8th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)

8th Division 8th Infantry Division
Insignia of the 8th Division, World War I.
Active	1914–19 1938–40
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Engagements	Battle of Neuve Chapelle Battle of Aubers Ridge Battle of the Somme Battle of Passchendaele
Commanders
Notable commanders	Bernard Montgomery Reade Godwin-Austen William Heneker

The 8th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was active in both World War I and World War II. The division was first formed in October 1914 during World War I, initially consisting mainly of soldiers of the Regular Army and served on the Western Front throughout the war, sustaining many casualties, before disbandment in 1919. The division was reactivated in Palestine, under the command of Major-General Bernard Montgomery, in the late 1930s in the years running up to the Second World War before being disbanded in late February 1940. It was briefly reformed in Syria in an administrative role during 1942-3.

The 8th Division was a Regular Army division that was formed by combining battalions returning from outposts in the British Empire at the outbreak of the First World War. Major-General Francis Davies took command on 19 September 1914. The division moved to France in November, 1914, following the First Battle of Ypres. The division fought on the Western Front for the duration of the war, taking part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, the Battle of Aubers Ridge, both in 1915, the Battle of the Somme, in 1916, and the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.

Between October 1915 and July 1916, the 24th Brigade swapped with the 70th Brigade from the 23rd Division.