The British 36th (Ulster) Division was a New Armydivision formed in September 1914. Originally called the Ulster Division, it was made up of members of the Ulster Volunteer Force who formed 13 additional battalions for three existing Irish regiments; the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the Royal Irish Rifles and the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. The division served on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War.
In September 1914, the UlsterDivision was formed from the Ulster Volunteer Force which raised thirteen battalions for the three Irish regiments based in Ulster; the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, the Royal Irish Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Rifles.
The UlsterDivision was one of them: it captured and held for a considerable time the Schwaben Redoubt, despite virtually no progress being made by either Division on its flanks.
The Second Army, of which the UlsterDivision was currently a part, arranged for two overwhelming advantages in the attack, the purpose of which was to capture the long ridge running south from Ypres to Armentieres, through the villages of Wytschaete and Messines.
On November the 27th the Ulster Divisional Artillery, so called at that date to distinguish it from the London Territorial Artillery, which was known as the 36th Divisional Artillery, landed at Havre, and joined the Division in the area east of Abbeville.
On arrival in the 4th Division area two of its battalions, the 8th and 15th Rifles, were transferred to the 10th and 11th Brigades respectively, while in exchange it received three battalions, the 1st Rifle Brigade, 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers, and 2nd Monmouths.
The first raid carried out by the Division was on May the 7th, and, by an extraordinary coincidence, that night was also chosen by the enemy to raid the troops of the 32nd Division on its right, at a point about 200 yards west of that of the British raid.
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