Second Boer War During the
Second Boer War, an 8th division was active in
South Africa from early 1900 until the war ended in 1902. It was under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir
Leslie Rundle, and included a brigade division of
Royal Artillery, one squadron of cavalry, one company of
Royal Engineers, one company of
Army Service Corps, a field hospital, and the following infantry brigades and battalions: •
16th Brigade (2nd Battalion
Grenadier Guards, 2nd Battalion
Scots Guards, 2nd Battalion
East Yorkshire Regiment, 1st Battalion
Leinster Regiment) (commanded by Major-General
Barrington Campbell) •
17th Brigade (2nd Battalion
Manchester Regiment, 1st Battalion
South Staffordshire Regiment, 1st Battalion
Worcestershire Regiment, 2nd Battalion
West Kent Regiment) (commanded by Major-General John Edward Boyes)
First World War ,
25th Brigade during the
Battle of the Somme, 1916. The
8th Division was a Regular Army division that was formed by combining battalions returning from outposts in the
British Empire at the outbreak of the
First World War.
Major-General Francis Davies took command on 19 September 1914. The division moved to France in November, 1914, following the
First Battle of Ypres. The division fought on the
Western Front for the duration of the war, taking part in the
Battle of Neuve Chapelle, the
Battle of Aubers Ridge, both in 1915, the
Battle of the Somme, in 1916, and the
Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.
Order of battle dedicated in 1924 The division had the following organisation: ;
23rd Brigade • 2nd Battalion,
Devonshire Regiment • 2nd Battalion,
Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) • 2nd Battalion,
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (
until February 1918) • 1/6th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (
from March 1915 until June 1915) • 2nd Battalion,
Middlesex Regiment • 1/7th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (
from March 1915 until February 1916) ;
24th Brigade • 1st Battalion,
Worcestershire Regiment • 1st Battalion,
Sherwood Foresters • 2nd Battalion,
Northamptonshire Regiment • 1/5th Battalion, the
Black Watch (
until October 1915) • 2nd Battalion,
East Lancashire Regiment (
to 25th Bde. February 1918) • 1/4th Battalion,
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (
from February 1915 until April 1915) Between October 1915 and July 1916, the 24th Brigade swapped with the
70th Brigade from the
23rd Division. ;
25th Brigade • 2nd Battalion,
Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment) • 2nd Battalion,
Rifle Brigade • 1st Battalion,
Royal Irish Rifles (
until February 1918) • 2nd Battalion,
Lincolnshire Regiment (
until February 1918) • 2nd Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment (
from 24th Bde. February 1918) • 1/8th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (
from August 1915 until October 1915) • 1/13th (Princess Louise) Kensington Battalion,
London Regiment (
until May 1915) • 1/1st (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (
from May 1915 until February 1916) ;
70th Brigade The 70th Brigade was from the
23rd Division and was attached to the 8th Division between 18 October 1915, and 15 July 1916, swapping with the 24th Brigade. ;
Artillery •
V Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery (
left 13 January 1917) •
XXXIII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery •
XLV Brigade, Royal Field Artillery •
VIII Heavy Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery (
left 5 March 1915) ;
Engineers • 2nd Field Company,
Royal Engineers • 15th Field Company, Royal Engineers •
1/1st Home Counties Field Company, Royal Engineers (
from 2 February 1915; became 490th (Home Counties) Field Company February 1917) ;
Pioneers • 22nd (Service) Bn (3rd County Pioneers)
Durham Light Infantry (
joined 2 July 1916, until 3 July 1918) •
1/7th Bn, Durham Light Infantry (
joined from 50th (Northumbrian) Division 20 June 1918; absorbed 22nd Bn DLI 3 July 1918)
Second World War The
8th Infantry Division was never a full-strength formation during the
Second World War. In 1939 it was based in
Palestine and consisted of two infantry brigades (14th and 16th Brigades). Due to the needs of defence against
German and
Italian forces these units were sent to places of need and reformed as different formations. Although it had infantry it had no divisional troops due to the shortage of artillery and engineers in the Middle East. Its units were dispersed and the division was disbanded on 28 February 1940. On 2 June 1942, the division headquarters was reformed as the
8th Division (Syria) following the redesignation of the
5th Cavalry Brigade. The division, in name only, was composed of administration units and intended to provide internal security within Syria, under the command of the
Ninth Army. On 3 September the divisional headquarters role was taken by the headquarters of 89 Sub-Area, Ninth Army (Lines of Communications). In this second incarnation R.A.C. units from Ninth Army were attached. The division Headquarters were disbanded on 31 October 1943. •
14th Infantry Brigade • Brigadier G. Dawes • 2nd Battalion,
Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) • 1st Battalion,
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders • 2nd Battalion,
Rifle Brigade •
16th Infantry Brigade • Brigadier
C.E.N. Lomax • 2nd Battalion,
Leicestershire Regiment • 1st Battalion,
South Staffordshire Regiment • 1st Battalion,
Welch Regiment • 1st Battalion,
Sherwood Foresters • 12th Field Company,
Royal Engineers • A divisional reconnaissance regiment of the
Royal Armoured Corps ==General Officers Commanding==