44th (Home Counties) Division in the Great War - The Wartime Memories Project -

44th (Home Counties) Division

44th (Home Counties) Division was a formation of the Territorial Force formed as the Home Counties Division as a result of the reforms of the army carried out in 1908 under the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane and was one of 14 Divisions of the peacetime TF. All units were mobilised for full time war service on 5 August 1914.
Early in September 1914 two battalions which had already reached the required proportion of men agreeing to overseas service (1/7th and 1/8th Middlesex Regiment) were detached and sent to Gibraltar in order to relieve units of the regular army that were needed for France. On 22nd of September 1914 the government of India agreed to send 32 British and 20 Indian regular army battalions to Europe in exchange for 43 TF battalions. Lord Kitchener proposed to send the Home Counties Division. The entire Division was to go, with the exception of the staffs of the infantry brigades, the ammunition columns of the artillery brigades, the Royal Engineers, Royal Army Medical Corps and the Divisional Transport and Supply Column ASC. All units that were going to India assembled at Southampton and sailed on 30 October. They all went to Bombay, landing between 1st and 3rd of December. The Brecknockshire Battalion of the South Wales Borderers was detached and embarked at Bombay on 9 December for Aden, where it arrived seven days later. On arrival, the units reverted to peacetime service conditions but remained embodied for full time duty. Units moved out to garrison Kamptee, Mhow, Jullundur, Mooltan, Ferozepore, Jubbulpore, Lucknow, Cawnpore, Fyzabad, Mhow, Jhansi, Dinapore and Fort William. Two units went to Burma, being stationed at Rangoon and Myanmo. One of these, the 1/4th King's Shropshire Light Infantry, also sent a detachment to the Andaman Islands.
1915
The 1/4th King's Shropshire Light Infantry in Rangoon was ordered on 21 January to disarm a native infantry battalion of the local garrison which was threatening mutiny. Soon after, another mutiny at Singapore caused more than half the battalion to be sent there and the 2/4th Border Regiment, which arrived in April, was sent to reinforce Rangoon.
In August the Brecknockshire Battalion returned form Aden, where it was replaced by 1/4th Buffs.
Large numbers of units were sent to Mesopotamia; they were replaced by Second Line and Garrison units coming out from England. These units, while taking over the roles, were not placed under Divisional command. This process, along with rotation of units going to Aden, continued through 1916, 1917 and 1918.
1919
Some units were retained in India for the Third Afghan War (1/4th Bn, the Queen's, 1/4th and 2/4th Bns, the Border Regiment and 1/4th Bn, the Royal West Kent Regiment). This aside, units were gradually reduced to cadres and sailed for England. The Home Counties Division was reformed in England in 1920.
The units forming the divisional order of battle of the 44th (Home Counties) Division
131st (Surrey) Brigade

1/4th Btn, Queen's
1/5th Btn, Queen's left December 1915 (Mesopotamia)
1/5th Btn, East Surrey Regiment left December 1917 (Mesopotamia)
1/6th Btn, East Surrey Regiment served in Aden 7 February 1917 to 8 January 1918

132nd (Middlesex) Brigade

1/7th Btn, Middlesex Regiment left September 1914
1/8th Btn, Middlesex Regiment left September 1914
1/9th Btn, Middlesex Regiment left November 1917 (Mesopotamia)
1/10th Btn, Middlesex Regiment left September 1917 (Palestine)
1/4th Btn, Border Regiment joined October 1914
1/4th Btn, King's Shropshire Light Infantry) joined October 1914, served in Rangoon, Singapore and Hong Kong 91915/1916), Ceylon (April-May 1917) then left Division and went via South Africa to France
1/1st Brecknockshire Battalion, South Wales Borderers joined October 1914, served in Aden 16 December 1914 - 5 August 1915
2/4th Btn, Border Regiment joined March 1915

133rd (Kent) Brigade

1/4th Btn, Buffs served in Aden 4 August 1915 to 28 January 1916
1/5th Btn, Buffs left December 1915 (Mesopotamia)
1/4th Btn, Royal West Kent Regiment left January 1916 (Mesopotamia)
1/5th Btn, Royal West Kent Regiment left December 1917 (Mesopotamia)

Divisional Artillery

CCXX (I Home Counties) Brigade, RFA left December 1915 for service in Mesopotamia but returned to India July 1916; left again October 1917 (Mesopotamia)
CCXXI (Howitzer) (II Home Counties) Brigade, RFA left October 1917 (Mesopotamia)
III Home Counties (Cinque Ports) Brigade, RFA left May 1916 (Mesopotamia) (did not have title CCXXII until later)
IV Home Counties (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA left for 27th Division December 1914
Home Counties (Kent) Heavy Battery, RGA did not go to India; to France December 1915

Royal Engineers

I Home Counties Field Company left for 8th Division in France February 1915
II Home Counties Field Company left for 5th Division in France February 1915
Home Counties Divisional Signals Company left for 28th Division January 1915

Royal Army Medical Corps

1st Home Counties Field Ambulance left for 27th Division November 1914 (retitled 81st FA)
2nd Home Counties Field Ambulance left for 27th Division November 1914 (retitled 82nd FA)
3rd Home Counties Field Ambulance left for 27th Division November 1914 (retitled 83rd FA)

Other Divisional Troops
Home Counties Divisional Transport and Supply Column ASC left for 27th Division in November 1914

24th Dec 1917 Reorganisation

21st Jan 1918 Course

5th Feb 1918 Course Ends

13th Feb 1918 Personnel

21st Feb 1918 Reorganisation

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44th (Home Counties) Division

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44th (Home Counties) Division

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- 44th (Home Counties) Division during the Great War -

Those known to have served with
44th (Home Counties) Division
during the Great War 1914-1918.