The 34th Division was an
infantrydivision of the
British Army that was raised in 1914, during the
First World War. The division was raised from volunteers for
Lord Kitchener's
New Armies, that was originally made up of infantry
battalions raised by public subscription or private patronage. The division was taken over by the
War Office in September 1915. It served in France and Belgium in the
trenches of the
Western Front for the duration of the war.
24th (Service) Battalion, (1st Tyneside Irish), Northumberland Fusiliers (merged with 27th Battalion to form 24/27th Battalion N.F. on 10 August 1917, disbanded February 1918)
103rd Trench Mortar Battery (reformed 1 July 1918)
On the
First day on the Somme, the division had the largest number of casualties of the British divisions, the 102nd Brigade had 2,324 casualties and the 103rd Brigade incurred 1,968 losses.[5] From 6 July – 22 August, the brigades were swapped with the 111th and 112th brigades of the
37th Division, which was holding the line on a quiet sector at
Vimy Ridge.
Divisional Troops
18th (Service) Battalion, the Northumberland Fusiliers (joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion July 1915, left June 1918)
2/4th (T.F.) Battalion, the Somerset Light Infantry (joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion June 1918)
Thirteen other infantry battalions joined the Division for short periods during its reorganisation in mid 1918, all had left by July 1918)
19th Motor Machine Gun Battery (joined November 1915 left 6 February 1916)
240th Machine Gun Company (joined 18 July 1917, moved to 34th Battalion M.G.C. 26 February 1918)
34th Battalion M.G.C. (formed 26 February 1918 absorbing the brigade M.G. companies)