The Royal Naval Division was formed at the outbreak of the Great War and, although serving with distinction both at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, its short history has led to it largely being forgotten. Subjected to ridicule at its conception Winston's Little Army would earn a reputation second to none and undertake the most difficult of objectives, but at terrible cost. My own interest stems from my Grandfather serving throughout the war with the Division and it is only when I started researching his story that I started to understand the remarkable history of the Royal Naval Division itself. There is a good quantity of information regarding the RND available, but it tends to be scattered around and therefore I thought I would put together RoyalNavalDivision.info in an attempt to try and pull some of it together.
Souvenir photograph at Crystal Palace
Please Note I am neither historian nor author and I am certainly not an expert on the Royal Naval Division, military matters or WW1 but just have a keen interest in the Division. RoyalNavalDivision.info concentrates more on the Naval side of the Royal Naval Division rather than the army elements and more the battalions than units such as the artillery, engineers, cyclists etc. As my own research progresses this may change.
For those with an interest in the Army Brigade I highly recommend the websites 4th Bedfordshire in the Great War and 10th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Both give excellent detailed accounts of the battalions which were integral to the Royal Naval Division on the Western Front.
Disclaimer
The images on the website have been collected over a number of years and, in some cases, the original source has been lost. It is believed that copyright has not been infringed, but it is not always possible to confirm that this is the case. No infringement is intended. Should you own the copyright to any of the images then please get in touch and the image will either be acknowledged or removed as required.
A guide to this site:
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Timeline
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An indexed history of the Royal Naval Division from its formation
in August 1914 until being disbanded in June 1919. This is not a definitive history but is designed to enable the viewer to either read from start to finish or dip into specific periods of the history of the RND.
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Galleries
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Royal Naval Division images from Antwerp to Cambrai
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Personnel
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Gallery and service history of the men of the Royal Naval Division
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Groningen
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Life for the Royal Naval Division men interned in Holland
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Victoria Cross
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London Gazette Victoria Cross announcements for Royal Naval Division recipients
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Edwin Dyett
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The court martial leading to the solitary execution of the Royal Naval Division
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Arthur Asquith
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Described by Bernard Freyburg VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO*** as the bravest man he ever knew
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