It was formed in late 1914/early 1915 as a 2nd Line Territorial Force formation raised as a duplicate of the 46th (North Midland) Division.

After training in the United Kingdom and seeing service in the Easter Rising in April 1916, the division joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front in early 1917.

The formation of Reserve or 2nd Line units of the Territorial Force (TF) was authorised on 31 August 1914, and the units were quickly formed from the flood of volunteers coming forward, trained by those men of the 1st Line TF who had not signed up for overseas service or were medically unfit.

Early in January 1915, the units assigned to the division concentrated round Luton, where it formed part of Third Army in Central Force.

[1][2] The 59th Division took part in following the German Retreat to Hindenburg Line in March and April, but it was not until September that it was engaged in its first full-scale action, the phase of the 3rd Ypres Offensive known as the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge.

[6] The next phase, the Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September), was equally successful, with 59th Division advancing steadily behind its barrage onto the final objectives.

Lance-Corporal John Thomas of the 2/5th North Staffords was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in reconnoitring these attacks.

[9] That night the rest of 176 Bde in Bourlon Wood were subjected to a violent bombardment of high explosive and gas shells, but the division was not directly attacked the following morning.

By 4 December the decision had been made to withdraw from the Bourlon Salient, and 59th Division held covering positions while this was carried out.

[10] As a result of the BEF's manpower crisis at the end of 1917, the establishment of each infantry brigade was reduced from four to three battalions in January 1918.

The division's field guns in the forward zone were captured after firing over open sights at the advancing Germans.

[1] In May 1918 the shattered 59th Division was temporarily disbanded at Saint-Omer and its battalions and trench mortar batteries reduced to training cadres, the surplus men being drafted to other units.

Until June, it was employed in digging rear defences, then it underwent training to enable it to hold a sector of the front line.

On 8–10 December it sent 178th Brigade, with 2/2 NM Field Ambulance and 516 Co ASC to Dunkirk to operate a dispersal camp for miners who were being demobilised early from the British Expeditionary Force.