66th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
| 2nd East Lancashire Division 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division 66th Infantry Division |
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The divisional insignia used during both the First and Second World Wars.
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| Active | 1914–19 1939–40 |
| Branch |
 Territorial Force (1914–19) Territorial Army (1939–40)
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| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Infantry |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Charles Beckett Neill Malcolm Alan Cunningham |
The 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force, which saw service in the trenches of the Western Front, during the later years of the Great War and was disbanded after the war. the division was reformed in 1939 in the Territorial Army as the 66th Infantry Division and disbanded again in 1940, without seeing active service in the Second World War.
The division was created at the end of August 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War as the 2nd East Lancashire Division, a second-line formation of the East Lancashire Division, composed primarily of soldiers from eastern Lancashire and the industrial towns around Manchester. After training and home service, it went to the Western Front in early 1917 and on 9 October, fought at the Battle of Poelcappelle. In March 1918, it suffered extremely heavy losses during Operation Michael the German Spring Offensive and was withdrawn from the line and reduced to a cadre to be rebuilt. It returned to the front in time for the Battle of Cambrai, part of the Hundred Days Offensive and the Battle of the Selle. Following the Armistice of 11 November 1918, it was stationed in Belgium, where it was demobilised in March 1919.
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