British Army Territorial Force troops arriving in 1914

This page is part of First World War - British Army Territorial Force troops in India

The following information is taken from articles in the Singapore newspaper, the Straits Times in late 1914.

Wessex Division

"A message from Delhi dated November 16, containing the complete list of the units [which had arrived some days previously]

Wiltshire Regimental Division and Cornwall Brigade

• 4th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Bareilly. [Shortly after a detachment moved to Sialkote]
• 4th Devonshire Regiment Ferozepore
• 5th Devonshire Regiment Multan
• 6th Devonshire Regiment Lahore

South Western Infantry Brigade

• 4th Somerset Light Infantry Madras
• 5th Somerset Light Infantry Jubbulpore. [Shortly after moved to Ambala]
• 4th Dorsetshire Regiment Mhow. [Shortly after moved to Ambala]
• 4th Wiltshire Regiment Delhi

Hampshire Infantry Brigade

• 4th Hampshire Regiment Poona
• 5th Hampshire Regiment Allahabad
• 6th Hampshire Regiment Dinapore. [Shortly after moved to Agra]
• 7th Hampshire Regiment Bombay

Field Artillery of Wessex Division

First Wessex Brigade

• 1st and 3rd Hampshire Battery Lahore
• 2nd Hampshire Battery Peshawar

2nd Wessex Brigade

• 4th and 5th Hampshire Battery Lucknow

3rd Wessex Brigade

• 6th Hampshire Battery Delhi. [Shortly after moved to Ambala Headquarters]
• Wiltshire Battery Delhi
• Dorsetshire Battery Bareilly

4th Wessex Brigade

• 1st Devonshire Battery Allahabad
• 2nd Battery Dinapore
• 3rd Battery Barrackpore"

Distribution of the Home Counties Division

"A Delhi message on December 9 says:- The following are the units of the Home Counties Division which have recently arrived in India at the destinations named:-

Surrey Infantry Brigade

• 4th Royal West Surrey Regiment Secunderabad
• 5th Royal West Surrey Regiment Lucknow
• 5th East Surrey Regiment Cawnpore
• 6th East Surrey Regiment Fyzabad

Kent Infantry Brigade

• 4th East Kent Regiment Mhow
• 5th East Kent Regiment Kamptee
• 4th Royal West Kent Regiment Jubbulpore
• 5th Royal West Kent Regiment Jhansi

Middlesex Infantry Brigade

• 9th Middlesex Regiment Dinajpur [possibly this is incorrect and should be Dinapore]
• 10th Middlesex Regiment Fort William
• 4th Shropshire Light Infantry Rangoon
• 4th Border Regiment Maymyo

Royal Field Artillery

1st Home Counties Brigade RFA

• 1st Sussex Battery Kamptee
• 2nd and 3rd Sussex Battery Mhow

2nd Home Counties Brigade RFA

• 4th Sussex Battery Ambala
• 5th Sussex Battery Multan
• 6th Sussex Battery Ferozepore

3rd Home Counties Brigade RFA

• 1st, 2nd and 3rd Kent Battery, Jubbulpore

Moves

Consequent on the arrival of the above units, the following moves have been carried out by units of the Wessex Division:-

• 5th Somerset Light Infantry from Jubbulpore to Ambala
• 6th Hampshire Regiment from Dinapore to Agra
• 6th Hampshire Battery from Delhi to Ambala Headquarters
• 4th Dorsetshire Regiment from Mhow to Ambala
• Detachment 4th Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry from Bareilly to Sialkote".

Subsequently

In 1916 and 1917 there was a renaming and renumbering of Artillery Brigades and Batteries. As an example, in 1916, the IV Wessex Brigade was renamed, becoming the 218th (IV Wessex) Brigade, RFA. In 1917, the component batteries were numbered, with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Devonshire Batteries becoming 1094th, 1095th, and 1096th Batteries.