49th DivisionXIII Corps3rd Division 9th Division 18th Division 30th Division 35th DivisionXV Corps7th Division 17th Division 21st Division 33rd Division 38th DivisionReserve ArmyThe Reserve Army took over the VIII and X Corpsfrom the Fourth Army on 4 July 1916
Subsidiary Attack on the Gommecourt Salient: 1 July ArmyCorpsDivisionsThird ArmyVII Corps37th Division46th Division56th Division
Battle of Bazentin Ridge: 14–17 July Capture of Longueval Capture of Trônes Wood Capture of Ovillers ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyArmy Troops2nd Indian Cavalry DivisionII Corps1st Division 23rd Division34th DivisionThe 102nd and 103rd Infantry Brigades of the 34th Division had suffered many losses in the Battle of Albert, 1916, changed places with the 111th and 112th Infantry Brigades of the 37th Division and went into line with the 37th Division, IV Corps, First Army on Vimy Ridge, while the two 37th Division brigades, fought in the battles of Bazentin and Pozières under the 34th Division. (Liddle p. 176)XIII Corps3rd Division 9th Division 18th DivisionXV Corps7th Division 21st Division 33rd DivisionReserve ArmyX Corps25th Division 32nd Division48th Division49th Division
Subsidiary Attack at Fromelles: 19 July ArmyCorpsDivisionsFirst ArmyXI Corps61st Division5th Australian Division
Subsidiary Attacks on High Wood: 20–25 July ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyIII Corps19th DivisionXV Corps5th Division7th Division33rd Division51st Division
Battle of Delville Wood: 15 July – 3 September ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyXIII Corps2nd Division3rd Division 9th Division 18th (Eastern) Division 24th Division53rd Bde, 18th DivisionXIV Corps20th Division 24th DivisionXV Corps7th Division 14th Division
Battle of Pozières: 23 July – 3 September Fighting for Mouquet Farm ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyIII Corps1st Division 15th Division 19th Division 23rd Division 34th DivisionReserve ArmyII Corps12th Division 25th Division48th Division49th Division1 ANZAC Corps1st Australian Division2nd Australian Division4th Australian Division
Battle of Guillemont: 3–6 September ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyXIV Corps5th Division 16th Division 20th DivisionXV Corps7th Division 24th Division55th Division
Battle of Ginchy: 9 September ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyXIV Corps16th Division56th DivisionXV Corps55th Division
Battle of Flers-Courcelette: 15–22 September Capture of Martinpuich
ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyArmy Troops1st Cavalry Division2nd Indian Cavalry DivisionIII Corps1st Division 15th Division 23rd Division47th Division50th Division 103rd Bde, 34th DivisionXIV CorpsGuards Division5th Division6th Division 20th Division56th DivisionXV Corps14th Division 21st Division 41st Division55th DivisionNew Zealand DivisionReserve ArmyII Corps11th Division49th DivisionCanadian Corps1st Canadian Division2nd Canadian Division3rd Canadian Division
Battle of Morval: 25–28 September Capture of Combles Capture of Lesbœufs Capture of Gueudecourt ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyIII Corps1st Division 23rd Division50th DivisionXIV CorpsGuards Division5th Division6th Division 20th Division56th DivisionXV Corps 21st Division 55th DivisionNew Zealand Division
Battle of Thiepval: 26–28 September ArmyCorpsDivisionsReserve ArmyII Corps 11th Division 18th DivisionV Corps 39th DivisionCanadian Corps1st Canadian Division2nd Canadian Division3rd Canadian Division
Battle of Le Transloy: 1–18 October Capture of Eaucourt l'Abbaye Capture of Le Sars Attacks on the Butte de Warlencourt ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyIII Corps 9th Division 15th Division 23rd Division47th Division50th DivisionXIV Corps4th Division6th Division 20th Division56th DivisionXV Corps 12th Division 21st Division 30th Division 41st DivisionNew Zealand Division88th Bde of 29th DivisionReserve ArmyCanadian Corps1st Canadian Division2nd Canadian Division3rd Canadian Division4th Canadian Division
Battle of the Ancre Heights: 1–18 October Capture of Schwaben Redoubt Capture of Stuff Redoubt Capture of Regina Trench ArmyCorpsDivisionsReserve ArmyII Corps 18th Division 19th Division 25th Division 39th Division4th Canadian DivisionV Corps 39th Division
Battle of the Ancre: 13–16 November Capture of Beaumont-Hamel ArmyCorpsDivisionsFourth ArmyIII Corps48th DivisionFifth ArmyII Corps18th Division 19th Division 39th Division4th Canadian DivisionV Corps2nd Division3rd Division 32nd Division 37th Division51st Division63rd Naval DivisionXIII Corps 31st Division 120th Bde, 40th Division
Divisions
Regular Army and Naval divisions Guards Division Major-General Geoffrey Feilding1st Guards Brigade2nd Guards Brigade3rd Guards Brigade2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards4th Battalion, Grenadier Guards3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards1st Battalion, Scots Guards2nd Battalion, Scots Guards1st Battalion, Irish Guards2nd Battalion, Irish Guards1st Battalion, Welsh GuardsPioneers4th Battalion, Coldstream Guards 1st Division Major-General Peter Strickland1st Brigade2nd Brigade3rd Brigade10th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers1st Battalion, Black Watch1 Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment8th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment2nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment1st Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders2nd Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps2nd Battalion, Royal Munster FusiliersPioneers1/6th Battalion, Welch Regiment 2nd Division Major General Cecil Pereira5th Brigade6th Brigade99th Brigade17th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers1st Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment22nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers24th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers2nd Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment23rd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry13th Battalion, Essex Regiment1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment2nd Battalion, Highland Light Infantry17th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsPioneers10th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry 3rd Division Major-General Aylmer Haldane then Major-General Cyril Deverell8th Brigade9th Brigade76th Brigade2nd Battalion, Royal Scots1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers8th Battalion, King’s Own Royal Regiment8th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers13th Battalion, King’s Regiment10th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers7th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry12th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment1st Battalion, Gordon HighlandersPioneers20th Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps 4th Division Major-General The Honourable William Lambton10th Brigade11th Brigade12th Brigade1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment1st Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry1st Battalion, King’s Own Royal Regiment2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders1st Battalion, East Lancashires2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment2nd Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s RegimentPioneers21st Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment