AQ Branch 23rd (Northumbrian) Division March 1940.
Administrative Order No 1 - issued 24th March 1940
The Division's first Administrative Order was issued on 24th March 1940 and was concerned with the move overseas, which had been forecast for mid-April 1940.
It is not the intention to set out the full content of orders like this, but to select what items appear to be relevant or important in the understanding of the role and structure of this formation. This particular document ran to eight foolscap pages plus three pages of Appendices. To begin by setting the scale of the move....
Appendix A to the Order listed the units to move overseas, their establishment references, and their serial numbers - these were used to allocate units to ships, trains and so on.
The units listed were as follows:-
Divisional HQ - Modified establishment.
Employment Platoon - War Establishment 11/1931/25/1
HQ - 23rd Division Royal Engineers - Modified establishment.
508 Field Park Company Royal Engineers - Modified establishment.
233 Field Company Royal Engineers - Modified establishment.
507 Field Company Royal Engineers - Modified establishment.
Detachment of 23rd Division Signals - Special War Establishment.
HQ 69 Infantry Brigade - Modified establishment.
5th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment - Modified establishment.
6th Battalion Green Howards - Modified establishment.
7th Battalion Green Howards - Modified establishment.
HQ 70 Infantry Brigade - Modified establishment.
10th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry - Modified establishment.
11th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry - Modified establishment.
12th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry - Modified establishment. (this entry should, of course,have read 1st Battalion Tyneside Scottish).
8th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers - Motorcycle Battalion.
9th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers - Machine-gun Battalion.
One Echelon Divisional Supply Column - Special War Establishment.
186 Field Ambulance - Modified establishment.
33rd Field Hygiene Section - Modified establishment.
One Light Aid Detachment - War Establishment 111/1931/53/3.
23rd Division Provost Company (less three Sections)- Modified establishment.
Divisional Postal Unit - War Establishment 11/1931/21/2.
The body of the Order gives some information as to the meaning of "Special" or "Modified" but not a full explanation.
The Order starts with identifying the units which were due to be raised new, and for which mobilisation orders would be issued - these were the Employment Platoon, Divisional Signals, Supply Column, Light Aid Detachment and the Postal Unit. The remaining units - by far the major part of the Division - were understood not to be completely mobilised and were instructed to organise themselves to the appropriate War Establishments within the numbers presently available, plus those men whose postings would be notified separately.
Divisional HQ was to move without Medical Services or Chaplains, leaving the Officer Commanding the Field Ambulance as the Assistant Director of Medical Services for the Division, in addition to his normal responsibilities. Signals and Supplies were to proceed, as indicated, on a special war establishment. Provost would only have an HQ and three Sections, rather than six.
Units were expected to depart as strong in numbers as possible but the Order gave very specific instructions as to the medical grades that could embark - essentially nobody below the grade of B.4 could be included. Similarly everyone had to be at least 19 years of age, as at 15th April 1940, before they could be included. Units were instructed to report on a weekly basis the numbers of men of medical category B. 5 and lower. "Immatures" would be subject to special instructions, once decisions on their participation had been made. Units were not to take their First Reinforcements overseas, and it was accepted ( see the reference in the February War Diary to Establishments) that it would not be possible for them to be made up to War Establishment. Certain specialists - such as a Unit Armourer, Shoemaker, and a Divisional Senior Officer of Mechanical Engineering - were expected to be posted in before embarkation.
Detailed instructions were set out on how to deal with those officers and men on sick leave at the time of embarkation - basically they would be sent overseas once their category was sufficiently high.
While Division would not have Chaplains allocated, each Brigade would be allotted three to their HQs. Details were set out concerning men in the process of being appointed WO III, those earmarked as potential officers, and those running the Divisional School.
All ranks were expected to have a week's embarkation leave, be inoculated and vaccinated, check their details on the unit's casualty forms, ensure that their Paybooks AB64 were up to date and in their possession, and draw their identity disks before departure.
All Other Ranks were expected to be armed with a rifle and to take the webbing equipment in their possession, their normal scale of clothing plus an extra set of overalls (remember the work they were expected to do when in France) and extra woollen vests.
The newly mobilised small units mentioned above were expected to be fully armed and equipped to G 1098 scale, but would not receive Anti-Tank Rifles or Light Automatics (in this case the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun).
The Order makes specific provision for the inclusion, within each unit's equipment, of items such as Medical Officer's equipment, items for the Officers' and Sergeants' Messes and Communion Sets for Chaplains. At the time of writing the Order, the Division did not know whether bridging and other heavy engineering equipment was to be taken - effectively the Engineer Companies were to travel with what equipment they possessed.
The scale of ammunition to be taken was relatively limited - an example being only 700 rounds per Bren Light Machine Gun. Hired vehicles were to be returned to their owners as soon as War Department transport was issued - details were provided in an Appendix of the scale of vehicles to accompany the Division - on the basis that most transport would travel with an Advance Party.
One key matter was that those troops from the Division left in the UK, such as "Divisional Details" would be commanded by the Division's Commander - Royal Artillery.
Appendix A to Administrative Order Number 1
This Appendix shows the movement serial numbers for each unit, the Establishment details - as set out above - and also identifies the Divisional Serial Numbers to be included on metal plates fixed on the vehicles of each unit as follows:-
70 Brigade HQ 15
10 DLI 17
11 DLI 18
1 TS 19
Appendix B to Administrative Order Number 1
This table sets out the number and type of vehicles to be issued to each unit in the Division - in respect of 70 Brigade this can be summarised as follows:-
Brigade HQ -
Two Motorcycles
One 4-seater car (generally a Humber Snipe Staff Car)
Two 15 cwt Trucks
Each of the Infantry Battalions -
One Motorcycle
One 4-seater car
Eight 15 cwt Trucks
One 15 cwt Water Tanker
Three 30 cwt Lorries
Appendix C to Administrative Order Number 1
This Appendix covers the scale of weapons to be taken overseas and indicates that each Infantry Battalion was expected to take the 2" and 3" Mortars it already possessed, together with Ten Boys Anti-Tank Rifles and Eighteen Bren Light Machine Guns. It will be appreciated that this scale gives each Company only two Anti-Tank Rifles and four Bren LMGs - effectively one per Platoon, when in fact the Bren was intended to be the core Section weapon - implying an issue level of at least 36 per Battalion plus those needed for Light Anti-Aircraft defence. As can be seen from Appendix B above no issue of Carriers was anticipated - which would itself have increased the number of LMGs required. It was anticipated that extra mortars would be issued for training purposes once overseas - other documents within the War Diary state clearly that no mortars at all were available at the time for the Brigade to take to France.
Administrative Order No 2 issued 27th March 1940
This subsequent Order regarding the move overseas updates certain outstanding matters from the first, more sizeable document - described above - and clarifies that, for example, bridging and lighting equipment, and other heavy stores, were not to be taken to France by the Engineer Field Park Company. The Employment Platoon - a Divisional HQ force - was instructed to get itself stored up to G 1098 scale.
Perhaps most importantly the Order clarifies that the only Signals personnel to go overseas were the Despatch Rider Sub-Section of Divisional Signals, together with one subaltern, his driver/batman and an 8 cwt Truck. taken from the "B" Cable Section of No 1 Signals Company. (The lack of radio and line communication while in France would prove to be a major hindrance in commanding and managing the Division and the Brigades, with senior officers often having to make direct face to face contact with both superior and subordinate commanders in order for decisions to be made and communicated.)
Administrative Order No 3 issued 28th March 1940
This third document deals with further technical details of the move overseas, including the demands to be made on the two Infantry Brigades to provide the personnel for the Divisional Employment Platoon - referred to above.
70th Brigade was instructed to send a Corporal, Lance-Corporal and 13 Other Ranks, armed, clothed and equipped to War Scale to assemble at The Hermitage, Chester-le Street by 16:00 hours on 5th April 1940, together with a similar number of men from 69th Brigade.
In the period before the move to France the Platoon was to be administered by 70th Brigade, who were also headquartered in Chester-le-Street at that time. 70th Brigade were also instructed to look after the part of the Divisional Provost Company who were expected to arrive in Chester-le-Street on 28th March 1940, preparatory to moving to France.
The order also clarified the arrangements for issuing the scale of ammunition specified in Order Number 1 and instructed that all surplus rounds were to be returned to the Ammunition Depot at Finchale.
Administrative Order No 4 issued 29th March 1940
This short Order deals with vehicles and camouflage equipment. All vehicles, including Carriers, previously issued for training purposes were to be returned to Catterick. The transport for the Divisional Light Aid Detachment (dealing with vehicle repair and maintenance) was notified as being; one motorcycle, one two-stroke car and a 3-ton six-wheeled Lorry, and these were allocated recognition number 16.
A large Appendix to the Order spelled out in detail the types and scale of camouflage equipment to be taken overseas, and the Order itself set out in detail from where it was to be drawn from stores. The equipment consisted of nets of two different sizes and a number of 100 yard rolls of 2" and 3" coloured canvas strips - generally green and brown, together with hundreds of hairpins.
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