59th DIVISION. 1915-1918

The 59th Division was a Territorial second-line division (2nd N Midland) that came into existence in January 1915. In April 1916 following the Easter Uprising the division was sent to Ireland to Dublin the first TF division to serve in Ireland. After suppressing the trouble in Dublin the 59th was sent to the Curragh where it engaged in war training for the rest of the year returning to England in January 1917. In the following March the division crossed to France and served thereafter on the Western Front - at Third Ypres Cambrai at St Quentin and Bapaume in the German offensive of March 1918 at Baileul and Kemmel Ridge during the German offensive on the Lys in April 1918. In early May the division was reduced to training cadre status losing its infantry battalions and other units but the following month it was reconstituted with Category B men from Garrison Guard battalions. After a period of training the division went back into the line at the end of July and took pa...