59th (Staffordshire) Division 1939-1944

Itinerary

Numeric links in the itinerary refer to the map of 59 Division movements shown below.

1939

21 August : 59 Division reconstituted as duplicate of 55 Division; Major General John Blakiston-Houston appointed to command.
August-November : Basic training.
November : Security of vulnerable points in the Liverpool-Birkenhead area. [2 and 3]
1 December : New division commander: Major General Ralph Eastwood.

1940

Jan-May : 1/6 South Staffords and 1/7 Royal Warwicks attached to BEF in France. Evacuated via Dunkirk.
11 May : Gen. Eastwood transfered to command of 18 Division. New division commander: Major General Frederick Witts.
June : Moved to northeast coast of England; alternated between invasion/raid defense and field exercises. [5 to 15]

1941

15 February : New division commander: General Sir James Steele.
October : Transfered to Northern Ireland; extensive field exercises. [16, 17, 18]

1942

5 April : Gen. Steele promoted to command of 2 Corps. New division commander: Major General William Bradshaw.

1943

February : Transfered to Kent (HQ established at Canterbury); exercises in preparation for participation in the second front. [19 to 25]
31 July : 12 Corps establish under Lieut. Gen. Neil Ritchie and designated as the invasion follow-up corps, comprising 43rd (Wessex), 53rd (Welsh), and 59th (Staffordshire) Divisions.

1944

30 March : Gen. Bradshaw transfered to command of 48 (South Midland) Division. New division commander: Major General Lewis Lyne (ex 169 Brigade — Middle East, North Africa, Italy).
17-25 June : Embarkation for Normandy delayed by Channel storms.
26 June : Leading elements of the division arrive in Normandy at Juno Beach [26a, 26b, 27]
1 July : Division completes assembly in the Bayeux-Creully area.
7-9 July : CHARNWOOD : Battle for Caen [28]
16-18 July : POMEGRANATE : Battle for Noyers [29]
6-14 August : Battles on the Orne River [30]

Disbandment

18 August : Due to a severe shortage of British replacement troops in Normandy, the 59th (as the junior division in 2nd Army) was ordered to disband to fill the shortage.

The division historian commented that “Overnight, five years’ training and five weeks’ fighting had been relegated to the past.”

59 Division always prided itself in the fact that it was the only duplicate division to fight overseas.

59 Division Movements

Map of 59 Div moves

Alton Towers
Liverpool
Bromborough
Cannock Chase
Raby Castle, Staindrop
Darlington area (Croft Spa, Elton Hall, Wynyard Park)
West Hartlepool and Seaton Carew
Haughton-le-Skerne
Hawes
Catterick Camp
Barnard Castle
Northallerton
Darlington
Whitby
Alnwick
Killyleagh, County Down
Portadown
Dungannon
Tenterden
Northiam
Margate
Brighton (Stanmer Park)
Margate
Seaford

Margate

a) Newhaven, b) Tilbury (embarkation points)
Juno Beach
Caen
Fontenay-le-Pesnel
Goupillières and Grimbosq

Map adapted from 59th Division, Its War Story
List colors: Northern Ireland France

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