And, at last, the summons arrived. In October, 1916, orders were received to proceed to Bedford and Wellingborough in order to complete the Division with all necessary stores, and to hold itself in readiness to go overseas. The actual order for the move was still postponed till the last days of December, and the final scenes may be quoted from the War Diary of one of the West Riding Battalions:—
‘January 4th, 1917.—Order of the Day issued by Major-General Braithwaite, containing farewell message from His Majesty the King to 62nd Division, on the eve of their departure overseas.
‘January 4th, 1917, 9 a.m.—Farewell service of Holy Communion at St. Paul’s Church, Bedford, before proceeding on Active Service.
‘January 11th, 1917.—Left Bedford for France. Right half Battalion left the Ballast Pit Sidings, Bedford, at 3-25 a.m. Left half Battalion left at 5 a.m.’
‘I do not think,’ writes General Sir Walter Braithwaite, at the conclusion of the Notes with which he has been kind enough to supply the present writer, ‘a more happy and contented Division, or one better found and equipped, ever left the shores of England, and I think it was as well trained as a Division could be, thanks to all the help I received from the Staff and Commanding Officers, and to all the kind friends in France, who kept us supplied with the latest training instructions.[47] I cannot close this short sketch of our training period without alluding to the great help we received throughout the period from Lord Scarbrough and Brig.-General Mends. They were “father and mother” to the Division; made several visits to us; took endless trouble to help us, and, in fact, made all the rough places smooth. Also, I cannot but acknowledge the patriotism of those Commanding Officers who, feeling themselves too old for active service, made way for young up-to-date Commanders.’
It will be interesting to conclude this account with a conspectus of the Order of Battle of the 62nd Division from February, 1917, when it first entered the field, during the 22 months of its brilliant fighting record, till February, 1919, when demobilization was in active course. The purpose of this information, which is arranged for convenience in tabular form, is to show, in the first column, the units which composed the Division when it first landed in France; in the second column, the units which joined the Division between that date and February, 1919; in the third column, remarks explanatory of the information in columns one and two; and in column four the names of the respective Commanding Officers at the time of the embarkation of the Division. It will be observed that certain Battalions of the 1st and 2nd Lines were amalgamated during 1918, and these tables should be referred to, accordingly, in cases where any consequent changes in nomenclature may puzzle the reader of later chapters.
ORDER OF BATTLE OF 62nd (WEST RIDING) DIVISION between February, 1917, and February, 1919.
| Landed with Division, Jan.-Feb., 1917. | Joined Division between Feb., 1917, and Feb., 1919. | Remarks. | Commanding Officer (Jan., 1917). |
|---|
| Divisional F.A. | | | |
| 310th Brigade, R.F.A. | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. G. R. V. Kinsman, D.S.O., R.A. |
| 311th Brigade, R.F.A. | | Became Army Brigade early 1917. | Lt.-Col. A. Gadie |
| 312th Brigade, R.F.A. | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. E. P. Bedwell, R.A. |
| 62nd Div. Ammunition Col. | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. F. Mitchell |
| 62nd T.M. Batteries | | Remained throughout. | |
| 14th Bde. R.H.A. & B.A.C. | Joined November, 1918. | |
| Divisional Engineers. | | | |
| 457th Field Company, R.E. | | Remained throughout. | Major W. A. Seaman |
| 460th Field Company, R.E. | | Remained throughout. | Major L. St. J. Colley |
| 461st Field Company, R.E. | | Remained throughout. | Major E. J. Walthew |
| Signal Company. | | Remained throughout. | Capt. R. V. Montgomery (Som. L.I.) |
| 185th Infantry Brigade. | | | |
| 2/5th West Yorks. Regt. | | Amalgamated with 8th W. Yorks., August, 1918. | Lt.-Col. J. Josselyn |
| 2/6th West Yorks. Regt. | | Amalgamated with 6th W. Yorks, to 49th Div., Feb., 1918. | Lt.-Col. J. H. Hastings |
| 2/7th West Yorks. Regt. | | Disbanded June, 1918. | Lt.-Col. Hon. F. S. Jackson |
| 2/8th West Yorks. Regt. | | Amalgamated with 1/8th W. Yorks, Feb., 1918. | Lt.-Col. W. Hepworth, V.D. |
| 185th T.M. Battery. | | Remained throughout. | |
| 1/8th Bn. W. Yorks, from 49th Div. | Amalgamated with 2/8th W. Yorks., Feb., 1918. | |
| 1/5th Bn. Devon Regt. | Joined June, 1918, from Egypt. | |
| 2/20th Bn. London Regt. | Joined August, 1918, from Egypt. | |
| 186th Infantry Brigade. | | | |
| 2/4th Bn. West Riding Regt. | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. H. E. P. Nash (R. Scots) |
| 2/5th Bn. West Riding Regt. | | Amalgamated with 1/5th Bn., Feb., 1918. | Lt.-Col. T. A. D. Best, D.S.O., (R. Innis. Fus.) |
| 2/6th Bn. West Riding Regt. | | To 49th Div. for amalgamation with 1/6th, Feb., 1918. | Lt.-Col. J. Mackillop |
| 2/7th Bn. West Riding Regt. | | Disbanded June, 1918. | Lt.-Col. Clifford, D.S.O. (North. Fus.) |
| 186th T.M. Battery | | Remained throughout. | |
| 1/5th Bn. West Riding Regt. | From 49th Div. Amalgamated with 2/5th, Feb., 1918. | |
| 2/4th Hants. Regt. | From Egypt, June, 1918. | |
| 187th Infantry Brigade. | | | |
| 2/4th Bn. K.O.Y.L.I. | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. E. Hind, V.D. |
| 2/5th Bn. K.O.Y.L.I. | | Amalgamated with 1/5th Bn., Feb., 1918. | Lt.-Col. W. Watson (Som. L.I.) |
| 2/4th Bn. Yorks. & Lancs. Regt. | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. F. St. J. Blacker |
| 2/5th Bn. Yorks. & Lancs. Regt. | | Disbanded Feb., 1918. | Lt.-Col. P. Prince (Shrops. L.I.) |
| 187th T.M. Battery | | Remained throughout. | |
| 1/5th Bn. K.O.Y.L.I. | From 49th Div. Amalgamated with 2/5th, Feb., 1918. | |
| Pioneer Battalion | 9th Bn. Durham Light Inf. | From 50th Division, Feb., 1918. | |
| Divisional Train. | | | |
| 62nd Divisional Train | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. H. H. Wilberforce |
| 525 Company, R.A.S.C. | | Remained throughout. | Major A. P. Wright |
| 526 Company, R.A.S.C. | | Remained throughout. | Lt. S. G. Shaw |
| 527 Company, R.A.S.C. | | Remained throughout. | Lt. W. N. Roberts |
| 528 Company, R.A.S.C. | | Remained throughout. | Capt. H. P. Peacock |
| Divisional R.A.M.C. | | | |
| 2/1st (W.R.) Field Ambulance | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. W. Lister |
| 2/2nd (W.R.) Field Ambulance | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. C. W. Eames |
| 2/3rd (W.R.) Field Ambulance | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. W. S. Keer |
| 62nd Divl. Sanitary Section | | Remained throughout. | Capt. Moss-Blundell, C.B. |
| 2/1st Northn. Cas. Clearing Stn. | | Remained throughout. | Lt.-Col. W. A. Wetwan |
| 33rd Sanitary Section. | Joined after Armistice. | |
| Divisional Machine Gun Bn. | | | |
| 201st M.G. Company. | Joined 1917 } | Formed into 62nd Bn. Machine-Gun Corps, Feb., 1918 |
| 208th M.G. Company. | Joined 1917 } |
| 212th M.G. Company. | Joined 1917 } |
| 213th M.G. Company. | Joined 1917 } |
| Divisional M.T. Company. | | | |
| 62nd Div. M.T. Company | | Remained throughout. | Major H. J. C. Hawkins |
| Mobile Veterinary Section. | | | |
| 2/1st (W.R.) Mob. Vet. Sect. | | Remained throughout. | Capt. P. Abson, A.V.C. |
| Divisional Employment Co. | | | |
| 252nd Employment Co. | Joined June, 1917, and remained throughout. | |