THE 36th BRITISH
DIVISION

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Report in SEAC Souvenir Newspaper - Aug 1945
Extracts of Interest compiled by David Evans

The Badge of this unit was

The Original Badge of this Unit was the Geometric Design of a "Trident", for the Navy, "Sword" for the Army, & "Wings" for the Air Force, This Badge was chosen because they were part of an amphibious unit.  It was consequently used as the Badge of the 33rd  Indian Corps,

It was decided to create their own Badge which was done by amalgamating the Badge of the 29th Independent Brigade (which joined the 72^nd Brigade in central India after taking part in the Invasion of Madagascar) with that of the 72nd British Brigade. The Badge of the 29th Brigade was a White Circle on a Black Rectangular background, the Badge of the 72nd Brigade was a Red Circle on a Black background, (this was obtained from the Central India Command of which they were part of at the time) these were intertwined on a Black Rectangular background to make the Badge of the now called the 36th British Division

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History

The Division was formed in 1943 as the Army component of the Combined Training Centre in India, in 1943 the 29th & 72nd British Brigades were allocated to this formation, although all the other units were Indian, at this time they were under command of the Indian Expeditionary Forces, & called the 251st Tank Brigade.  The Division took part in the Arakan Operations in 1944, in support of the 5th Indian Division in the Jungle covered hill country around the Ngayadauk Pass & the Mayu Tunnels Area.

In May 1944 they were withdrawn from the Arakan Front.  After a short rest at Shillong they were then moved up to the Ledo Road area the Terminus of the Burma Road, where the came under the command of General J. Stillwell's American- Chinese Forces (they had by this time had the Indian Units withdrawn) they were now "The 36th British Division", & saw much of the hard fighting around Myitkyina & Mogaung, where they took over from the remains of the Chindits.   

After the capture of Myitkyina Airfield in December 1944, the 26th Indian Infantry Brigade ( ex 6^th Indian Division Middle East) was flown in to join the Division. 

In January 1945 the Division crossed the Irrawaddy & came under the command of the Fourteenth Army & saw much of the Hard Fighting that led to the final operation that broke the last Japanese resistance in Burma,

The Division was returned to India in June 1945 & was disbanded. 

They were COMMANDED by

Maj/Gen F.W. Festing (C.B. C.B.E. D.S.O.)

DIVISIONAL STRUCTURE

DIVISIONAL COMMANDER
MAJ/GEN.  F.W. Festing  (C.B. O.B.E. D.S.O.)

Headquarters Brigade
2nd Btn Manchester Regt (M/Gun) 1 Coy
8th Btn Gurkha Rifles (1Coy)

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Divisional Artillery
315th.316th.494th Bty's !30th Field Regt (Royal Artillery)
168th. 321st. 402nd. Bty's 122nd. A/Tank Regt (Royal Artillery)
122nd. 366th. 516th. Bty's 178th Field Regt (Royal Artillery)
3rd Medium Regt (Royal Artillery)
12th. 17th. 26th. Bty 32nd Indian Mountain Regt (Indian Artillery)

26th Independent Infantry Brigade
1st Btn Royal Scots Fusiliers                
1st Btn Royal Welch Fusiliers
2nd Btn East Lancashire Regt
COMMANDED by Brig. H.C. Stockwell (O.B.E. D.S.O.)

72nd Independent Infantry Brigade
6th Btn South Wales Borderers                                                    9th Btn Royal Sussex Regt
10th Btn The Gloucestershire Regt
COMMANDED by Brig. A.R. Aslett (D.S.O.)

26th Indian Infantry Brigade
2nd Btn Royal East Kent Regt (The Buffs)
1st Btn Hyderabad Regt
2nd Btn 8th Punjab Regt
1st Btn 1st (K.G.O.) Gurkha Rifles
1st Btn 9th Gurkha Rifles (The Malaum Regt)
COMMANDED by  Brig. M.H. Jennings (C.B.E.)

Royal Indian Army Service Corps
23rd. 81st. Animal Trt Coy's (Mule)                                        90th. 91st. 169th. G.P. Trt Coy's
21st. 55th. 56th. Indian Composite Issue Coy's              
26th. Indian Infantry Brigade Trt Coy

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Medical Services
I.M.C. R.A.M.C. I.M.D. I.A.M.C. I.F.H.                      
34th. 69th. 154th. Indian Field Ambulances

36th Division Provost Unit
36th Division Signals Unit

Indian Army Ordnance Corps
Divisional Sub-Park

Indian Electrical & Mechanical Engineers
102nd. Indian Mobile W/Shop Coy

Indian Engineers Sappers & Miners
10th Indian Bridging Coy                                                                15th Indian Engineering Btn
10th. 58th. Indian Field Coy's                                                     236th Field Coy (Royal Engineers)
324th Indian Field Park Coy

Intelligence Services
9th Plt Burma Intelligence Corps                                                   29th. Field Security Unit

Postal Service
56th. 77th. 148th. Indian Field Post/Office                        
183rd. 478th. 601st. Field Post/Office

  From Lance Visser we have the following additional information:-


            2nd (British) Division (Major-general C. G. G. Nicholson)
                 
                  Divisional Recon
                        2nd Recon Regiment, RAC

                  Divisional Artillery
                        Brigadier H. S. J. Bourke

                        10th Field Regiment, RA
                        16th Field Regiment, RA
                        99th Field Regiment, RA
                        100th anti-tank regiment
           
                  Divisional Signals
                        2nd Divisional Signals

                  Divisional Machine-gun batallion
                        2nd Manchester Machine-gun batallion

                  4th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier R. S. McNaught)
                        1st Royal Scots
                        2nd Royal Norfolk Regiment
                        1/8th Lancastershire Fusiliers
                 
                  5th Infantry Brigade(Brig M.M. Alston-Roberts-West)
                        7th Worcestershire Regiment
                        2nd Dorsetshire Regiment
                        1st Queens Own Cameron Highlanders

                  6th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier W. G. Smith)
                        1st Royal Welch Fusiliers
                        1st Royal Berkshire Regiment
                        2nd Durham Light Infantry
 

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