63rd (Royal Naval) Division

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The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was a British infantry division fought in World War I. It began as the Royal Naval Division, created from Royal Navy and Royal Marine reservists and volunteers who were not needed at sea. For Royal Navy personnel, the unit was often called HMS Victory IV.

Formation and early make-up
- The division started with a Marine Brigade of four infantry battalions drawn from the Royal Marine Light Infantry and Royal Marine Artillery. To make a full infantry division, Admiral Winston Churchill ordered two more naval brigades to join, forming a composite Royal Naval Division.
- The eight battalions were named after famous naval commanders (Drake, Benbow, Hawke, Collingwood, Nelson, Howe, Hood, and Anson) and were later renumbered as the 1st–8th Battalions.
- At first the unit had no medical, artillery or engineer units and was only lightly equipped for infantry fighting. Training was slow, and many trained sailors were lent back to fleet service. Some recruits came from naval reserves or volunteered on the outbreak of war.
- The division was not ready for overseas fighting when war began. It spent time preparing for possible landings to defend naval bases and supply routes.

Antwerp, 1914
- In August 1914 the Marine Brigade went to Ostend to reinforce the Belgian garrison as German forces approached. The Admiralty soon decided to train the naval brigades as a full infantry division.
- The division helped defend Antwerp in October 1914. Belgian and Allied forces fought to hold the city, but German pressure and fortifications that were too shallow for heavy artillery made the defense difficult. Some units had to withdraw to the Scheldt, and the rest were pulled back in an orderly retreat to avoid a complete loss.

Gallipoli, 1915
- After Antwerp, the division was sent to Egypt and then to Gallipoli, where it fought at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles in 1915.
- Among the division’s losses before the campaign was even under way was Rupert Brooke, who died at sea from illness on the way to the campaign.
- The Royal Naval Division was one of the two British divisions involved in the Gallipoli landings. The assault included a notable action by Bernard Freyberg, who helped identify German dummies near the beach. The division eventually took part in the difficult battles on the Gallipoli peninsula and then evacuated.

Return to France and the Somme
- After Gallipoli, the division returned to France and took part in the later stages of the Battle of the Somme, advancing along the River Ancre to Beaucourt.
- The operation involved complex objectives over a fortified ridge, with several lines to capture (the Dotted Green Line, Yellow Line, Green Line, and Red Line). The fighting was fierce and costly, with high casualties as the troops pressed toward their objectives.

Reorganization and the Western Front
- In 1916 the division was renamed the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division and transferred from Navy control to the British Army.
- The 1916 reorganization reduced the division to two naval infantry brigades and one Army brigade. Army units began to replace naval units in some brigades: for example, the 1/28th London Regiment (Artists Rifles) and the 1/4th King's Shropshire Light Infantry joined the 190th Brigade later in 1917. In 1918 the 2nd Royal Irish Regiment joined the 188th Brigade.
- Because of heavy losses at Passchendaele and elsewhere, some naval battalions, such as Howe and Nelson, were disbanded, with their personnel absorbed into the remaining battalions.

Key battles on the Western Front
- The division fought in major 1917 battles, including the Second Battle of Passchendaele near Ypres, where the 63rd Brigade captured ground but suffered severe casualties. It faced difficult mud, artillery fire, and counterattacks.
- In early 1918 the division fought as German forces launched their Spring Offensive (Operation Michael) and later in the Allied counteroffensives, continuing to serve on the Western Front for the rest of the war.

End of the war and legacy
- The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division remained on the Western Front through 1918 and into early 1919, when it was demobilized as part of the postwar drawdown.
- The division’s insignia featured a metal divisional badge, and its history reflects a unique path from a navy-based infantry force to an Army division clearing the way on the European front.