50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division

50th (Northumbrian) Motor Division
50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division
50th Infantry (Reserve) Division
Insignia of the 50th Division
(Twin 'T's symbolic of 'Tyne-Tees')
Active1920–1945
1947–1961
Country United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
TypeInfantry
RoleMotorised infantry
Infantry
Size1939–1945 war establishment strength: 18,347 men[a]
EngagementsBattle of France
Western Desert Campaign
Tunisia Campaign
Operation Husky
Operation Overlord
Operation Market Garden

The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that saw distinguished service in the Second World War. Pre-war, the division was part of the Territorial Army (TA) and the two Ts in the divisional insignia represent the two main rivers of its recruitment area, namely the rivers Tyne, and Tees.[3] The division served in almost all of the major engagements of the European War from 1940 until late 1944 and also served with distinction in North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East from mid-1941 to 1943. The 50th Division was one of two British divisions (the other being the 3rd Infantry) to land in Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944, where it landed on Gold Beach. Four men of the division were awarded the Victoria Cross during the war, more than any other division of the British Army during the Second World War.

  1. ^ Joslen, p. 129
  2. ^ Tillman, Barrett (2004). D-Day Encyclopedia: Everything You Want to Know About the Normandy Invasion. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-1574887600.
  3. ^ "badge, formation, 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division & the Tyne Tees Division". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 25 December 2016.


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