In September 1939, the British Army was in process of expanding their anti-aircraft and mobile (including armoured) assets. Among these new changes was the formation of Anti-Aircraft Command which was formed on 1 April 1939, and the 1st Armoured Division formed in 1937. The list below will include the British Army units, colonial units, and those units which were in the process of formation.
The list includes units which were in the process of formation, cadre sized, or had no units attached. Also included are Territorial Army (TA) and Supplementary Reserve (SR) units.
War Office The War Office or WO as it was abbreviated, was the Army ministry of the British Government which controlled the British Army and associated forces not under the Colonial Office.
Secretary of State for War, The Right Honourable Leslie Hore-Belisha, MP (holding the office from 28 May 1937 – 5 January 1940) Army Council, Secretary of State for War held the office of President of the Army Council, this council was made up of 7 other members Department of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War Department of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War Department of the Financial Secretary of the War Office Department of the Director-General of the Territorial Army Military Attaches to Embassies Legations to Foreign Courts British Military Mission to the Egyptian Army British Military Mission to the Iraq Army Department of the Chief-of-Staff of the Imperial General Staff Department of the Quartermaster General to the Forces Department of the Adjutant General to the Forces Office of the Judge Advocate General to the Forces Selection Board Officer Training Corps Inspectors-General Elements of the Department of the Director General of Munitions Production, had been transferred to the Ministry of Supply on 1 August 1939.
Aldershot Command
Aldershot Command's geographical area encompassed portions of the following counties Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex. Its primary formations on the outbreak of the war were: 1st Army Tank Brigade 1st Anti-Aircraft Brigade 1st Infantry Division 2nd Infantry Division
Northern Command Northern Command Headquartered at York, covering the areas of: Berwick-upon-Tweed (except regulars), Northumberland, County Durham, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Rutlandshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire.
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command: General Sir William 'Barty' Henry Bartholomew Northern Command Pay Section, Royal Army Pay Corps, Imphal Barracks Air Formation Signals, Royal Corps of Signals (SR), Leeds 1st (West Riding) Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals, Leeds 3rd (West Riding) Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals, Leeds 5th Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals, Bradford Northern Command Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals, York 4th Artillery Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp 7th Tank Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp Signals Training Centre, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp Training Battalion, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp 1st Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own North Yorkshire Regiment (The Green Howards), Catterick Camp (attached to 13th Inf Bde for Admin) Royal Irish Fusiliers Depot, Catterick Camp (temporary) Railway Operating Group, Royal Engineers (SR), Leeds 153rd (London and North Eastern) Railway Operating Company, Royal Engineers, Cambridge 155th (London, Midland, and Scottish) Railway Workshop, Royal Engineers, Derby 1st Docks Group, Royal Engineers (SR), York 2nd Docks Group, Royal Engineers (SR), Crewe 106th (West Riding) Army Troop Company, Royal Engineers (SR), Doncaster 107th (North Riding) Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers (SR), Middlesbrough 150th (London and North Eastern) Railway Construction, Royal Engineers (SR), Cambridge 15th Company, Royal Army Service Corps, Imphal Barracks 28th Company, Royal Army Service Corps, Catterick Camp H Company, Royal Army Service Corps, Catterick Camp 9th Section, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Catterick Camp 13th Section, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Chetwynd Barracks 8th Company, Royal Army Medical Corps, York Detachment, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Catterick Camp Detachment, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Imphal Barracks Section, Corps of Military Police, Claro Barracks Section, Corps of Military Police, Uniacke Barracks Royal Artillery Fixed Defences, Northern Ports Royal Artillery Coast Defences, Northern Command, Tynemouth Castle Humber Fire Command, Hedon Tees and Hartlepool Fire Command, Hartlepool Tynemouth Fire Command, Tynemouth
5th Infantry Division
Headquarters, 5th Infantry Division commanded by Major General Harold Edmund Franklyn, Catterick Camp 5th Infantry Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp (cadre) 5th Infantry Divisional Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Catterick Camp 5th Company, Corps of Military Police, Catterick Camp 13th Infantry Brigade Headquarters 13th Infantry Brigade & Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp 2nd Battalion, Princess Victoria's Royal Irish Fusiliers 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment 2nd Battalion, The Scottish Rifles (Cameronians) 13th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company 15th Infantry Brigade Headquarters 15th Infantry Brigade & Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp 1st Battalion, The King's Own South Yorkshire Light Infantry, Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall 1st Battalion, The York and Lancaster Regiment 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Albany's Seaforth Highlanders (The Ross-shire Buffs), Glasgow 15th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company Divisional Royal Artillery (cadre) Divisional Royal Engineers (cadre) 55th Field Company, Royal Engineers, Catterick Divisional Royal Army Service Corps Headquarters, Divisional Royal Army Service Corps, Catterick Camp 19th Company, Royal Army Service Corps 34th Company, Royal Army Service Corps 51st Company, Royal Army Service Corps
Northumbrian Area Northumbrian Area, Darlington: comprising the counties of Northumberland, County Durham, North Riding of Yorkshire (excluding Catterick Area and Strensall Camp), East Riding of Yorkshire; also Berwick-upon-Tweed (except regulars).
Northumbrian Area Commander: Colonel P. J. Sears Northumberland Hussars (TA), Newcastle upon Tyne 1st East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry (TA), Kingston upon Hull 2nd East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry (2/TA), Kingston upon Hull 7th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (2/TA), Alnwick, machine-gun 9th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (2/TA), Alnwick, machine-gun 4th (Durham) Survey Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA), Gateshead-on-Tyne 6th Survey Regiment, Royal Artillery (2/TA), Gateshead-on-Tyne 37th (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA), Tynemouth, not batteries constituted until 1940 123rd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery, RAF Croft 127th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery, RAF Croft 234th (Northumbrian) Field Company, Royal Engineers (TA), Gateshead-on-Tyne 506th Field Company, Royal Engineers (TA), Gateshead-on-Tyne Royal Northumberland Fusiliers Depot, Newcastle upon Tyne East Yorkshire Regiment Depot, Beverley Green Howards Depot, Richmond Durham Light Infantry Depot, Newcastle upon Tyne 25th Army Tank Brigade (TA) 25th Army Tank Brigade Headquarters, Newcastle upon Tyne 43rd (6th (City) Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Royal Tank Regiment, Newcastle upon Tyne 49th Royal Tank Regiment, Newcastle upon Tyne 51st (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment, Leeds Northumbrian Area Coastal Defences Tynemouth Heavy Coastal Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA), Blyth East Riding Heavy Coastal Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA), Kingston upon Hull Durham Heavy Coastal Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA), Hartlepool Tyne Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers (TA), Tynemouth North Riding Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers (TA), Middlesbrough East Riding Fortress Engineers, Royal Engineers (TA), Kingston upon Hull
23rd (Northumbrian) Division (2/TA)
23rd (Northumbrian) Division, Darlington Headquarters, 23rd (Northumbrian) Division, commanded by Major General William Norman Herbert 23rd (Northumbrian) Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals, Darlington 8th Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, Prudhoe, motorcycle reconnaissance 23rd Infantry Divisional Royal Army Service Corps, Darlington 23rd Infantry Divisional Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Darlington 23rd Infantry Divisional Royal Army Medical Corps, Darlington 23rd Infantry Divisional Military Police Company, Corps of Military Police, Darlington 69th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 69th Infantry Brigade & Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Malton 5th Battalion, The Duke of York's Own East Yorkshire Regiment, Kingston upon Hull 6th Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (North) Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards), Richmond 7th Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (North) Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards), Scarborough 70th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 70th Infantry Brigade & Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Durham 10th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, Bishop Auckland 11th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, Sunderland 12th (Tynside Scottish) Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, Gateshead-on-Tyne Divisional Royal Artillery Headquarters, Divisional Royal Artillery, Darlington 124th (Northumbrian) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, Newcastle upon Tyne 125th (Northumbrian) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, Sunderland Divisional Royal Engineers Headquarters, Divisional Royal Engineers, Newcastle upon Tyne 233rd (Northumbrian) Field Company, Royal Engineers, Jarrow-on-Tyne 507th Field Company, Royal Engineers, Newcastle upon Tyne 508th Field Company, Royal Engineers, Newcastle upon Tyne
50th (Northumbrian) Motor Division (TA)
50th (Northumbrian) Motor Division, Darlington Headquarters, 50th Motor Division, commanded by Major General Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel 50th (Northumbrian) Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals, Darlington 4th Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, Alnwick, motorcycle reconnaissance 50th Infantry Divisional Royal Army Service Corps, Darlington 50th Infantry Divisional Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Darlington 149th (Northumbrian) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps, Darlington 150th (Northumbrian) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps, Darlington 151st (Northumbrian) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps, Darlington 50th Infantry Divisional Military Police Company, Corps of Military Police, Darlington 150th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 150th Infantry Brigade & Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Malton 4th Battalion, The Duke of York's Own East Yorkshire Regiment, Kingston upon Hull 4th Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (North) Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards), Richmond 5th Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (North) Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards), Scarborough 151st Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 151st Infantry Brigade & Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Durham 6th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, Bishop Auckland 8th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, Sunderland 9th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, Gateshead-on-Tyne Divisional Royal Artillery Headquarters, Divisional Royal Artillery, Darlington 72nd (Northumbrian) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, Newcastle upon Tyne 74th (Northumbrian) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, South Shields Divisional Royal Engineers Headquarters, Divisional Royal Engineers, Newcastle upon Tyne 232nd (Northumbrian) Field Company, Royal Engineers, Newcastle upon Tyne 505th Field Company, Royal Engineers, Newcastle upon Tyne 235th (Northumbrian) Field Park Company, Royal Engineers, Gateshead-on-Tyne
West Riding Area