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The 'British 51st (Highland) Division' was a Territorial Force division that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War. The division's insignia was a stylised 'HD' inside a red circle. Early doubts about the division's performance earned it the nickname of "Harper's Duds" after the name of its commander Major General G.M. Harper.
Such doubts were the result of the way in which the division was plundered in late 1914 to early 1915, during a period of great strain on the Regular Army. In August 1914, upon mobilization, the division’s infantry element had comprised 12 battalions in 3 regimentally-named brigades:- The Gordon Highlanders Brigade, The Seaforths and Camerons Brigade and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Brigade. A crisis on the Western Front in the Autumn of 1914 saw increasing numbers of individual Territorial Force battalions being seconded to Regular Army formations on the Western Front. The first T.F. formation to be plundered in this way was the 1st London Division. By early 1915, the Highland Division had lost 6 of its 12 pre-war Highland infantry battalions to Regular Divisions. When T.F. divisions were finally ordered overseas as complete formations in their own right in early 1915, the Highland Division was only at half-strength and in no shape to be sent abroad at that time. Only by the last-minute addition of 2 Lowland battalions and a complete English brigade from North Lancashire was the division, now numbered 51st Highland Division, considered numerically complete and was rushed to the Western Front in May 1915 to help stem the latest German onslaught at Ypres. Obviously, the lack of familiarity amongst these newly introduced disparate units hampered division efficiency and the division could only fare moderately in further the actions at Festubert and Givenchy. Indeed, General Douglas Haig commented that the 51st was, at the time of Festubert, “practically untrained and very green in all field duties”. Moved to the quiet Somme front in late summer of 1915, the division had yet to satisfy the expectations of those expecting the familiar Highland flare in battle - this was the period of Harper's Duds.
The situation was only resolved when, by January 1916, the Lancashire brigade left the division and their place was filled by original Highland battalions released by the regular divisions and by battalions of the Black Watch, not originally in the division. Given the chance to show their mettle in July 1916, they assaulted High Wood, which they attacked forcefully in the midst of a murderous field of fire without shelter. Though they failed to take the position, they had shown the fighting spirit expected of Highlanders. The division’s reputation grew and they were chosen to capture the notorious fortress village of Beaumont-Hamel in November 1916. The 51st were “Harper’s Duds” no longer, now they were, according to the German nickname, “The Ladies From Hell”.
By 1917, the 51st was considered a leading assault division and was handed more and more difficult tasks, throughout the year, from Arras in April/May to the combined tank-infantry assault at Cambrai in November. By early 1918, the division was below-strength due to losses in 1917 and the tired survivors were given a quiet part of the front line to hold. Unfortunately, the Germans had by chance chosen that location as one of the focal points for their Kaiserschlacht , the last great German assault on the West in March 1918. The neighbouring Portuguese troops bore the brunt of the initial German assault and as the terrified Portuguese troops fled their positions and ran across the 51st's positions, they were mistaken for Germans in the poor visual conditions and the 51st opened fire on them, causing casualties. The under-strength 51st was also pushed back, but eventually held as the German offensive ebbed and flowed. The remains of the division survived the Spring battles and received reinforcements in time for Haig's Allied offensives of August 1918 onward.
The division ended the war with a high reputation, so much so that it merited a high position on the German High Command’s “Most Feared” list.
See British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II) for the division's formation and history during the Second World War.

Contents

Unit history

Formation

Battles

See also

External links

Unit history

Formation

; '152nd (1st Highland) Brigade' :

★ 1/5th (The Sutherland and Caithness) Bn, the Seaforth Highlanders

★ 1/6th (Morayshire) Bn, the Seaforth Highlanders

★ 1/8th (The Argyllshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (''from 154th Bde. April 1915'')

★ 1/4th Bn, the Cameron Highlanders (''until February 1915'')

★ 1/6th (Renfrewshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (''from 154th Bde. April 1915 to June 1915'')

★ 1/6th (Banff and Donside) Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (''from June 1916'')
; '153rd (2nd Highland) Brigade' :

★ 1/6th Bn, the Black Watch

★ 1/7th (Fife) Bn, the Black Watch

★ The Shetland Companies, the Gordon Highlanders

★ 1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (''until February 1915'')

★ 1/5th (Buchan and Formartin) Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (''until February 1918'')

★ 1/7th (Deeside Highland) Bn, the Gordon Highlanders (''until October 1918'')
; '154th (3rd Highland) Brigade' :
The original brigade comprised the following battalions until April 1915
when some of the battalions moved to the 152nd Brigade:

★ 1/7th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

★ 1/6th (Renfrewshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

★ 1/8th (The Argyllshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

★ 1/9th (The Dunbartonshire) Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
Between April 18 1915 and January 1916, the brigade was replaced by the
battalions of the 164th (North Lancashire) Brigade from the 55th (West Lancashire) Division.

★ 1/4th Bn TF, the King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment

★ 1/8th (Irish) Bn, The King's (Liverpool) Regiment

★ 2/5th Bn, the Lancashire Fusiliers

★ 1/4th Bn, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

★ 1/6th Bn, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
After early 1916, the brigade contained the following battalions:

★ 1/4th (Ross Highland) Bn, the Seaforth Highlanders

★ 1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders

★ 1/9th (Highlanders) Bn, the Royal Scots Regiment

★ 1/7th Bn, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

Battles

★ Battle of the Somme (1916)

★ Battle of Arras (1917)

★ Battle of Cambrai (1917)

See also

★ List of British divisions in WWI

External links

★ The British Army in the Great War: The 51st (Highland) Division