XIX Corps (United Kingdom)

This article is about the United Kingdom Army unit. For other units of the same name, see XIX Corps.

XIX Corps
XIX Corps formation badge.
Active	World War I
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Field corps
Part of	Second Army
Engagements	World War I[1] Battle of Passchendaele Battle of the Somme 1918 Advance in Flanders Final Advance in Flanders

The British XIX Corps was a British infantry corps during World War I.

History

British XIX Corps was formed in France in February 1917 and fought at the Battle of Passchendaele in Autumn 1917.^[1] In Spring 1918 it was driven back 20 miles in five days and found itself in disarray.^[2] By November 1918 the Corps, as an element of Second Army, was one of the most northerly British military formations in France.^[3]

Order of battle on 11 November 1918

Prior to the armistice, the corps was on the Second Army's left, with the 41st Division on the left, 35th in the centre and 31st on the right. It was composed of the following units, the 35th Division having been transferred from the II Corps on 3 November 1918:^[3]

• 41st Division (Major General Lawford)
• 31st Division (Major General Campbell)
• 35th Division (Major General Marinden)
• Corps Troops
  • V/XIX Heavy Trench Mortar Battery
  • 19 Cyclist Battalion
  • XIX Corps Signal Company

General Officers Commanding

Commanders included:

• February 1917 – November 1918 Lieutenant General Herbert Watts^[3][4]

References

1. The British Corps of 1914-1918
2. World War I in 1918
3. Watson, Graham (2 September 2001). "British Second Army, 11th November 1918". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
4. The Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War