BRITISH ORDER OF BATTLE
HILL 60 AND 2ND BATTLE OF YPRES 1915.
C-in-C – Field Marshal Sir John French
Capture of Hill 60, 17th to 22nd April 1915.
Second Army, II Corps, 5th Division.
The Battles of Ypres, 1915 – 22nd April to 25th May
Second Army, II and V Corps,
General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien commanded 2nd Army until 27th April 1915.
Replaced by Lt.Gen Sir H. Plumer, officially on 6 May 1915, but effectively 27th April.
Smith-Dorrien was basically ‘sacked’ for wanting to shorten the line. Which is exactly what Plumer did soon afterwards.
Divisions – 1st,2nd and 3rd Cavalry. 4th, 27th, 28th, 50th, Lahore and 1st Canadian.
also 13th Infantry Brigade of 5th Division.
The 5th Division was within the battle boundaries but did not take part in a battle.
Hill 60 – 5th Division -Major General T.L.N. Morland. Hill 60 was actually the spoil heap from work done on the Ypres-Comines Railway.
13th Brigade – Brigadier General R. Wanless O’Gowan.
2/King’s Own Scottish Borderers. 1/Royal West Kent. 9/London (TF). 2/Duke of Wellington’s.
2/King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
14th Brigade – Brigadier General G.H. Thesiger.
1/Devonshire. 1/Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. 5/Cheshire (TF). 1/East Surrey. 2/Manchester.
15th Brigade – Brigadier General E. Northey.
1/Norfolk. 1/Cheshire. 6th King’s (TF). 1/Bedfordshire. 1/Dorsetshire.
Royal Field Artillery Brigades –
XV – 52 and 80 Batteries. XXVIII – 122, 123 and 124 Batteries. XXVII – 119,120,121 Batteries.
XXX – Howitzers – 130 Battery.
Royal Engineers – 59th, 2/Home Counties (TF) and 1/North Midland (TF) Field Companies.
Mounted Troops – C Squadron Northants Yeomanry. Cyclist Company.
Battle of Ypres 1915.
1st Cavalry Division – Major General H. de B. de Lisle
1 Cavalry Brigade – Brigadier General C.J. Briggs.- Queen’s Bays. 5/Dragoon Guards. 11/Hussars.
2 Cavalry Brigade – Brigadier General R.L. Mullens. – 4/Dragoon Guards. 9/Lancers. 18 Hussars.
9 Cavalry Brigade – Brigadier General. W.H. Greenly. – 15/Hussars. 19/Hussars.
Royal Horse Artillery Brigade: VII. ( H.I and Warwickshire (T.F.) Batteries)
Royal Engineers – 1st Field Squadron RE.
2nd Cavalry Division – Major General C.T. McM. Kavanagh.
3rd Cavalry Brigade – Brigadier General J. Vaughan.- 4/Hussars. 5/Lancers. 16/Lancers.
4th Cavalry Brigade – Brigadier General Hon. C.E. Bingham – 6/Dragoon Guards. 3/Hussars. Oxfordshire Hussars (Yeomanry)
(Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars – affectionately known as Queer Objects On Horseback)
5th Cavalry Brigade- Brigadier General Sir. P W Chetwode. – Royal Scots Greys. 12/Lancers. 20/Hussars.
Royal Horse Artillery – Brigade – III, ( D, E and J Batteries)
Royal Engineers – 2nd Field Squadron RE.
3rd Cavalry Division – Major General Hon J.H.G. Byng.
6th Cavalry Brigade – Brigadier General D Campbell – 3/Dragoon Guards. 1/Royal Dragoons. North Somerset Yeomanry.
7th Cavalry Brigade – Brigadier General A A Kennedy – 1/Life Guards. 2/Life Guards. Leicester Yeomanry.
8th Cavalry Brigade – Brigadier General C B Bulkeley-Johnson – Royal Horse Guards. 10/Hussars. Essex Yeomanry.
Royal Horse Artillery Brigade – XV ( C. K and G Batteries)
Royal Engineers – 3rd Field Squadron RE.
4th Division – Major General H.F.M. Wilson
10th Brigade – Brigadier General. C.P.A. Hull –
1/Royal Warwickshire. 1/Royal Irish Fusiliers. 7/Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (TF). 2/Seaforth Highlanders.
2/Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
11th Brigade – Brigadier General J. Hasler. –
1/Somerset Light Infantry. 1/Hampshire. London Rifle Brigade (TF). 1/East Lancashire. 1/Rifle Brigade.
12th Brigade – Brigadier General. F.G. Anley –
1/King’s Own. 2/Lancashire Fusiliers. 5/South Lancashire (TF). 2/Royal Irish. 2/Essex.
2/Monmouthshire (TF).
Royal Field Artillery Brigades – XIV – 68 and 88 Batteries. XXXII – 27, 134 and 135 Batteries. XXIX – 125,126,127 Batteries.
Royal Garrison Artillery – 2/Mountain Battery.
Royal Engineers – 9th and 1/West Lancashire Field(TF) Companies, RE.
Mounted Troops – A Squadron Northants Yeomanry. Cyclist Company.
27th Division – Major General T. D’O. Snow.
80th Brigade – Brigadier General W.E.B. Smith –
2/King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. 4/King’s Royal Rifle Corps. PPCLI (Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry)
3/King’s Royal Rifle Corps. 4/Rifle Brigade.
81st Brigade – Brigadier general H.L. Croker –
1/Royal Scots. 2/Camerons. 9/Royal Scots (TF). 2/Gloucestershire. 1/Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
9/Argyll and Sutherland H (TF)
82nd Brigade – Brigadier General – J.R. Longley.-
1/Royal Irish. 2/Royal Irish Fusiliers. 1/Cambridgeshire (TF). 2/Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. 1/Leinster.
Royal Field Artillery Brigades – III – 18, 22, 62 and 365 Batteries. CXLVI – 75, 149, 366 and 367 Batteries.
XXXI – 69,100,103 and 118 Batteries ( All four gun batteries)
VII – Howitzers – 37 and 65 Batteries.
Royal Engineers – 38 and 1/Northumbrian (TF) Field Companies, RE.
Mounted Troops – B Squadron Surrey Yeomanry. Cyclist Company.
28th Division – Major General E.S. Bulfin.
83rd Brigade – Brigadier General R.C. Boyle. –
2/King’s Own. 1/King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. 5/King’s Own (TF). 2/East Yorkshire.
1/York and Lancaster. 3/Monmouthshire (TF).
84th Brigade – Brigadier General – L.J. Bols. –
2/Northumberland Fusiliers. 2/Cheshire. 12/London (TF). 1/Suffolk.
1/Welch. 1/Monmouthshire (TF).
85th Brigade – Brigadier General A.J Chapman. –
2/Buffs. 2/East Surrey. 8/Middlesex (TF). 3/Royal Fusiliers. 3/Middlesex (TF).
Royal Field Artillery Brigades – III – 18, 22,62, 365 Batteries. CXLVI – 75, 149, 366 and 367 Batteries.
VII – Howitzer – 37 and 65 Batteries.
Royal Engineers – 38 and 1/Northumbrian (TF) Field Companies.
Mounted Troops – B Squadron Surrey Yeomanry. Cyclist Company.
50th (1/Northumbrian) Division (TF) – Major General Sir W.F.L. Lindsay.
149th Brigade (1/Northumbrian) – Brigadier General J.F. Riddell. –
4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions Northumberland Fusiliers.
150th Brigade ( 1/York and Durham) – Brigadier General J.E. Bush. –
4/East Yorkshire. 5/Green Howards. 4/Green Howards. 5/Durham Light Infantry.
151st Brigade (1/Durham Light Infantry) –
6th, 7th 8th and 9th Durham Light Infantry.
Royal Field Artillery Brigades – I. Northumbrian. II. Northumbrian (All 15-pounder Brigades).
III. Northumbrian. IV. Northumbrian (5 in Howitzers).
Royal Engineers – 2/Northumbrian Field Company.
Mounted troops – A Squadron Yorkshire Hussars. Cyclist Company.
LAHORE Division – Major General H. D’U. Keary. –
Ferozepore Brigade – Brigadier General R.G. Egerton. –
Connaught Rangers. 57th Wilde’s Rifles. 4/London (TF). 9th Bhopal Infantry. 129th Baluchis.
Jullundur Brigade – Brigadier General E.P. Strickland. –
1/Manchester. 47th Sikhs. 4/Suffolks (TF). 40th Pathans. 59th Scinde Rifles.
Sirhind Brigade – Brigadier General W.G. Walker, VC. –
1/Highland Light Infantry. 1/1st Gurkhas. 4/King’s (SR). 15th Sikhs. 1/4th Gurkhas.
Royal Engineers – 20 and 21 Field Companies. 3rd Sappers and Miners.
Pioneers – 34th Sikh Pioneers.
Mounted Troops – 15th Lancers.
1st Canadian Division – Lieutenant General E.A.H. Alderson. –
1st Canadian Brigade – Brigadier General M.S. Mercer. –
1st and 2nd Battalions (Western Ontario Regiment). 3rd Battalion (Toronto Regiment). 4th Battalion.
2nd Canadian Brigade – Brigadier General A.W. Currie –
5th Battalion ( Western Cavalry). 8th Battalion (Winnipeg Rifles). 7th Battalion (1st British Columbia Regiment).
10th Battalion (10th Canadians).
3rd Canadian Brigade – Brigadier General R.E.W. Turner, VC. –
13th Battalion ( Royal Highlanders of Canada). 14th Battalion (Royal Montreal Regiment).
15th Battalion ( 48th Highlanders). 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish)
Canadian Field Artillery Brigades – I. 1,2,3 and 4 Batteries. II. 5,6,7 and 8 Batteries.
II. 9, 10,11 and 12 Batteries) (All 4 gun batteries)
Royal Field Artillery Brigade – CXVIII – Howitzer – 458 and 459 Batteries.
Engineers – 1, 2 and 3 Canadian Field Companies.
Mounted Troops – 19th Alberta Dragoons. Cyclist Corps.
All Divisions would also include – Signal Services and Field Ambulances.
13th Infantry Brigade of 5th Division took part in Battle of St Julien 24th April – 4th May 1915.
5th Division – Major General T.L.N. Morland.
13th Infantry Brigade – Brigadier General R. Wanless O’Gowan. –
2/King’s Own Scottish Borderers. 1/Royal West Kent. 9/London (TF).
2/Duke of Wellington’s. 2/King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
The Battle of Ypres 1915 was made up of the following -:
Battle of Gravenstafel 22nd -23rd April.
This was the battle in which the German Army first used gas, (although there is a possibility that it was used at Hill 60 a few days previously).
The first troops affected by gas were the French 45th Algerian and 87th Territorial Divisions. They were not the best of troops and they broke and ran.
Battle of St. Julien, 24th April – 4th May.
Battle of Frenzenburg, 8th to 13th May.
Battle of Bellewaarde, 24th – 25th May.
Casualties during Hill 60 and 2nd Ypres 1915.
The total number of casualties was over 59,000 and of these some 10,500 were killed. Some 17,500 men were missing and some 4,000 of these men had been killed. At least 15,000 deaths.
Casualty list are difficult to work out. For instance the Indian Troops gave a total for all men Killed, Wounded or missing. Support troops such as Royal Engineers and Royal Artillery did not get included.
The French also had around 10,000 casualties and the Belgians had over 1500.
We will remember them.