2nd London Division

2nd London Division 47th (1/2nd London) Division 47th (2nd London) Infantry Division
Insignia of the 47th (1/2nd London) Division, First World War.
Active	1908–1919 1920–1936
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Engagements	First World War Second Battle of Ypres 1915 Battle of the Somme 1916 Battle of Arras 1917 Third Battle of Ypres 1917

First World War

The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force.

Originally called the 2nd London Division it was designated the 47th Division in 1915, during the Great War, and referred to as the "1/2nd London Division" after the raising of the second-line 60th (2/2nd London) Division. The division was sent to France in March 1915, one of the first Territorial divisions to enter the fighting, and served on the Western Front for the duration of the war.

In early 1916 the division was part of Lieutenant General Sir Henry Wilson's IV Corps. Wilson was not impressed by Charles Barter, the 47th's GOC, and at the end of March 1916 he and Lieutenant General Sir Charles Monro (GOC First Army) discussed getting rid of him, but could not come up with a reason for doing so; Barter survived until he was relieved during the Battle of the Somme.

The 47th Division conducted effective mining operations against Vimy Ridge on 3 May and 15 May 1916, but a German attack on the evening of Sunday 21 May moved forward 800 yards, capturing 1,000 yards of the British front line, and the Division performed badly during a counterattack on 23 May. The 47th Division conducted a carefully planned single battalion raid on the night of 27–8 June, claiming to have killed 300–600 Germans for only 13 British casualties.

In the final stages of the war the division's GSO1 (effectively chief of staff) was acting Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Montgomery, then in his very early thirties and later a leading British commander in the Second World War.