12th Anti-Aircraft Division
The 12th Anti-Aircraft Division was a crucial air defence formation of the British Army during the early years of the Second World War. Its primary responsibility involved defending Western Scotland and Northern Ireland, particularly during significant events such as the Clydebank Blitz and the Belfast Blitz. However, the division had a relatively short operational lifespan.
Mobilisation
On 1 November 1940, the 12th Anti-Aircraft Division was formed by the Anti-Aircraft Command as part of an initiative to establish control over the expanding anti-aircraft (AA) defences throughout the United Kingdom. This division was specifically created to manage the air defence responsibilities for Western Scotland, including the industrial regions of Clydeside and Ayrshire, which were previously overseen by the existing 3rd AA Division.
The divisional headquarters (HQ) was established in Glasgow, with Major-General Gerald Rickards appointed as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) on 15 November 1940. The 12th AA Division operated under the command of the III AA Corps.
The Blitz
The division comprised several fighting units organized into three AA Brigades, consisting of Heavy (HAA) and Light (LAA) gun regiments, as well as Searchlight (S/L) regiments of the Royal Artillery (RA). The HAA guns were predominantly stationed in the Gun Defence Areas (GDAs) located in Belfast and Glasgow. LAA units were strategically deployed to protect vital points (VPs) such as factories and airfields, while S/L detachments were spaced out in clusters for optimal coverage.
Initially, the authorized HAA guns for the Clyde were set at 80 in 1939, which increased to 120 in 1940 and further to 144 by March 1941. Despite these increases, by the end of February 1941, the division only had 67 guns installed, which later rose to 88 (11 batteries) by late March.
The city of Glasgow and the surrounding areas faced intense bombings on the nights of 13 and 14 March 1941 during the Clydebank Blitz, with further attacks on 7 April. Belfast experienced bombings on 15 April and 4 May, and the Luftwaffe returned to Clydeside on 5 and 6 May before the Blitz activities subsided in mid-May.
Order of Battle 1940–41
During the Blitz, the division’s composition was as follows:
- 3rd AA Brigade – Northern Ireland District
- 102nd HAA Regiment
- 66th LAA Regiment – newly raised in December 1940
- 90th S/L Regiment – newly raised in March 1941
- 91st S/L Regiment – newly raised in March 1941
- 42nd AA Brigade – Clyde Estuary
- 83rd (Blythswood) HAA Regiment
- 100th HAA Regiment
- 111th HAA Regiment – newly raised in October 1940
- 123rd HAA Regiment – newly raised in February 1941
- 18th LAA Regiment
- 60th LAA Regiment – newly raised in November 1940
- 63rd AA Brigade – West Scotland
- 60th LAA Regiment – transferred in May 1941
- 56th (Cameronians) S/L Regiment – reassigned by February 1941
- 57th (Cameronians) S/L Regiment
- 66th S/L Regiment – reassigned by May 1941
- 86th S/L Regiment – newly raised in January 1941
- 11th AA ‘Z’ Regiment – divisional Z Battery rocket unit formed in January 1941
- 12th AA Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals (RCS)
- 12th Divisional Royal Army Service Corps (RASC)
- 12th AA Divisional Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC)
- 12th AA Divisional Workshop Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC)
Mid-War Developments
Throughout 1941 and 1942, new AA units were integrated into the division, with an increasing number of HAA and support units becoming designated as ‘Mixed’ units, indicating the participation of women from the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Experienced units were often reassigned to prepare for overseas service, leading to a continual rotation of units within the division.
In May 1942, the 57th AA Brigade HQ was transferred to the 12th AA Division from the 7th AA Division. The division further adapted by taking command of the 51st AA Brigade in August 1942 to counter the Luftwaffe’s fast-moving attacks.
Order of Battle 1941–42
During this period, the division’s composition included:
- 3rd AA Brigade
- 1 HAA Regiment from 4th AA Division July 1941
- 102nd HAA Regiment – reassigned by October 1942
- 111th HAA Regiment – from 42 AA Brigade June 1941
- 66th LAA Regiment – to 6th AA Division June 1942
- 90th S/L Regiment
- 91st S/L Regiment – converted to 114th LAA Regiment in January 1942
- 42nd AA Brigade
- 59th (Essex Regiment) HAA Regiment – reassigned by December 1941
- 73rd HAA Regiment – transferred to WO Reserve September 1941
- 130th (Mixed) HAA Regiment – newly raised in August 1941
- 51st AA Brigade – joined in August 1942
- 100th HAA Regiment – reassigned by June 1942
- 57th AA Brigade – joined May 1942
Disbandment
In October 1942, a reorganization of the AA Command led to the disbandment of the AA divisions, including the 12th AA Division. It merged with the 3rd and 7th AA Divisions to form the 6th AA Group, based in Edinburgh, which collaborated with No. 14 Group RAF. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s operations transitioned to the 7th AA Group based in Belfast, working closely with No. 9 Group RAF. Major-General Rickards retired, and the 12th AA Divisional Signals were reinstated into the 3rd AA Divisional Signals as the new 6th AA Group (Mixed) Signals.
General Officer Commanding
The following officer commanded the 12th AA Division:
- Major-General Gerald Rickards (15 November 1940 – 30 September 1942)
References
- Cole, Howard (1973). Formation Badges of World War 2. Britain, Commonwealth and Empire. London: Arms and Armour Press.
- Basil Collier, History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom, London: HM Stationery Office, 1957.
- Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, ISBN 1-85753-080-2.
- J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
- Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
- Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0.
- Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents, Solihull: Helion, 2003, ISBN 1-874622-92-2.
- Maj-Gen R.F.H. Nalder, The Royal Corps of Signals: A History of its Antecedents and Developments (Circa 1800–1955), London: Royal Signals Institution, 1958.
- Sir Frederick Pile’s despatch: “The Anti-Aircraft Defence of the United Kingdom from 28th July, 1939, to 15th April, 1945” London Gazette 18 December 1947.
- Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey’s, 1994, ISBN 1-85753-099-3.