Territorial Force Divisions August 1914

On this page an overview of the T.F. Infantry Divisions is given with their organic battalions as of August 4, 1914. For illustrative purposes I have added the locations of the HQ's of the various divisions, brigades and battalions. In addition to the twelve infantry battalions, each division consisted of

• four artillery brigades of which one howitzer; all were named after the division, e.g. 1^st East Anglian, but the batteries were names after the region;

• one heavy artillery battery;

• two engineer field companies;

• one signal company;

• a transport and supply column consisting of one HQ and three brigade companies;

• three field ambulances;

• one clearing hospital.

These are not listed here as yet.
It should be noted that this is the peace-time organization. As soon as the Divisions were transferred to other parts of the world battalions were shuffled around, although the territorial character was retained as long as possible. For the exact names of the Regiments, see here.
Various books provide details of the Territorial Force, but the best and most detailed I have seen is: The Territorial Force 1914 by R.Westlake.

East Anglian Division,
Highland Division,
Home Counties Division,
East Lancashire Division,
West Lancashire Division,
1st London Division,
2nd London Division,
Lowland Division,
North Midland Division,
South Midland Division,
Northumbrian Division,
West Riding Division,
Welsh Division,
Wessex Division,
Coast Defence Brigades

East Anglian Division (Warley)

Essex Brigade (Brentwood)

4th Battalion The Essex Regiment (Brentwood)
5th Battalion The Essex Regiment (Chelmsford)
6th Battlaion The Essex Regiment (West Ham)
7th Battalion The Essex Regiment (Walthamstow)

East Midland Brigade (Bedford)

5th Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment (Bedford)
4th Battalion The Northamptonshire Regiment (Northampton)
1st Battalion The Cambridgeshire Regiment (Cambridge)
1st Battalion The Hertfordshire Regiment (Hertford)

Norfolk and Suffolk Brigade (Norwich)

4th Battalion The Norfolk Regiment (Norwich)
5th Battalion The Norfolk Regiment (East Dereham)
4th Battalion The Suffolk Regiment (Ipswich)
5th Battalion The Suffolk Regiment (Bury St. Edmunds)

Highland Divison (Perth)

Seaforth and Cameron Brigade (Inverness)

4th (Ross Highland) Battalion Seaforth Highlanders (Dingwall)
5th (The Sutherland and Caithness Highland) Battalion Seaforth Highlanders (Golspie)
6th (Morayshire) Battalion Seaforth Highlanders (Elgin)
4th Battalion The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (Inverness)

Gordon Brigade (Aberdeen)

4th Battalion The Gordon Highlanders (Aberdeen)
5th (Buchan and Formartin) Battalion The Gordon Highlanders (Peterhead)
6th (Banff and Donside) Battalion The Gordon Highlanders (Keith)
7th (Deeside Highland) Battalion The Gordon Highlanders (Banchory)
attached:
The Shetland Companies The Gordon Highlanders (Lerwick)

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Brigade (Stirling)

6th (Renfrewshire) Battalion Princess Louise's (Paisley)
7th Battalion Princess Louise's (Stirling)
8th (The Argyllshire) Battalion Princess Louise's (Dunoon)
9th (The Dumbartonshire) Battalion Princess Louise's (Dumbarton)

Home Counties Division (Hounslow)

Surrey Brigade (Westminster)

4th Battalion The Queen's (Croydon)
5th Battalion The Queen's (Guildford)
5th Battalion The East Surrey Regiment (Wimbledon)
6th Battalion The East Surrey Regiment (Kingston-on-Thames)

Kent Brigade (Tonbridge)

4th Battalion The Buffs (Canterbury)
5th (The Weald of Kent) Battalion The Buffs (Ashford)
4th Battalion The Queen's Own (Tonbridge)
5th Battalion The Queen's Own (Bromley)

Middlesex Brigade (Pall Mall East, London)

7th Battalion The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Hornsey)
8th Battalion The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Hounslow)
9th Battalion The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Willesden Green)
10th Battalion The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Hammersmith)

Attached Army Troops:

4th Battalion The Royal Sussex Regiment (Horsham)
5th (Cinque Ports) Battalion The Royal Sussex Regiment (Hastings)

East Lancashire Division (Manchester)

Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade (Preston)

5th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers (Bury)
6th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers (Rochdale)
7th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers (Salford)
8th Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers (Salford)

East Lancashire Brigade (Manchester)

4th Battalion The East Lancashire Regiment (Blackburn)
5th Battalion The East Lancashire Regiment (Burnley)
9th Battalion The Manchester Regiment (Ashton-under-Lyne)
10th Battalion The Manchester Regiment (Oldham)

Manchester Brigade (Manchester)

5th Battalion The Manchester Regiment (Wigan)
6th Battalion The Manchester Regiment (Hulme, Manchester)
7th Battalion The Manchester Regiment (Burlington Street, Manchester)
8th (Ardwick) Battalion The Manchester Regiment (Ardwick)

Attached Army Troops:

4th (Cumberland and Westmorland) Battalion The Border Regiment (Carlisle)
5th (Cumberland) Battalion The Border Regiment (Workington)

West Lancashire Division (Liverpool)

North Lancashire Brigade (Lancaster)

4th Battalion The King's Own (Ulverston)
5th Battalion The King's Own (Lancaster)
4th Battalion The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (Preston)
5th Battalion The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (Bolton)

Liverpool Brigade (Liverpool)

5th Battalion The King's (St. Anne Street, Liverpool)
6th (Rifle) Battalion The King's (Prince's Park Barracks, Liverpool)
7th Battalion The King's (Bootle)
8th (Irish) Battalion The King's (Shaw Street, Liverpool)

South Lancashire Brigade (Liverpool)

9th Battalion The King's (Everston Road, Liverpool)
10th (Scottish) Battalion The King's (Fraser Street, Liverpool)
4th Battalion The Prince of Wales's Volunteers (Warrington)
5th Battalion The Prince of Wales's Volunteers (St. Helens)

1st London Division (New Broad Street)

1st London Brigade (New Broad Street)

1st (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) (Bloomsbury)
2nd (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) (Westminster)
3rd (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) (St. Pancras)
4th (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) (Shoreditch)

2nd London Brigade (Buckingham Gate)

5th (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade) (Finsbury)
6th (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Rifles) (Finsbury)
7th (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Shoreditch)
8th (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Post Office Rifles) (Finsbury)

3rd London Brigade (Buckingham Gate)

9th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles) (Westminster)
10th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Hackney) (Hackney)
11th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles) (Finsbury)
12th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (The Rangers) (Holborn)

Attached Army Troops:

Honourable Artillery Company (Finsbury)

2nd London Division (Duke of York's Headquarters)

4th London Brigade (Buckingham Gate)

13th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Kensington) (Kensington)
14th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (London Scottish) (Westminster)
15th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own Civil Service Rifles) (Westminster)
16th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles) (Westminster)

5th London Brigade (Buckingham Gate)

17th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Poplar and Stepney Rifles) (Bow)
18th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (London Irish Rifles) (Duke of York's Headquarters)
19th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (St. Pancras) (Camden Town)
20th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Blackheath and Woolwich) (Blackheath)

6th London Brigade (Duke of York's Headquarters)

21st (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles) (Camberwell)
22nd (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (The Queen's) (Bermondsey)
23rd (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Battersea)
24th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (The Queen's) (Southwark)

Attached Army Troops:

28th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Artists Rifles) (St. Pancras)

Lowland Division (Glasgow)

South Scottish Brigade (Ayr)

4th Battalion The Royal Scots Fusiliers (Kilmarnock)
5th Battalion The Royal Scots Fusiliers (Ayr)
4th (The Border) Battalion The King's Own Scottish Borderers (Galashiels)
5th (Dumfries & Galloway) Battalion The King's Own Scottish Borderers (Dumfries)

Scottish Rifle Brigade (Glasgow)

5th Battalion The Cameronians (W.Princess Street, Glasgow)
6th Battalion The Cameronians (Hamilton)
7th Battalion The Cameronians (Victoria road, Glasgow)
8th Battalion The Cameronians (Cathedral Street, Glasgow)

Highland Light Infantry Brigade (Glasgow)

5th (City of Glasgow) Battalion The Highland Light Infantry (Hill Street, Glasgow)
6th (City of Glasgow) Battalion The Highland Light Infantry (Yorkhill Street, Glasgow)
7th (Blythswood) Battalion The Highland Light Infantry (Bridgeton, Glasgow)
9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion The Highland Light Infantry (Greendyke Street, Glasgow)

North Midland Division (Lichfield)

Staffordshire Brigade (Stafford)

5th Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment (Walsall)
6th Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment (Wolverhampton)
5th Battalion The Prince of Wales's (Hanley)
6th Battalion The Prince of Wales's (Burton-on-Trent)

Lincoln and Leicester Brigade (Grantham)

4th Battalion The Lincolnshire Regiment (Lincoln)
5th Battalion The Lincolnshire Regiment (Grimsby)
4th Battalion The Leicestershire Regiment (Leicester)
5th Battalion The Leicestershire Regiment (Loughborough)

Nottingham and Derby Brigade (Nottingham)

5th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters (Derby)
6th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters (Chesterfield)
7th (Robin Hood) Battalion The Sherwood Foresters (Nottingham)
8th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters (Newark)

South Midland Division (Warwick)

Warwickshire Brigade (Warwick)

5th Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Birmingham)
6th Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Birmingham)
7th Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Coventry)
8th Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Birmingham)

Gloucester and Worcester Brigade (Cheltenham)

4th (City of Bristol) Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment (Bristol)
6h Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment (Bristol)
7th Battalion The Worcestershire Regiment (Kidderminster)
8th Battalion The Worcestershire Regiment (Worcester)

South Midland Brigade (Oxford)

5th Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment (Gloucester)
4th Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Oxford)
Buckinghamshire Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Aylesbury)
4th Battalion Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Reading)

Northumbrian Divison (Richmond)

Northumberland Brigade (Newcastle-on-Tyne)

4th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers (Hexham)
5th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers (Newcastle-on-Tyne)
6th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers (Newcastle-on-Tyne)
7th Battalion The Northumberland Fusiliers (Alnwick)

York and Durham Brigade (Malton)

4th Battalion The East Yorkshire Regiment (Hull)
4th Battalion Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Northallterton)
5th Battalion Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Scarborough)
5th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry (Stockton-on-Tees)

Durham Light Infantry Brigade (Durham)

6th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry (Bishop Auckland)
7th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry (Sunderland)
8th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry (Durham)
9th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry (Gateshead)

West Riding Division (York)

1st West Riding Brigade (York)

5th Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own (York)
6th Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own (Bradford)
7th Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own (Leeds Rifles) (Leeds)
8th Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own (Leeds Rifles) (Leeds)

2nd West Riding Brigade (Skipton-in-Craven)

4th Battalion The Duke of Wellington's (Halifax)
5th Battalion The Duke of Wellington's (Huddersfield)
6th Battalion The Duke of Wellington's (Skipton-in-Craven)
7th Battalion The Duke of Wellington's (Milnsbridge)

3rd West Riding Brigade (Sheffield)

4th Battalion The King's Own (Wakefield)
5th Battalion The King's Own (Doncaster)
4th (Hallamshire) Battalion The York and Lancaster Regiment (Sheffield)
5th Battalion The York and Lancaster Regiment (Rotherham)

Welsh Divison (Shrewsbury)

Cheshire Brigade (Chester)

4th Battalion The Cheshire Regiment (Birkenhead)
5th (Earl of Chester's) Battalion The Cheshire Regiment (Chester)
6th Battalion The Cheshire Regiment (Stockport)
7th Battalion The Cheshire Regiment (Macclesfield)

North Wales Brigade (Wrexham)

4th (Denbighshire) Battalion The Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Wrexham)
5th (Flintshire) Battalion The Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Flint)
6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion The Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Carnarvon)
7th (Merioneth & Montgomery) Battalion The Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Newtown)

Welsh Border Brigade (Shrewsbury)

1st Battalion The Monmouthshire Regiment (Newport)
2nd Battalion The Monmouthshire Regiment (Pontypool)
3rd Battalion The Monmouthshire Regiment (Abergavenny)
1st Battalion The Herefordshire Regiment (Hereford)

Attached Army Troops:

4th Battalion The King's (Shrewsbury)
South Wales Brigade (Cardiff)

Brecknockshire Battalion The South Wales Borderers (Brecon)
4th Battalion The Welsh Regiment (Carmarthen)
5th Battalion The Welsh Regiment (Pontypridd)
6th (Glamorgan) Battalion The Welsh Regiment (Swansea))

Wessex Division (Exeter)

Devon and Cornwall Brigade (Exeter)

4th Battalion The Devonshire Regiment (Exeter)
5th (Prince of Wales's) Battalion The Devonshire Regiment (Plymouth)
4th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (Truro)
5th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (Bodmin)

South Western Brigade (Taunton)

4th Battalion Prince Albert's (Bath)
5th Battalion Prince Albert's (Taunton)
4th Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment (Dorchester)
4th Battalion The Duke of Edinburgh's (Trowbridge)

Hampshire Brigade (Southampton)

4th Battalion The Hampshire Regiment (Winchester)
5th Battalion The Hampshire Regiment (Southampton)
6th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Battalion The Hampshire Regiment (Porthsmouth)
7th Battalion The Hampshire Regiment (Bournemouth)

Attached Army Troops:

6th Battalion The Devonshire Regiment (Barnstaple)

Scottish Coast Defence Brigades

Black Watch Brigade (Dundee)

4th (City of Dundee) Battalion The Black Watch (Dundee)
5th (Angus and Dundee) Battalion The Black Watch (Arbroath)
6th (Pertshire) Battalion The Black Watch (Perth)
7th (Fife) Battalion The Black Watch (St. Andrews)
attached:
5th (Renfrewshire) Battalion Princess Louise's (Greenock)


Lothian Brigade (Edinburgh)

4th Battalion (Queen's Edingburgh Rifles) The Royal Scots (Forrest Hill, Edinburgh)
5th Battalion (Queen's Edingburgh Rifles) The Royal Scots (Forrest Hill, Edinburgh)
8th Battalion The Royal Scots (Haddington)
9th (Highlanders) Battalion The Royal Scots (East Claremont Street, Edinburgh)
attached:
6th Battalion The Royal Scots (Gilmore Place, Edinburgh)
7th Battalion The Royal Scots (Dalmeny Street, Leith)
8th (Lanark) Battalion The Highland Light Infantry (Lanark)

In May 1915 the Divisions recieved a numerical designation, issued in order as they went overseas:

The orignal name was retained as a subtitle.The Infantry Brigades also recieved a numerical designation at the same time. When the war broke out, the Territorial Force started to raise 2nd Line units. For example, the Devonshire Regiment raised a second 4th battalion; the first would then be denoted by 1/4th and the second by 2/4th. This resulted in the formation of 2nd Line Divisions, i.e. the Wessex Division became the 1/Wessex Division, and later the 43rd (Wessex) Division, and the 2nd Line became the 2/Wessex Division, later the 45th (2/Wessex) Division. As soon as these 2nd Line units went overseas, 3rd Line units where formed to serve as replacement for the 1st and 2nd Line units. A few battalions even managed to form a 4th Line unit.
On outbreak of hostilities the West Lancashire Division sent 9 battalions to France to reinforce the B.E.F., while the remiander joined the Highland Division. They rejoined to form the 55th Division in January 1916. Likewise, 1st London sent one Brigade to Malta and the other Brigades broke up to reinforce other units. This Division reformed in February 1916 as 56th division.

Last update: November 9, 1999