49th (West Riding) Infantry Division

|nickname="Barker's Bears"<br />"The Polar Bears"<br />"The Polar Bear Butchers"

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|battles=First World War<br />Second World War

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The 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division fought in the First World War in the trenches of the Western Front, in the fields of France and Flanders. During the Second World War, the division fought in the Norwegian Campaign and in North-western Europe. After the Second World War, it was disbanded in 1946, then reformed in 1947. It remained with Northern Command until finally disbanded in 1967.

Formation

The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Force, the Honourable Artillery Company and the Yeomanry. Originally designated the West Riding Division, the division was composed of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd West Riding Brigades, each with four infantry battalions, along with supporting units. The division was one of fourteen divisions that made up part of the peacetime TF. In peacetime, the divisional headquarters was, from 1912, at Tower Street in York.

First World War

Elements of the division had, by the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, just departed for their annual summer camp and were mobilised for war service on 5 August, the day after Britain entered the war. According to the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, men of the TF were not obligated to serve overseas without their permission and so, on 31 August, the division was ordered to form a second-line reserve unit, the 2nd West Riding Division, formed mainly from those men who, for various reasons, choose not to volunteer for overseas service. was mobilised for full-time war service and, with conscription having been introduced in the United Kingdom some months earlier, and with many units understrength after having to post officers and men to the second-line units, the division absorbed many conscripts. Although war was declared, the division, serving under Northern Command, still with the 146th, 147th and 148th Infantry Brigades under command, was initially engaged in static defensive duties, guarding vital points and little time was allotted for training. However, training began soon afterwards with the overall intention being that the division, once fully trained, would join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France. In the event, this was not to happen as, in February 1940, the division received orders to form part of "Avonforce" and be sent to Finland, via Norway, and aid the Finnish Army during its Winter War with the Soviet Union.

thumb|right|Some members of the 1/6th Battalion, [[Duke of Wellington's Regiment testing gas equipment on board the Polish liner , April 1940. She was lying off Gourock, Scotland and had been used as a troopship for some months.]]

On 4 April, the 49th Division ceased to function and the 146th and 148th Brigades (with the 147th Brigade remaining in England), both very poorly trained and equipped, took part in the short and ill-fated Norwegian Campaign, that were intended to retake the ports of Trondheim and Narvik from the German Army. One consolation, however, was that they gained the distinction of being amongst the very first British troops to fight the enemy in the Second World War, and certainly the first Territorials to do so. The brigades returned to the United Kingdom, where, on 10 June, the division was reconstituted in Scottish Command Curtis, the new General Officer Commanding (GOC), had commanded the division's sister formation, the 46th Division, during the Battle of France and in the BEF's subsequent retreat to Dunkirk, where it was evacuated to England, albeit with very heavy casualties.

Service in Iceland, 1940−42

The division, now with only the 146th and 147th Infantry Brigades left, departed for Iceland, the 146th arriving there on 8 May, the 147th on 17 May, and the divisional HQ arriving on 23 June, when it was redesignated HQ Alabaster Force and, in January 1941, Iceland Force before finally being redesignated HQ British Troops Iceland. As a result, a new divisional insignia, featuring a polar bear standing on an ice floe, was adopted. In 1941, at the request of British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, the division was trained in mountain warfare and also in arctic warfare. By April 1942, responsibility for Iceland had been handed over to the United States, with the arrival in July the previous year of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and the three brigades began to be relieved, and Major General Curtis suggested the Marines wear the polar bear insignia. In April 1943, the division was assigned to I Corps, under Lieutenant General Gerard Bucknall, and was earmarked as an assault division for the invasion of Normandy, scheduled for spring the following year. On 30 April the division received a new GOC, Major General Evelyn "Bubbles" Barker. "That Bear is too submissive. I want a defiant sign for my division, lift up its head and make it roar", Barker wrote. Subsequently the 49th Division was issued with a new "aggressive" insignia, now featuring a polar bear with its head facing upwards, roaring. However, in early 1944, when General Sir Bernard Montgomery took over command of the 21st Army Group, which commanded all Allied land forces in the upcoming invasion, Major General Douglas Graham's 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, which had fought with distinction in North Africa and Sicily, was chosen by Montgomery as one of the two British assault divisions – the other being Major General Tom Rennie's 3rd Division – and the 49th Division, despite training for the role for many months, was instead relegated to a backup role, causing great disappointment to all ranks. In January 1944, the division moved to East Anglia, where, on 2 February, it was transferred from Lieutenant General John Crocker's I Corps, with which it had served since April 1943, to XXX Corps,

Northwestern Europe, 1944−45

thumb|right|[[Infantrymen of the Hallamshire Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment in the village of Fontenay-le-Pesnel, Normandy, France, 25 June 1944]]

On 13 June 1944, most of the 49th Division, after just over two years of training, landed in Normandy as part of Operation Overlord. The position was eventually taken by the 7th Battalion, Dukes, under Lieutenant Colonel John Wilsey. The 49th's first major action as a division came during Operation Martlet, the first phase of Operation Epsom, the British attempt to capture Caen. Although Lieutenant General Sir Richard O'Connor's VIII Corps made the main effort, XXX Corps, with the 49th Division under control, was to protect VIII Corps' right flank by seizing the Rauray ridge.

The operation commenced on 25 June, and the division, supported by elements of the 8th Armoured Brigade and a massive artillery barrage from over 250 guns, initially went well, with the first phase objective, the town of Fontenay, being captured by the end of the first day against units of two German panzer divisions (the 2nd and 9th). However, capturing Rauray itself proved more difficult although, after hard fighting, much of it in close quarters, it eventually fell to the 70th Brigade on 27 June which, for the next few days, had to ensure a series of very fierce counterattacks, with the 1st Battalion, Tyneside Scottish and 11th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry bearing the brunt of the German attacks, which were repulsed with heavy losses on both sides, although the Germans suffering by far the greater. The 49th's GOC, Major General "Bubbles" Barker, described one such counterattack in his diary for 2 July: <blockquote>Yesterday the old 49 Div made a great name for itself and we are all feeling very pleased with ourselves. After being attacked on my left half, all day by infantry and tanks, we were in our original positions after a small scale counter attack by the evening. We gave him a real bloody nose and we calculate having knocked out some 35 tanks mostly Panthers. One of my Scots Battns distinguished themselves particularly. We gave him a proper knockout with our artillery with very strong concentration on any point where movement was expected. Some units had been issued with the order "NPT below rank major", meaning that they were not to take prisoners below that rank.

thumb|left|Men of the 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment chatting with local people in Cormeilles, 26 August 1944

The division, by now known widely as, "Barker's Bears", then held the line for the next few weeks, absorbing reinforcements and carrying out patrols until its participation in the Second Battle of the Odon, before, on 25 July, transferring from Bucknall's XXX Corps, in which the division had served nearly six months, to Lieutenant General John Crocker's I Corps. It was during this time that the division lost the 70th Brigade, which as a junior, 2nd line territorial formation, was broken up to provide reinforcements to other units. However, substituting the 70th Brigade was the 56th Brigade, formerly an independent formation comprising entirely Regular Army units, that had landed in Normandy on D-Day.

The division reached the River Seine in the late August, and, upon crossing the river, turned towards the capture of Le Havre, which was captured on 12 September (see Operation Astonia) with very light casualties to the 49th Division and its supporting units − 19 killed and 282 wounded − and capturing over 6,000 Germans in the process. Major General "Bubbles" Barker, the GOC, wrote in his diary that it "will be a memorable day for the Div[ision] and myself". However, the division then had all its transport sent forward to other units then advancing into Belgium, temporarily grounding the "Polar Bears", although giving the division a few days rest, deservedly so after having endured almost three months of action since landing in Normandy and suffered over 5,000 casualties.

thumb|right|[[Ordnance ML 4.2 inch Mortar|4.2-inch mortar of the 2nd Battalion, Kensington Regiment in action at Turnhout, Belgium, 1 October 1944]]

thumb|left|Men of the [[Tower Hamlets Engineers|294th Field Company, Royal Engineers, part of the 49th Division, constructing a Bailey bridge over the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal, 9 October 1944]]

The division received the order to move, arriving, after travelling some 200 miles, in the south of the Netherlands at a concentration area on 21 September, ten miles south of the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal. Over the next few days, the division liberated Turnhout and crossed the Antwerp-Turnhout Canal. It was during this period that the division was awarded its first and only Victoria Cross (VC) of the Second World War, belonging to Corporal John Harper of the Hallamshire Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment. The division, after being on the offensive since landing in Normandy, then spent the next few weeks on the defensive along the Dutch frontier, before returning to the offensive. Operation Pheasant commenced in the third week of October, with the objective, after Tilburg and Breda had fallen to the 49th, being the capture of the town of Roosendaal, which fell after ten days of vicious fighting. Major General Barker described the town as "not much of a place, bombed by USAF early in the year... We have crossed 20 miles in 10 days and had to fight every inch of it". Further fighting continued until the division ended up at Willemstad at the Hollandsche Diep. The division then transferred from Lieutenant General Crocker's I Corps to Lieutenant General Neil Ritchie's XII Corps

thumb|right|The driver of a [[Universal Carrier|Universal carrier, Private H. Smith of 'B' Company of the 1/4th Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, makes friends with Dutch civilians − and a small dog − during the liberation of Roosendaal, 30 October 1944.]]

In late November, the division suffered a blow when its GOC, Major General "Bubbles" Barker, who had continuously commanded the 49th since April 1943, succeeded Lieutenant General O'Connor as the GOC of VIII Corps and left the division. Barker's handling of the 49th "Polar Bears" Division, most notably during Operation Epsom in Normandy, had clearly impressed his superiors. He later wrote that "My fortune was to command the Polar Bears whose achievements were made possible by its great efficiency at all levels, its high morale and the marvellous team work..... It was a splendid fighting machine". Barker's successor was Major General Gordon "Babe" MacMillan, formerly the GOC of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division. Like his predecessor, MacMillan was a distinguished veteran of the First World War. However, in late March 1945, the division, commanded now by Major General Stuart Rawlins after MacMillan was ordered to become GOC of the 51st (Highland) Division, received orders to clear "The Island", which, after much hard fighting but relatively light casualties, was cleared in early April, before advancing north-eastwards towards Arnhem. The 49th Division's last major contribution to the Second World War was the liberation of Arnhem and the fierce battles that led to it. The division, now part of I Canadian Corps, under Lieutenant General Charles Foulkes,

thumb|right|Men of the 49th Reconnaissance Regiment, 7 May 1945

Just after the German surrender on 7 May 1945, the 49th Division played a part in the liberation of Amsterdam and Utrecht, with the 49th Reconnaissance Regiment entering first in both, followed by Canadian troops. There is a monument dedicated to the Polar Bears at a spot on Biltstraat in Utrecht. During the course of the Second World War, from Normandy to Arnhem, the 49th Division had suffered 11,000 officers and men wounded or missing, with 1,642 of these being killed in action.

Order of battle

The 49th Infantry Division was constituted as follows during the war:

2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers (left 27 April 1945, rejoined 14 June 1945)
2nd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment
7th (Merionethshire & Montgomeryshire) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (from 28 April 1945, left 13 June 1945)

Divisional Troops

2nd Battalion, Princess Louise's Kensington Regiment (from 7 June 1943, joined as divisional support battalion, became machine gun battalion 28 February 1944)
49th Reconnaissance Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps (formed 5 September 1942, became 49th Reconnaissance Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps 1 January 1944)
49th (West Riding) Divisional Signals Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals
60 Field Security Section , Intelligence Corps

Royal Artillery

69th (West Riding) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
70th (West Riding) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (until 6 August 1940)
71st (West Riding) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (until 6 August 1940)
79th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 8 until 23 June 1940)
80th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 8 until 23 June 1940)
143rd (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 26 April 1942)
178th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 15 May 1942 until 28 December 1942)
185th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 24 December 1942, disbanded 29 November 1944)
74th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 30 November 1944)
58th (Duke of Wellington's) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (until 23 June 1940)
88th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 17 June 1942 until 24 July 1943)
55th (Suffolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 26 July 1943)
118th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 5 July until 8 December 1942)
89th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (from 29 December 1942)

Royal Engineers

228th (West Riding) Field Company, Royal Engineers (until 30 September 1939)
229th (West Riding) Field Company, Royal Engineers (until 4 April 1940)
230th (West Riding) Field Company, Royal Engineers (until 4 April 1940)
231st (West Riding) Field Park Company, Royal Engineers (until 4 April 1940)
294th Field Company, Royal Engineers (from 26 April 1942)
756th Field Company, Royal Engineers (from 26 April 1942)
757th Field Company, Royal Engineers (from 26 April 1942)
289th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers (from 26 April 1942)
23rd Bridging Platoon, Royal Engineers (from 1 November 1943)
49th (West Riding) Division Postal Unit, Royal Engineers

Royal Army Medical Corps

146th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
160th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
187th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps
16th Field Dressing Station, Royal Army Medical Corps
17th Field Dressing Station, Royal Army Medical Corps
35th Field Hygiene Section, Royal Army Medical Corps

Postwar

thumb|Monument to honour the 49th Infantry Division, in [[Loenen, Apeldoorn|Loenen, the Netherlands, 1945-1995]]

The division was disbanded in Germany in 1946, but reformed in the TA in 1947, having been renamed the 49th (West Riding) Armoured Division. It was based in Nottingham, consisting of (on 1 April 1947):

8 (Yorkshire) Armoured Brigade
146 (West Riding) Infantry Brigade
147 (Midland) Lorried Infantry Brigade
Artillery included 269 and 270 Field Regiments Royal Artillery

In 1956, it was renamed the 49th (West Riding and Midland) Infantry Division, its base moved to Leeds, and the 8th Armoured Brigade was removed from its order of battle. Finally, it underwent its last major change in 1961, when it was renamed to the 49th (West Riding and North Midland) Division/District, and the 147th Infantry Brigade was removed from its composition. The Division/District finally disbanded in 1967, becoming simply East Midlands District.

General officers commanding

The following officers commanded the division at various times:

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!Appointed

!General officer commanding

|April 1908

|Brigadier-General Archibald J.A. Wright

|January 1910

|Lieutenant-General George M. Bullock

|September 1911

|Major-General Thomas S. Baldock

|July 1915

|Major-General Edward M. Perceval

|October 1917

|Major-General Neville J.G. Cameron

|June 1919

|Major-General Henry R. Davies

|June 1923

|Major-General Alfred A. Kennedy

|June 1926

|Major-General Neville J.G. Cameron

|June 1930

|Major-General Reginald S. May

|September 1931

|Major-General George H.N. Jackson

|September 1935

|Major-General George C. Kelly

|May 1938

|Major-General Pierse J. Mackesy

|June 1940

|Major-General Henry O. Curtis

|April 1943

|Major-General Evelyn H. Barker

|November 1944

|Major-General Gordon H.A. MacMillan

|March 1945

|Major-General Stuart B. Rawlins

|September 1945

|Major-General E. Temple L. Gurdon

|1 January 1947

|Major-General George W. Richards

|December 1948

|Major-General Ronald B.B.B. Cooke

|December 1951

|Major-General Reginald P. Harding

|December 1954

|Major-General Ralph Younger

|December 1957

|Major-General Richard E. Goodwin

|July 1960

|Major-General Theodore H. Birkbeck

|September 1962

|Major-General Peter J. Glover

|February 1964

|Major-General Christopher M.M. Man

|December 1966

|Major-General Robert Gordon-Finlayson

Victoria Cross recipients

Corporal Samuel Meekosha, 1/6th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment, Great War
Corporal George Sanders, 1/7th (Leeds Rifles) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment, Great War
Private Arthur Poulter, 1/4th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), Great War
Corporal John Harper, Hallamshire Battalion, York and Lancaster, Second World War

Memorial

thumb|49th Infantry Division Memorial, Ypres

At the Site John McCrae just outside Ypres there is a memorial to the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division. It is located is immediately behind Essex Farm Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, on top of the canal bank. It is shaped like an obelisk and accessed via a flight of stairs leading up the canal bank from the cemetery.

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

The British Army in the Great War: The 49th (West Riding) Division
Regiments.org Summary and Lineage
Composition of the 49th Division
Generals of World War II
49th (West Riding) Infantry Division Polar Bear Association