ORDER OF BATTLE - MEDITERRANEAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE for the Second Battle of Krithia, 6 - 8 May 1915

"Even the Great War furnishes few examples of a series of offensive operations being entered upon with troops so worn out by continuous fighting and lack of sleep as those who took part in the Second Battle of Krithia." (Chapter XIX, page 333, of the British O.H., Vol.I)

"There can be few battles in history which began with such an impossible task, with so little artillery…" (General Sir Martin Farndale in his magnum opus on the History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery)

MEDITERRANEAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

Commander-in-Chief: Gen. Sir Ian Hamilton, GCB
Chief of the General Staff: Maj-Gen. W. P. Braithwaite, CB

29th Division
Major-General A. G. Hunter-Weston, CB

87th Brigade:
2/South Wales Borderers
1/King's Own Scottish Borderers
1/Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
1/Border Regiment

'Dubsters' [This temporary battalion was assembled from the survivors of the Royal Munster Fusiliers and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers]

88th Brigade:
4/Worcestershire Regiment
2/Hampshire Regiment
1/Essex Regiment
1/5th Royal Scots (TF)
2/Royal Fusiliers
1/Lancashire Fusiliers [att. to the Composite Naval Brigade – see below]

125th Brigade:
1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers
1/6th Lancashire Fusiliers
1/7th Lancashire Fusiliers
1/8th Lancashire Fusiliers
[Note: this brigade transferred to the Composite Division on 8th May 1915, and its place in the 29th Div. was taken by the New Zealand Brigade]

29th Indian Brigade:
14th Sikhs
69th Punjabis
89th Punjabis
1/6th Gurkha Rifles
[This brigade's strength was reduced by ¼ when 4 companies of 'Mahommedans' were withdrawn from the two Punjabi battalions] 

Divisional Troops include:

14 batteries 18-pdrs. – 56
1 battery 4.5-in. howitzers – 4
1 battery 60-pdr. Guns – 4
1 battery 6-in. howitzer – 4
[Total number of artillery pieces – 72. See also the detailed Artillery Notes below]

2 Field Companies, Royal Engineers
29th Divisional Cyclist Company
29th Divisional Signal Company
Motor Machine Gun Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service [att. from R.N.D.]

CORPS EXÉDITIONNAIRE D'ORIENT
Commander: General d'Amade

1st DIVISION
General Masnou

Metropolitan Brigade:
6 Battalions

Colonial Brigade:
6 Battalions

2nd (Royal) Naval Brigade:

Hood Battalion
Howe Battalion
Anson Battalion
[A further French Infantry Brigade commenced landing at Helles on 6th May 1915; see page 335 of the British OH Vol.I – "Two battalions of the French 2nd Division (General Bailloud) had landed on the morning of the 6th, and were hurried strait into the fight."]

Divisional Troops include:
Field guns 75-mm. – 21
Mountain guns 65-mm. – 8
155-mm. long guns – 2
120-m. long guns – 2
[Total number of artillery pieces – 33]

COMPOSITE DIVISION
Major-General A. Paris, CB

2nd Australian Brigade:
5th (Victoria) Battalion
6th (Victoria) Battalion
7th (Victoria) Battalion
8th (Victoria) Battalion

New Zealand Brigade:
Auckland Battalion
Canterbury Battalion
Otago Battalion
Wellington Battalion

[This brigade transferred to the 29th Division on 8th May 1915, and its place was taken by the 125th (Lancashire Fusiliers) Brigade]

Composite Naval Brigade:
Plymouth Battalion, R.M.L.I.
Drake Battalion
1/Lancashire Fusiliers [att. from 29th Div.]

127th (Manchester Infantry) Brigade: [landed 6th/7th May 1915]
1/5th Manchester Regiment
1/6th Manchester regiment
1/7th Manchester Regiment
1/8th Manchester Regiment

Divisional Troops include:
R.N.D. Cyclist Company
2 Field Companies, R.N. Divisional Engineers
R.N.D. Signal Company
Machine Gun Detachment (R.N.A.S.)

The Second Battle of Krithia – Artillery Notes

The British artillery was under the command of CRA 29th Division, Brigadier General R. W. Breeks, and consisted of:

18-pdr. – 56 guns (9 batteries of 29th Div., plus 4 Australian and 1 New Zealand batteries)
4.5-inch Howitzer – 4 guns
60-pdr. – 4 guns
6-inch Howitzer – 4 guns
10-pdr. Mountain guns – 4 guns.

The Artillery Groups were reconstituted thus (per '29th Divisional Artillery War Record & Honours Book'):

Group 1

1st (New South Wales) Field Artillery Brigade (1st, 2nd & 3rd Field Batteries)

Group II

15th Brigade R.H.A. ('B', 'L' & 'Y' Batteries), and 17th Brigade R.F.A. (13th, 26th & 92nd Batteries)

Group III

147th Brigade R.F.A. (10th, 97th and 368th Batteries), 6th Australian Field Artillery Battery, 3rd New Zealand Field Artillery Battery, and a Mountain Battery organized from the two batteries of the Highland Mountain Brigade R.G.A. (Argyllshire and Ross & Cromarty Batteries).

Group IV

460th Battery R.F.A., 90th Heavy Battery R.G.A., and 14th Siege Battery R.G.A.

The British (OH Vol.I, Appendix 25, page 68) 29th Div. Operation Order No.4,

[4 a.m. 6/5/15] para.11, gives the following;

15th Brigade R.H.A. allotted for the support of Composite Naval Brigade

17th Brigade R.F.A. allotted for the support of 88th Brigade

Artillery Group III, allotted for the support of Lancashire Fusilier Brigade

The following British artillery allotted to support the French:

two R.H.A. Batteries, two R.F.A. Batteries and one Section Heavy Battery.