Being a first line Territorial Army division at the beginning of the war, it was organized as a Motor Division. In June 1940 reorganized as an Infantry Division. On 16 December 1944 it was reorganized as an Infantry (Reserve) Division in the UK. On the 1 August 1945 Divisional Headquarters ceased to command if formations and units, moved to Norway by 25 August, and assumed the title Headquarters British Land Forces Norway.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

General Officer Commanding (GOC):

03.09.1939	Maj.-Gen. G. Le Q. Martel
13.12.1940	Maj.-Gen. W.H.C. Ramsden
07.07.1942	Maj.Gen. J.S. Nichols
14.04.1943	Maj.-Gen. S.C. Kirkman
14.09.1943 (acting)	Brig. K.C. Davidson
22.09.1943	Maj.-Gen. S.C. Kirkman
19.01.1944	Maj.-Gen. D.A.H. Graham
17.10.1944	Maj.-Gen. L.O. Lyne
22.11.1944 (acting)	Brig. Sir A.B.G. Stanier, Bart
27.11.1944	Maj.-Gen. D.A.H. Graham

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Divisional troops

Royal Armoured Corps (RAC)
 

Yorkshire Hussars	12.12.1943-18.01.1944
61st Reconnaissance Regiment	24.01.1944-30.11.1944

Royal Engineers (RE)
 

232nd Field Company RE	03.09.1939-20.07.1941 & 14.08.1941-27.11.1941 & 22.02.1942-01.06.1942
505th Field Company RE	03.09.1939-30.11.1944
233rd Field Company RE	23.06.1940-30.11.1944
501st Field Company RE	27.04.1943-10.10.1943
295th Field Company RE	23.09.1943-30.11.1944
235th Field Park Company RE	03.09.1939-01.06.1942 & 01.09.1942-30.11.1944
142nd Field Park Squadron RE	24.06.1942-24.08.1942
15th Bridging Platoon RE	05.08.1943-12.12.1944

Royal Signals (Sigs)
 

50th Divisional Signals

03.09.1939-31.07.1945

Royal Artillery (RA)
 

72nd Field Regiment RA	03.09.1939-27.11.1941 & 22.02.1942-01.06.1942
74th Field Regiment RA	03.09.1939-29.11.1944
124th Field Regiment RA	22.06.1940-01.12.1944
111th Field Regiment RA	15.10.1942-21.11.1942
65th Field Regiment RA	19.11.1942-22.04.1943
90th Field Regiment RA	27.04.1943-30.11.1944
65th Anti-Tank Regiment RA	20.11.1939-08.11.1940
102nd Anti-Tank Regiment RA (NH)	08.10.1942-30.11.1944
34th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA	18.10.1942-06.11.1942
25th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA	16.12.1942-30.11.1944

Infantry

Motor-Cycle Battalion
 

4th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers

03.09.1939-23.06.1940

Machine Gun Battalion
 

2nd Battalion The Cheshire Regiment

01.02.1941-30.06.1945

Reconnaissance
 

50th Reconnaissance Battalion

06.03.1941-26.11.1941

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Brigades
 

150th Infantry Brigade	03.09.1939-20.06.1941 & 14.08.1941-27.11.1941 & 22.02.1942-01.06.1942
168th Infantry Brigade	27.04.1943-10.10.1943
231st Infantry Brigade	10.10.1943-31.07.1945

 

151st Infantry Brigade

03.09.1939-31.07.1945

 

69th Infantry Brigade

01.07.1940-31.07.1945

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Service record
 

Period	Served under	Theatre	Battles
03.09.1939-23.10.1939	Northern Command	United Kingdom
24.10.1939-19.01.1940	Southern Command	United Kingdom
20.01.1940-28.03.1940	GHQ British Expeditionary Force (BEF)	France & Belgium
29.03.1940-17.05.1940	2 Corps	France & Belgium
17.05.1940-24.05.1940	GHQ British Expeditionary Force (BEF)	France & Belgium
25.05.1940-26.05.1940	3 Corps	France & Belgium
26.05.1940-31.05.1940	2 Corps	France & Belgium	Ypres - Comines Canal
31.05.1940-01.06.1940	1 Corps	France & Belgium
02.06.1940-19.06.1940	War Office Control	United Kingdom
20.06.1940-22.11.1940	5 Corps	United Kingdom
22.11.1940-17.03.1941	8 Corps	United Kingdom
17.03.1941-31.03.1941	GHQ Home Forces	United Kingdom
01.04.1941-11.04.1941	8 Corps	United Kingdom
12.04.1941-13.06.1941	War Office Control	United Kingdom | at sea [23.04]
14.06.1941-24.07.1941	HQ British Troops in Egypt (BTE)	Egypt
25.07.1941-20.11.1941	GHQ Middle East Forces (MEF)	Cyprus | in transit [04.11]
21.11.1941-19.01.1942	HQ British Troops Iraq	Iraq | in transit [13.01]
21.01.1942-10.02.1942	9 Army	Syria
11.02.1942-20.02.1942	GHQ Middle East Forces (MEF)	Egypt
21.02.1942-15.06.1942	13 Corps	Lybia	Gazala
15.06.1942-20.06.1942	30 Corps	Egypt
20.06.1942-24.06.1942	13 Corps	Egypt
24.06.1942-30.06.1942	10 Corps	Egypt	Mersa Matruh
01.07.1942-04.10.1942	8 Army	Egypt	Defence of Alamein Line
05.10.1942-26.11.1942	13 Corps	Egypt	El Alamein
27.11.1942-05.12.1942	8 Army	Egypt
05.12.1942-01.01.1943	10 Corps	Lybia
02.01.1943-14.04.1943	30 Corps	Lybia | North Africa [05.03]	Mareth | Akarit
14.04.1943-24.04.1943	10 Corps	North Africa	Enfidaville
24.04.1943-09.05.1943	8 Army	North Africa | Libya [28.04]
10.05.1943-13.08.1943	13 Corps	Egypt | at sea [29.06] | Sicily [10.07]	Landing in Sicily
13.08.1943-26.09.1944	30 Corps	Sicily | at sea [19.10.43] | United Kingdom [06.11.43] | at sea [01.06.44] | NW Europe [06.06.44]	Normandy Landing | The Nederrijn
26.09.1944-01.10.1944	8 Corps	NW Europe
01.10.1944-09.11.1944	30 Corps	NW Europe
09.11.1944-01.12.1944	2 Canadian Corps	NW Europe
02.12.1944-12.12.1944	21 Army Group	NW Europe | at sea [12.12]
13.12.1944-31.08.1945	War Office Control	United Kingdom | Norway [25.08]

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Literature

• Ewart W. Clay. The path of the 50th : the story of the 50th - Northumbrian - Division in the Second World War, 1939-1945 (Aldershot : Gale & Polden, 1950) xiii, 327 p.
• A.H.R. Barker and B. Rust. A short history of the 50th Northumbrian Division (Berwick-upon-Tweed : The Tweeddale Press, 1966) 72 p.
• B.S. Barnes. The sign of the double "T" (the 50th Northumbrian Division, July 1943 to December 1944) (Kingston upon Hull : Sentinel Press, 1999) viii, 230 p.