Everything about Royal Naval Division totally explained
The British
63rd (Royal Naval) Division was a
First World War division of the
New Army. At the direction of
Winston Churchill, the
First Lord of the Admiralty, it had been formed at the outbreak of war as the
Royal Naval Division composed largely of surplus reserves of the
Royal Navy who were not required at sea.
The division participated in the defence of the
Belgian city of
Antwerp in late 1914. The division was shipped to
Egypt prior to serving in the
Battle of Gallipoli where it fought on both the
Anzac and Helles battlefields. By the end of the
Dardanelles campaign, the division's casualties were such that it no longer contained a significant number of naval servicemen and so in July
1916 it was redesignated as the 63rd Division
when the original
Territorial Force 63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division was disbanded. The division moved to the
Western Front in
France for the remainder of the war
Unit history
Defence of Antwerp
Gallipoli
The RND was one of two British divisions (the other being the Regular Army
29th Division) at the
Gallipoli landings. Originally the division was only required to make a diversion at Bulair in support of the main landings at
Anzac Cove and
Cape Helles. This diversion was carried out by one man,
Bernard Freyberg. Shortly afterwards, on
April 28, four battalions were sent to Anzac to reinforce the hard-pressed
Australian and
New Zealand troops. Later the RND moved to Helles where it remained for the rest of the campaign on the peninsula.
Western Front
After the evacuation of Gallipoli, the RND moved to France where it participated in the final phase of the
Battle of the Somme, advancing along the River Ancre to capture Beaumont Hamel.
Just prior to the fighting on the Ancre, the division received a new commanding officer after
Major General Archibald Paris was wounded, Major General Shute, appointed on
October 17,
1916. General Shute had an intense dislike for the unconventional "nautical" traditions of the division and made numerous unpopular attempts to stamp them out. Following a particularly critical inspection of the trenches by General Shute, one officer of the division,
Alan Herbert, who was a capable writer, produced a popular poem that summed up the feelings of the men of the RND:
Order of battle
The division initially comprised eight naval battalions named after famous British naval commanders (
Anson,
Benbow,
Collingwood,
Drake,
Hawke,
Hood,
Howe,
Nelson), plus the Royal Marine Brigade of four battalions from the
Royal Marine dépôts at the ports of
Deal,
Chatham,
Portsmouth and
Plymouth.
Due to the changing nature of the unit, it was made up of a number of
brigades during the war.
1st Royal Naval Brigade : Also known as 1st (Royal Naval) Brigade, 1st Brigade (1914 - July 1916). Replaced by the 190th Brigade (July 1916).
; 2nd Royal Naval Brigade : Also known as 2nd (Royal Naval) Brigade, 2nd Brigade, 189th Brigade.
Royal Marine Brigade : Also known as 3rd (Royal Marine) Brigade, 188th Brigade.
As the naval character of the division diminished, more regular infantry battalions were included. Other battalions that served with the division include:
1st Royal Marines
2nd Royal Marines
2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment
7th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers
4th Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment
1/4th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry
10th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers
1/1st Battalion, Honourable Artillery Company
2/2nd (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment
2/4th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment
1/28th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment
Battles
Battle of Gallipoli
Further Information
Get more info on 'Royal Naval Division'.
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