The 1st Commonwealth Division was the military unit that commanded Commonwealth land forces in the Korean War . The division was a part of the multinational British Commonwealth Forces Korea , with infantry units of the British Army , Canadian Army and Australian Army forming the bulk of the division. Additionally, the New Zealand Army supplied artillery contingents and an Indian medical unit was also attached. As with the "Korean Augmentation To the United States Army " (KATUSA) programme, numerous South Korean troops were seconded to the Commonwealth division to make up numbers under a scheme known as "KATCOM ".
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Background
Following the outbreak of the Korean War , the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade , which was the initial parent formation of Commonwealth army units in Korea, arrived in the peninsula with two British Infantry battalions in August 1950. It was reinforced by the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) in September, and by the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), in February 1951.
The brigade was subsequently re-constituted as the 28th Commonwealth Brigade in April 1951. Meanwhile, in November 1950, the brigade was joined by the 29th Independent Infantry Brigade , and in May 1951 by the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade .[2]
In July 1951, the infantry brigades were combined to form the 1st Commonwealth Division, wherein the unit was 58% British forces, 22% Canadian forces, 14% Australian forces, 5% New Zealander forces, and 1% Indian forces.[3]
The 1st Commonwealth Division was part of the US I Corps , which also included the US 1st Cavalry Division , the US 3rd and 25th Infantry Divisions , and the ROK 1st Division . The division occupied the strategically important sector of front on the Jamestown Line , stretching from the Kimpo peninsula on the Yellow Sea coast to a point east of Kumhwa about 6.3 miles (10.1 km) , and just 30 miles (48 km) from the South Korean capital, Seoul .[4]
Dissolution
It was deactivated in 1954 as part of the demobilisation of forces in Korea in the aftermath of the war, being reduced to a Commonwealth Brigade Group, and from May 1956 until its final withdrawal in August 1957 to a Commonwealth Contingent of battalion strength.[5]
Commanding officers
Divisional Commander Royal Artillery (CRA)
Divisional Commander Royal Engineers (CRE)
Divisional Commander Royal Signals (CRSigs)
Lt Col AC Atkinson, Royal Sigs
Divisional Commander Royal Army Service Corps (CRASC)
Assistant Director Medical Services (ADMS)
Divisional Commander Royal Army Ordnance Corps (CRAOC)
Lt Col MR Maclean, RAOC
Lt Col GJH Atkinson, RNZAOC
Divisional Commander Royal Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (CREME)
Soldiers of Duke of Wellington's Regiment the Battle of the Hook , 1953 Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Commonwealth Division
Divisional troops
Signals
1st Commonwealth Division Signals (July 1951–July 1953) Artillery
45th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (July–November 1951) (25 pdr )
11th (Sphinx) Battery, Royal Artillery (July–November 1951) (4.2 inch mortars )
170th Light Battery, Royal Artillery (July–November 1951) (4.2 inch mortars)
14th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (November 1951 – December 1952) (25 pdr)120th Light AA Battery, Royal Artillery (October 1951 – December 1952) (4.2 inch mortars)
42nd Light AA Battery, Royal Artillery (November 1951 – February 1952) (4.2 inch mortars)
61st Light Field Regiment (January 1952 – July 1953) (4.2 inch mortars)
20th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (December 1952 – July 1953) (25 pdr)
16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery (July 1951 – July 1953) (25 pdr)
42nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (December 1953– ) (25 pdr)
2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (July 1951 – May 1952) (25 pdr)
1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (May 1952 – April 1953) (25 pdr)
81st Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (April 1953 – July 1953) (25 pdr)
74th (Battleax Company) Medium Battery, Royal Artillery (March–November 1953) (5.5 inch medium guns )1903 Independent Air Observation Post Flight, Royal Artillery (July 1951 – July 1953) Engineers
28th Field Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers (July 1951 – July 1953)
64th Field Park Squadron, Royal Engineers (July 1951 – July 1953) Armour
Medical
60th (Para) Indian Field Ambulance (November 1950 – August 1953)
26th Field Ambulance, RAMC (December 1950–)
No. 25 Field Ambulance, RCAMC (May 1951 – April 1952)
No. 25 Canadian Field Dressing Station (July 1951–)
No. 37 Field Ambulance, RCAMC (April 1952 – May 1953)
No. 38 Field Ambulance, RCAMC (May 1953–) Logistics [6] [7] Ordnance
No. 25 Canadian Infantry Brigade Group Ordnance Company (May 1951 – Jan 1952)
28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Ordnance Field Park
24th British Infantry Brigade Group Ordnance Field Park
1st Commonwealth Division, Stores Distribution Detachment
Workshops
10th Infantry Workshops, REME
11th Infantry Workshops, REME
16th Infantry Workshops, REME
25 Canadian Support Workshop, RCEME (May 1951 – Jan 1952)
191 Infantry Workshop, RCEME (May 1951 – Apr 1955)
40 Canadian Infantry Workshop, RCEME (Apr 1953 – Dec 1953)
42 Infantry Workshop, RCEME (Mar 1955 – Feb 1955)
1st Commonwealth Division, Tank Workshop
1st Commonwealth Division, Signals Workshop
1st Commonwealth Division, Recovery Unit
Transport
54 Company, RCASC
57 Company, RASC
78 Company, RASC
10 Company, RNZASC [8] Infantry
25th Canadian Infantry Brigade
1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (April 1952 – November 1953)
2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (May 1951 – April 1952)
3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (March 1953 – March 1954)
1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (October 1951 – November 1952)
2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (December 1950 – November 1951)
3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (October 1952 – October 1953)
1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment (April 1952 – April 1953)
2nd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment (May 1951 – April 1952)
3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment (April 1953 – April 1954) 27th Infantry Brigade (aka 27th British Commonwealth Brigade ):
28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade (previously organised as 27th British Commonwealth Brigade ):
29th Infantry Brigade (previously organised as 29th Independent Infantry Brigade ):
1st Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (July 1951 – October 1951) [10]
1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (July 1951 – November 1951) [11]
1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles (July 1951 – October 1951) [12]
1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment (October 1951 – September 1952)
1st Battalion, Royal Leicestershire Regiment (October 1951 – June 1952)
1st Battalion, Welch Regiment (November 1951 – November 1952)
1st Battalion, Black Watch (June 1952 – July 1953)
1st Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (September 1952 – July 1953)
1st Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment (September 1952 – July 1953)
1st Battalion, Royal Scots (July 1953)
Rottman, Gordon L (2002). Korean War Order of Battle: United States, United Nations, and Communist Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, 1950–1953 . Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0275978354 Dutton, John (2007). Korea 1950–53 Recounting Reme Involvement . Lulu.com. ISBN 978-0955675300
Grey, Jeffrey (1988). The Commonwealth Armies and the Korean War: An Alliance Study . Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-2770-5 Rottman, Gordon L. (2002). Korean War Order of Battle: United States, United Nations, and Communist Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, 1950–1953 . Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing. ISBN 9780313013324 Smith, Alan H. (2012). Do Unto Others: Counter Bombardment in Australia's Military Campaigns . Newport: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 9780987057440
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