{{Short description|Infantry division of the British Army during World War I}} {{For|the similarly numbered, but unrelated, [[World War II|Second World War]] formation|12th (Eastern) Infantry Division}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}} {{Use British English|date=March 2015}} {{Infobox military unit | unit_name = 12th (Eastern) Division | image = WW1 British 12th Division.svg | image_size = 150 | caption = [[Divisional insignia of the British Army|Insignia]] of the 12th (Eastern) Division | dates = 1914–1919 | country = {{flag|United Kingdom}} | branch = {{army|United Kingdom}} | type = [[Infantry]] | role = | size = [[Division (military)|Division]] | battles = [[World War I|First World War]] }} The '''12th (Eastern) Division''' was an [[infantry]] [[Division (military)|division]] raised by the [[British Army]] during the [[World War I|First World War]] from men volunteering for [[Kitchener's Army|Kitchener's New Armies]]. The division saw service in the [[Trench warfare|trenches]] of the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] from June 1915 to the end of the war.
== Formation and First World War == [[File:Epehy Mémorial 1.jpg|thumb|right|<div style="text-align: center;">The memorial to the glory of the 12th British Infantry Division to [[Epehy]].</div>]]
The 12th (Eastern) Division, was one of the first [[Kitchener's Army]] divisions raised from volunteers by [[Herbert Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]]. It was formed within [[Eastern Command (United Kingdom)|Eastern Command]] as a result of Army Order No. 324 of 21 August 1914, as part of the K1 wave of divisions.<ref>[http://www.1914-1918.net/12div.htm The British Army in the Great War: The 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division], accessed October 2009 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040205072042/http://www.1914-1918.net/12div.htm |date=5 February 2004 }}</ref>
[[File:The British Army on the Western Front, 1914-1918 Q4688.jpg|thumb|left|Royal Artillery gunners at the 12th Divisional Canteen on the Arras road near St. Pol, February 1917.]]
It fought on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] for the duration of the First World War. One of its most notable actions was the [[Battle of Épehy]] where there is a memorial cross to the 12th Division.
In the First World War, the division's insignia was the [[Ace of spades|Ace of Spades]], which has since been adopted by the present [[12th Armoured Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|12th Armoured Infantry Brigade]].
=== Order of Battle === '''[[35th Brigade (United Kingdom)|35th Brigade]]'''
* 7th (Service) Battalion, [[Royal Norfolk Regiment|Norfolk Regiment]] * 7th (Service) Battalion, [[Suffolk Regiment]] ''(left May 1918)'' * 9th (Service) Battalion, [[Essex Regiment]] * 5th (Service) Battalion, [[Royal Berkshire Regiment|Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment)]] ''(transferred to 36th Brigade February 1918)'' * 1/1st [[Territorial Force]] (T.F.) Battalion, [[Cambridgeshire Regiment]] ''(joined May 1918)'' * 35th Machine Gun Company, [[Machine Gun Corps]] ''(formed 1 February 1916, moved to 12th Battalion, [[Machine Gun Corps]] (M.G.C.) 1 March 1918)'' * 35th Trench Mortar Battery ''(formed 25 June 1916)''
'''[[36th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|36th Brigade]]'''
* 8th (Service) Battalion, [[Royal Fusiliers|Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)]] ''(disbanded February 1918)'' * 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) * 7th (Service) Battalion, [[Royal Sussex Regiment]] * 11th (Service) Battalion, [[Middlesex Regiment|Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment)]] ''(disbanded February 1918)'' * 5th (Service) Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment) ''(transferred from 35th Brigade February 1918)'' * 36th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps ''(formed 1 February 1916, moved to 12th Battalion, M.G.C. 1 March 1918)'' * 36th Trench Mortar Battery ''(formed 15 June 1916)''
'''[[37th Brigade (United Kingdom)|37th Brigade]]'''
* 6th (Service) Battalion, [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)|Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)]] * 6th (Service) Battalion, [[Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)|Buffs (East Kent Regiment)]] * 7th (Service) Battalion, [[East Surrey Regiment]] ''(disbanded February 1918)'' * 6th (Service) Battalion, [[Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment|Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)]] * 37th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps ''(formed 4 February 1916, moved to 12th Battalion, M.G.C. 1 March 1918)'' * 37th Trench Mortar Battery ''(formed 15 June 1916)''
'''Divisional Troops''' * 5th (Service) Battalion, [[Northamptonshire Regiment]] ''(division pioneers)'' * 9 Motor Machine Gun Battery ''(joined early 1915, left 20 June 1915)'' * 235th Machine Gun Company ''(joined 16 July 1917, left to move into 12th Battalion M.G. C. 1 March 1918)'' * 12th Battalion Machine Gun Corps ''(formed 1 March 1918, absorbing the brigade MG companies)'' * Divisional Mounted Troops ** A Squadron, [[King Edward's Horse]] ''(joined April 1915, left June 1916)'' ** 12th Divisional Cyclist Company, [[Army Cyclist Corps]] ''(left 15 June 1916)'' * 12th Divisional Train [[Royal Army Service Corps|Army Service Corps]] ** 116th, 117th, 118th and 119th Companies * 23rd Mobile Veterinary Section [[Royal Army Veterinary Corps|Army Veterinary Corps]] * 214th Divisional Employment Company ''(joined 16 June 1917)''
'''[[Royal Artillery]]''' * LXII Brigade, [[Royal Field Artillery]] (R.F.A.) * LXIII Brigade, R.F.A. * LXIV Brigade, R.F.A. ''(left 6 January 1917)'' * LXV (Howitzer) Brigade, R.F.A. ''(broken up 30 August 1916)'' * 12th Divisional Ammunition Column R.F.A. * 12th Heavy Battery, [[Royal Garrison Artillery]] ''(left 8 June 1915)'' * V.12 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery R.F.A. ''(joined 31 July 1916, disbanded 12 February 1918)'' * X.12, Y.12 and Z.12 Medium Mortar Batteries R.F.A. ''(formed 1 July 1916; on 16 February 1918, Z broken up distributed among X and Y batteries)''
'''[[Royal Engineers]]'''<ref>Watson & Rinaldi, p. 29.</ref> * 69th Field Company * 70th Field Company * 87th Field Company ''(joined January 1915)'' * 12th Divisional Signals Company
'''[[Royal Army Medical Corps]]''' * 36th Field Ambulance * 37th Field Ambulance * 38th Field Ambulance * 23rd Sanitary Section ''(left 1 April 1917)''
== General Officer Commanding ==
* Major-General [[James Spens (British Army officer)|James Spens]] 24 August 1914 – 15 March 1915 * Major-General [[Frederick Wing|Frederick D.V. Wing]] 15 March – 2 October 1915 * Brigadier-General W. K. McLeod 2–3 October 1915 (''acting'') * Major-General Arthur B. Scott 3 October 1915 – 26 April 1918 * Major-General [[Harold Higginson|H. W. Higginson]] 26 April 1918 –
== See also == {{Portal|United Kingdom}} * [[List of British divisions in World War I]]
== Notes == {{notelist}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== Bibliography == * {{cite book |title=History of the 12th (Eastern) Division in the Great War, 1914–1918 |editor1-last=Scott |editor1-first=A. B. |last=Middleton Brumwell |first= P. |year=2001 |orig-year=1923|url=http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022556671.0x000002 |access-date=8 October 2014 |publisher=Nisbet |location=London |edition=Naval & Military Press |oclc=6069610 |isbn=1-84342-228-X}} * Ian F.W. Beckett, 'Territorials: A Century of Service,' First Published April 2008 by DRA Printing of 14 Mary Seacole Road, The Millfields, Plymouth PL1 3JY on behalf of TA 100, {{ISBN|978-0-9557813-1-5}}. * Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, 2003, {{ISBN|1-874622-92-2}}. * Col L.F. Morling, ''Sussex Sappers: A History of the Sussex Volunteer and Territorial Army Royal Engineer Units from 1890 to 1967'', Seaford: 208th Field Co, RE/Christians–W.J. Offord, 1972. * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, {{ISBN|978-171790180-4}}.
== External links == * {{oob unit | id = 3707 | name = 12 (Eastern) Infantry Division }}
{{British Army Divisions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:12 Infantry Division}} [[Category:Infantry divisions of the British Army in World War I]] [[Category:Kitchener's Army divisions]] [[Category:Military units and formations established in 1914]] [[Category:1914 establishments in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919]]