The Royal Naval Division, later 63rd (Royal Naval) Division, was formed at the outbreak of the Great War. 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 scattered around, RoyalNavalDivision.info attempts to pull some of this information 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 Division rather than the army elements and more the fighting battalions than the divisional units. 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. If you are unsure if you hold the copyright for an image, a brief guide can be found here.
A guide to RoyalNavalDivision.info:
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Timeline
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An indexed history of the Royal Naval Division from its formation
until disbandment
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Organisation
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The units of the Royal Naval Division through the war
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Shute's Proposals
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Major General Shute's recommendations for the Royal Naval Division
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Galleries
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Royal Naval Division images from Antwerp to Cambrai
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Personnel Gallery
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Gallery and short service history of the men of the Royal Naval Division
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Detailed Personnel
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Detailed service histories including contributions from family members
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Victoria Cross Recipients
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London Gazette Victoria Cross announcements for Royal Naval Division recipients
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Internees & POWs
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Life for those interned in Holland and men taken as prisoners of war
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Oswald Hanson
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The most senior officer on the train derailed at Moerbeke
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Richard Bendyshe
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Deal's Brevet Lt.-Colonel met a tragic end
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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 Sir Bernard Freyberg VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO*** as the bravest man he ever knew
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Further
recommended
reading is available
on
the Related Links
page whilst
the Research
page
gives a few pointers to
tracing the history of the men of the Royal Naval Division.
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