The Guards Division was formed in France in August 1915, the creation of Kitchener (then S of S for War), who, after first obtaining the permission of the King, proceeded to form the division withouTt consulting either the War Office or the C in C of the BEF, Field Marshal French. The first the latter knew about it was in a letter from Kitchener a month before the division came into being. It was formed by concentrating the eight Guards battalions already in France and bringing out from the UK four more, including the recently raised Welsh Guards, plus a pioneer battalion (4th Coldstream)....

The Guards Division was formed in France in August 1915, the creation of Kitchener (then S of S for War), who, after first obtaining the permission of the King, proceeded to form the division withouTt consulting either the War Office or the C in C of the BEF, Field Marshal French. The first the latter knew about it was in a letter from Kitchener a month before the division came into being. It was formed by concentrating the eight Guards battalions already in France and bringing out from the UK four more, including the recently raised Welsh Guards, plus a pioneer battalion (4th Coldstream)....