Guards Division (United Kingdom)

Guards Division
Guards Division Insignia.
Active	August 1915 – 29 April 1919 12 June 1945 – December 1946
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Heavy infantry
Size	Division
Patron	HM The King George V
Engagements	First World War Battle of Loos Battle of the Somme Battle of Passchendaele Battle of Cambrai (1917) First Battles of the Somme Second Battles of the Somme Second Battle of Arras Battles of the Hindenburg Line Final Advance in Picardy
Commanders
Notable commanders	Earl of Cavan

First World War

The Guards Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was formed in the Great War in France in 1915 from battalions of the elite Guards regiments from the Regular Army. The division served on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War. The division's insignia was the "All Seeing Eye".

There was also a Guards Division in the Second World War which was formed on 12 June 1945 from the Guards Armoured Division which had undergone reorganisation.

In July 1915, during the First World War (1914–1918), His Majesty approve the formation of a Guards Division and in August 1915 the division was formed at Lumbres, near St Omer, France.

The 4th (Guards) Brigade was transferred complete from the 2nd Division and redesignated as the 1st Guards Brigade; the 2nd Guards Brigade was formed with two battalions from England and two more transferred from 1st (Guards) Brigade, 1st Division; and the 3rd Guards Brigade likewise with two more battalions from England and two transferred from 20th Brigade, of the 7th Division. Soon after formation, each brigade formed a machine gun (M.G.) company of 16 machine guns, and between March and May 1916 each brigade was also provided with a Trench Mortar (T.M.) Battery of eight 3" Stokes Mortars.