4th Australian Division, Australian Imperial Force, World War I

Date: 1916 to 1919
Location: [unknown]

This page expands on a section of the The Australian Army page

The 4th Australian Division was formed in the First World War during the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) infantry brigades in Egypt in February 1916. The new division included the 4th Infantry Brigade, 4th Field Company and 4th Field Ambulance which had all served at Gallipoli. The 12th and 13th Infantry Brigades were formed by absorbing half the veteran personnel of the 4th and 3rd Infantry Brigades with fresh reinforcements from Australia. Delays in assembling the artillery meant that the division could not depart for France before June 1916, whereupon it took part in the fighting on the Western Front from 1916 to 1918. Together with the 5th Division, it was a formation of II ANZAC Corps until swapped with the New Zealand Division from I ANZAC. In November 1917 both ANZAC Corps were absorbed into the newly-formed Australian Corps. The division was not selected to advance into Germany. Repatriation home and demobilisation commenced in late 1918, and in March 1919 the division was absorbed into the 1st Australian Division and disbanded.

General Officers Commanding 4th Division during The Great War were:

• 1916 Brigadier General (later Major General) Herbert Cox
• Jan-Jul 1917 Major General William Holmes CMG DSO
• 1917-19 Major General Ewen Sinclair-Maclagan CB CMG DSO

Wikipedia: 4th Division (Australia); accessed 7 Jun 2018.

Divisional units

• 4th Division Artillery, commanded by Brigadier General (later Major General Sir) Charles 'Rosie' Rosenthal. As well as the Field Artillery units listed under the respective Brigades below, included V4A Heavy Mortar Battery and X4A, Y4A and Z4A Medium Trench Mortar Batteries.
• 4th Division Ammunition Column
• 4th Divisional Train
• 4th Division Trench Mortars
• 4th Divisional Engineers
• 4th Machine Gun Battalion
• 4th Pioneer Battalion
• [4th Division Signals Company
• 4th Division Mechanical Transport Company

Brigades

The 10th Infantry Brigade was a brigade of the 4th Division on the Western Front during the First World War.

• Headquarters 10th Infantry Brigade
  • 10th Field Artillery Brigade was comprised of the 37th, 38th and 39th Field Artillery Batteries and the 110th Howitzer Battery
  • 10th Light Trench Mortar Battery
  • 37th Infantry Battalion
  • 38th Infantry Battalion
  • 39th Infantry Battalion
  • 40th Infantry Battalion
  • 10th Machine Gun Company
  • 10th Field Company
  • 10th Field Ambulance

Australian War Memorial: 10th Infantry Brigade

The 11th Infantry Brigade was a brigade of the 4th Division on the Western Front during the First World War.

• Headquarters 11th Infantry Brigade
  • 11th Field Artillery Brigade was comprised of the 41st, 42nd and 43rd Field Artillery Batteries and the 111th Howitzer Battery
  • 11th Light Trench Mortar Battery
  • 41st Infantry Battalion
  • 42nd Infantry Battalion
  • 43rd Infantry Battalion
  • 44th Infantry Battalion
  • 11th Machine Gun Company
  • 11th Field Company
  • 11th Field Ambulance

Australian War Memorial: 11th Infantry Brigade

The 12th Infantry Brigade was a brigade of the 4th Division on the Western Front during the First World War.

• Headquarters 12th Infantry Brigade
  • 12th Field Artillery Brigade was comprised of the 45th, 46th and 47th Field Artillery Batteries and the 119th Howitzer Battery. In January 1917, field artillery batteries were restructured, moving from four guns to six. As a result, one FAB was removed from each division's command and established as an Army Field Artillery Brigade. 12th FAB was the 4th Division contribution.
  • 12th Light Trench Mortar Battery
  • 45th Infantry Battalion
  • 46th Infantry Battalion
  • 47th Infantry Battalion
  • 48th Infantry Battalion
  • 12th Machine Gun Company
  • 12th Field Company
  • 12th Field Ambulance

Australian War Memorial: 12th Field Brigade.

A short-lived 24th Field Artillery Brigade was formed in early 1916 as part of the 4th Division Field Artillery component, comprised of the 40th, 44th and 48th Field Artillery Batteries and the 112th Howitzer Battery. It was closed in January 1917 in the major re-structure of artillery at that time.