other formations. This was followed by the division being placed on the lower establishment in January 1942. In December 1941, the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division relocated to Yorkshire and was reassigned to Northern Command, and was spread out with troops based in the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The intention of this deployment was to counter-attack any German landings along the coast or at nearby airfields. The 165th Brigade also spent some time at Catterick Garrison. During its stay with Northern Command, the majority of the time was spent training, from the battalion to the brigade level. The division relocated to Devon in January 1943, and was assigned to the South West District. The primary role now was to counter any raids conducted by German forces along the coast. This was in addition to continued training, guarding vulnerable points, and rendering assistance to nearby civilian authorities as needed after air raids. In June, the division lost five men killed following a German bombing raid. In December 1943, the division received drafts from anti-aircraft regiments. These men were then given a ten-week training course to make them viable drafts for infantry units. The same month, the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division transferred to Northern Ireland, under the command of British Troops Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the soldiers aided farmers, helped train elements of the reforming Belgian Army, and trained with newly arrived troops from the United States Army. The division continued to provide men to other formations through 1944. Wind down and deception In May 1944, the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division was raised to higher establishment. The division did not increase in size; the war establishment (the paper strength) of a higher establishment infantry division, in this period, was 18,347 men. The 55th (West Lancashire), the 38th (Welsh), the 45th, the 47th (London), and the 61st Infantry Divisions had a combined total of 17,845 men. The division remained within the United Kingdom and was drained of manpower to a point that it was all but disbanded, and was then maintained as a deception formation. Of these 17,845 men, around 13,000 were available as replacements for the 21st Army Group fighting in France. The remaining 4,800 men were considered ineligible at that time for service abroad for a variety of reasons, including a lack of training or being medically unfit. Over the following six months, up to