British Armies & Corps

[Phil Wood]

Can anyone point me at a source that covers the divisional moves from Corps to Corps over the course of the war - and Corps from Army to Army. The LLT is great up to Divisional level but doesn't seem to cover moves at the higher level (or I'm just failing to find it).

Phil

[Gareth Davies]

I would start with Becke's Order of Battle of Divisions volumes.

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Phil

Three files towards the end of the war diaries class, WO95/5467 to 5469, give the order of battle of the British Armies in France at roughly monthly intervals throughout the war. Subsequent files give similar information for other theatres.

E A James' book A Record of the Battles and Engagements of the British Armies in France and Flanders, 1914-1918 gives the Corps and Armies with which each Division was serving in each of the major battles. Much of the same information is available from Becke, as mentioned by Gareth. James' book was reprinted in 1990 and may be available from Naval & Military Press.

The Medical Official History, General Series, Volume III, has a chart (facing page 14) of all the Divisions involved in the Battlesw of the Somme, 1 July to 31 Dec 1916, showing the Corps and Armies to which they belonged. Some of these attachments were for only two or three days.

Ron

[Phil Wood]

Thanks chaps - I have found a pdf of James' book online - courtesy of our Antipodean friends

http://www.army.gov.au/~/media/Files/Our%20history/AAHU/Primary%20Materials/World%20War%20One%201914-1918/Documents/A%20Record%20of%20the%20Battles%20and%20Engagements%20of%20the%20British%20Armies%201914-1918.pdf

Now to try to make some sense of it!

I will take a look at the files at TNA when next there.