The division was formed as part of the fifth wave (K5) of divisions in the New Army; it did not have a regional title, but was composed primarily of recruits from the
south of England. Several of its battalions had been raised by local communities and were named for their towns or industries. After training and home service, the 41st Division, commanded by
Major-GeneralSydney Lawford, deployed overseas to reinforce the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the
Western Front in the first week of May 1916; its first major combat came in September of that year, at the
Battle of Flers–Courcelette, part of the larger
Battle of the Somme.[1]
^Williamson, Howard J.; Bate, Chris (2020). The award of the Military Medal for the campaign in Italy 1917-1918. privately published by Anne Williamson.
ISBN978-1-8739960-5-8. The book includes: – A detailed overview of the Italian Campaign and its battles. – Notes on the [five] Divisions engaged in Italy.
^'Douglas Haig: War Diaries & Letters 1914-1918', edited by G. Sheffield & J. Bourne (Pub. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005), pp. 103–104.
^
abBaker, Chris.
"41st Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 24 November 2018.