63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division

The 63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division of the British Army was a second-line Territorial Force division, formed in 1914, which served on home defence duties during the First World War.

The division was formed as a duplicate of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division in 1914, composed primarily of soldiers recruited in north-eastern England. It remained on home defence and training duties in the north-east and eastern England until 1916, when it was disbanded. Several of its constituent units would later serve overseas, deployed for support and garrison duties in almost every theatre of the war.

History
The division was created as the "2nd Northumbrian Division", a second-line formation of the Northumbrian Division at the end of August 1914. At this time, Territorial Force soldiers could not be deployed overseas without their consent, and the existing Territorial units were accordingly split into a "first line", with men who had volunteered for overseas service, and a "second line", which was intended for home service only. The second line units also served to absorb the large number of new, untrained, recruits who had joined the Territorial Force following the outbreak of war. The division's units formed through late 1914, and assembled in the Sunderland-Newcastle area, where it was responsible for coastal defences.

As with the original Northumbrian Division, the 2nd Northumbrian was organised into three infantry brigades. These were later numbered as the 188th, composed of the 2/4th, 2/5th, 2/6th, and 2/7th Northumberland Fusiliers; the 189th, composed of the 2/4th East Yorkshire Regiment, the 2/4th and 2/5th Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards), and the 2/5th Durham Light Infantry; and the 190th, composed of the 2/6th, 2/7th, 2/8th, and 2/9th Durham Light Infantry.

The 188th Brigade recruited from Newcastle and Northumberland; the 189th from the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire; and the 190th entirely from County Durham. The division also raised second-line Territorial artillery, medical signal and engineer units, from the same areas. While it did not contain any organic mounted units, it had two cavalry brigades attached at formation - the first-line 1st Scottish Horse Mounted Brigade and the second-line 2nd Welsh Border Mounted Brigade - as well as the first-line 1/1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry. The division's commanding officer was Andrew Cracroft Becher, who had commanded a brigade of the original Northumbrian Division before the war.

Through the next two years, the 2nd Northumbrian, numbered as the 63rd Division in 1915, would provide drafts of trained men for the 50th Division as well as carrying out home defence duties. On 20th May 1915 it was paraded at Newcastle to be inspected by King George V and Queen Mary. The following day, the East Yorkshire Yeomanry was moved south to join 1st Mounted Division, In July the strength of its infantry battalions was set at a maximum of 600 men, with any more than this being transferred overseas; shortly afterwards, in August, the Scottish Horse Brigade was shipped to Gallipoli, where it would serve as dismounted infantry. The division moved south to Nottinghamshire in November, and began to break up in May 1916. The division itself ceased to exist in July, with some units remaining independent for several months before being broken up or transferred to new divisions.

Four battalions were posted to overseas garrison duties - the 2/7th Northumberland Fusiliers to Egypt, the 2/4th East Yorkshires to Bermuda, and the 2/5th and 2/9th Durham Light Infantry to Salonika. The remaining infantry units were transferred to the newly formed 71st Division, 72nd Division, and 73rd Division, all home-service units. One of these battalions - the 2/7th Durham Light Infantry - later served with the Allied force in the North Russia Intervention. The artillery was transferred to the Royal Naval Division in France, the engineers to the 15th Indian Division in Mesopotamia, and the medical units to Salonika.

The division's number was almost immediately reused for the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division, which was formed from the un-numbered Royal Naval Division on 19 July 1916; its constituent brigades were also renumbered, as the 188th, 189th, and 190th Brigades.

The division was not reformed during the Second World War, and the numbers for the subsidiary brigades were also not reused.

Order of battle

 * Organisation details are taken from The British Army in the Great War unless otherwise noted.

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Organisation, early 1915
Organisation in mid-1915, at the time of the King's inspection.
 * 188th (2nd Northumbrian) Brigade
 * 2/4th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
 * 2/5th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
 * 2/6th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
 * 2/7th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
 * 2/7th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers


 * 189th (2nd York & Durham) Brigade
 * 2/4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment
 * 2/4th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment
 * 2/5th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment
 * 2/5th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry


 * 190th (2nd Durham Light Infantry) Brigade
 * 2/6th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
 * 2/7th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
 * 2/8th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
 * 2/9th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
 * 1st Scottish Horse Mounted Brigade
 * 1/1st Scottish Horse
 * 1/2nd Scottish Horse
 * 1/3rd Scottish Horse
 * 1/1st Scottish Horse
 * 1/2nd Scottish Horse
 * 1/3rd Scottish Horse


 * 2nd Welsh Border Mounted Brigade
 * 2/1st Cheshire Yeomanry
 * 2/1st Shropshire Yeomanry
 * 2/1st Denbighshire Hussars
 * 2/1st Lancashire Hussars


 * 2nd Northumbrian Divisional Cyclist Company
 * 1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry
 * Royal Engineers
 * 2/1st Northumbrian Field Company
 * 3/2nd Northumbrian Field Company
 * 1/3rd Northumbrian Field Company
 * 2nd Northumbrian Divisional Signal Company
 * 2/1st Northumbrian Field Company
 * 3/2nd Northumbrian Field Company
 * 1/3rd Northumbrian Field Company
 * 2nd Northumbrian Divisional Signal Company

Royal Army Medical Corps
 * 2/1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance
 * 3/2nd Northumbrian Field Ambulance
 * 2/3rd Northumbrian Field Ambulance
 * 2/1st Northumbrian Sanitary Section


 * Royal Artillery
 * CCCXV (2/I Northumbrian) Brigade, RFA
 * CCCXVI (2/II Northumbrian) Brigade, RFA
 * CCCXVII (2/III Northumbrian) Brigade, RFA
 * CCCXVIII (2/IV Northumbrian) (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA
 * 2/1st Northumbrian (North Riding) Heavy Battery, RGA
 * Other
 * 63rd Divisional Train, Army Service Corps (529th, 530th, 531st and 532nd Companies ASC)
 * 2/1st Northumbrian Mobile Veterinary Section AVC
 * 63rd Divisional Ambulance Workshop


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