The City of London Signals was a Territorial Army unit of the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals. It had its origins in a signal company of the Royal Engineers formed in 1908 and during World War II it provided the divisional signals for the 56th (London) Division and its duplicates as well as communications for the Royal Air Force in the Middle East. Its successors continued in the postwar Territorial Army and Army Reserve until 2016.
Origin When the Royal Corps of Signals was created in 1920 the 56th (1st London) Divisional Signals was formed in the Territorial Army (TA). It was reformed from the former 1st London Divisional Signal Company of the Royal Engineers (RE), which had served through World War I.Lord & Watson, pp. 168–70.Nalder, Appendix 4, pp. 606–7.
Royal Engineers
When the old Volunteer Force was subsumed into the Territorial Force after the Haldane reforms in 1908, the East London (Tower Hamlets) Engineers provided the RE components of the Territorial Force's 1st London Division, including the 1st London Divisional Telegraph Company, RE, with the following organisation:Monthly Army List, various dates.London Gazette, 20 March 1908.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 141–7.
Company Headquarters (HQ) at 10 Victoria Park Square, Bethnal Green No 1 Section at 10 Victoria Park Square No 2 (1st London) Section No 3 (2nd London) Section No 4 (3rd London) Section Nos 2–4 Sections were attached to and largely manned by the three infantry brigades of the division. The Telegraph Company was redesignated a Signal Company in 1911.
The 1st London Division mobilised on the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, and the 1st London Brigade, with No 2 Signal Section, was sent on 4 September to relieve the Regular Army garrison of Malta. The rest of the division's infantry and artillery was progressively sent to France to reinforce the Regulars of the British Expeditionary Force. In February 1915, HQ and No 1 Section of the Signal Company were assigned to 29th Division, newly formed from Regular units brought back from colonial garrisons. On 25 April, the division landed at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and it served through the Gallipoli Campaign until the final evacuation in January 1916. It was then transferred to the Western Front, where it attacked Beaumont-Hamel on the First day on the Somme and then served through the battles of Arras, Third Ypres and Cambrai in 1917 and the German spring offensive and Allied Hundred Days Offensive in 1918. After the Armistice, the division was sent into Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine. Following the demobilisation of remaining Territorial Force elements, the signal company was converted into Southern Division Signals in Germany in November 1919. A Regular unit, this continued until the division disbanded in 1923Becke, Pt 1, pp. 117–24.Lord & Watson, pp. 222–3.Nalder, p. 156.
Shortly after mobilisation in 1914, the Territorial Force raised 2nd Line units with the same titles as the parents, but with a '2/' prefix, including the 2/1st London Divisional Signal Company in the 58th (2/1st London) Division. This incorporated Nos 3 and 4 Sections of the 1st Line company, which had been left in England when their brigades went overseas piecemeal. In January 1916, the 1st London Division began to reform in France as the 56th (1/1st London) Division, and the whole of 2/1st London Signal Company left 58th Division and joined the reformed division on 16 February as 56th (London) Signal Company. The 56th Division attacked the Gommecourt Salient on the first day on the Somme, and then served through Arras, Ypres, Cambrai and the battles of 1918. After the Armistice Divisional HQ was demobilised in May 1919.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 9–15.
Royal Corps of Signals The new 56th (1st London) Divisional Signals was formed in 1920 as part of the new Royal Corps of Signals in the reorganised Territorial Army, based at 3 Henry Street, Gray's Inn Road, later moving a short distance to 51 Calthorpe Street. By the 1930s, 56th (1st London) Signals HQ also administered two units of the Supplementary Reserve (SR) at Calthorpe St: No 1 (City of London) Company, Line of Communication Signals No 1 (City of London) Base Signal Company, Line of Communication Signals
In the 1930s, the unit was awarded the supplementary title City of London Signals, but moved its HQ from central London to Signal House, 20 Atkins Road, Clapham Park, accompanied by the SR units, which had expanded into:Lord & Watson, p. 243. HQ Line of Communication Signals No 1 Company, Line of Communication Signals No 4 (City of London) Company, Line of Communication Signals No 21 (City of London) Cable Section No 21 (City of London) Construction Section No 22 (City of London) Construction Section No 3 (City of London) Air Wing Signal Section
Haberdashers' Aske's Hampstead School Cadet Corps (as 1st Cadet Signal Company) and the City of London Signals Cadet Company were affiliated to the unit. The unit's motorcycle despatch riders formed a display team that performed at the Royal Tournament in 1937, precursors of the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team (the White Helmets).
In 1935, 47th (2nd London) Division was converted into 1st Anti-Aircraft Division and its remaining units were merged into 56th (1st London) Division, which was redesignated simply The London Division, and the signals unit as London Divisional Signals (City of London Signals). The London Division was converted into a Motor Division in 1937.
World War II Mobilisation When the Territorial Army was doubled in size after the Munich Crisis, the division was duplicated and 1st and 2nd (London) Motor Divisional Signals were formed at Clapham in 1939. Later in the same year, the 1st London also formed the London Area Signal Company, which in 1940 became London District Signals providing headquarters communications.Lord & Watson, p. 244.
Organisation
In 1939, the organisation of an infantry divisional signal unit and the attachments of its subunits were as follows:Lord & Watson, pp. 262, 314. HQ Q Section – quartermasters M Section – maintenance 1 Company – Divisional HQ A & C Sections – wireless B Section – cable D Section – despatch riders and cipher section O Section – operating 2 Company – divisional artillery E, F & G Sections – individual artillery regiments H Section – HQ divisional artillery 3 Company – infantry brigades, reconnaissance and RE R Section – reconnaissance battalion J, K & L Sections – individual infantry brigades 4 Company – attached army tank brigade W Section – army tank brigade X, Y & Z Sections – individual tank regiments As the war progressed, divisional signals was enlarged to cover the divisional radio telephony (R/T) and wireless telephony (W/T) nets, divisional administrative services, rear communications for brigade HQs, divisional tactical HQ, and air communications.
56th (London) Divisional Signals
1st London Division (it dropped the 'Motor' designation in June 1940) was not sent to join the new British Expeditionary Force in France but remained in the UK. After the Dunkirk evacuation the division held the critical south-east corner of England throughout the period of greatest invasion threat. It regained its traditional title as 56th (London) Infantry Division on 18 November 1940.Joslen, pp. 37–8.Collier, p. 125, Maps 5, 6, 17, 20.
From November 1940, 56th (L) Division alternated with 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, being based at Maidstone and the Medway towns until February 1941 and then again from June. In November 1941, the division drove through London to join XI Corps in East Anglia. The division was now fully equipped and undergoing intensive training and in June it came under War Office control while it mobilised for overseas service.Edwards, pp. 127–32.
Middle East and North Africa During August 1942, the division moved to the embarkation ports of Liverpool and Glasgow, and sailed for the Middle East on 25 August. The fast troop convoy reached South Africa safely, but the slow convoy carrying guns and vehicles was heavily attacked by U-boats off the coast of West Africa and lost several ships. From South Africa most of the troops sailed to Bombay, then on to Basra in Iraq, arriving on 4 November and then by road and rail to Kirkuk. 56th Division spent the winter of 1942–43 training for mountain warfare. In March, 168th (2nd London) Brigade with accompanying units was detached to Palestine. Then the rest of the division began an overland drive to join Eighth Army in Tunisia, driving some between 18 March and 19 April.Edwards, pp. 131–3.Playfair & Molony, Vol IV, pp. 441–2, 453.
On 23 April, 56th (London) Division went into action for the first time at Enfidaville. The infantry were roughly handled and suffered heavy casualties. The final attack on Tunis (Operation Strike) began on 6 May, the division meeting strong resistance before the Germans surrendered on 12 May. By the end of the month, 56th (L) Division had been pulled back to Tripoli to train for the invasion of Italy.Edwards, p. 134.Playfair & Molony, Vol IV, p. 453.Molony, Vol V, p. 259.
Operation Avalanche 56th (London) Division landed as the right hand half of X Corps at Salerno before dawn on 9 September 1943 in Operation Avalanche. There was bitter fighting for 10 days in the Salerno beachhead and support troops frequently found themselves in the firing line holding off German counter-attacks.Edwards, pp. 136–8.Molony, Vol V, pp. 276–7, 291–2, 296, 310, 321.
On 22 September, the Allies broke out and X Corps headed north towards Naples. The retreating Germans had blown every bridge across the River Sarno for inland, but 56th Division captured an intact bridge at San Mauro and continued past Naples to Capua, where the Germans were making a stand on the River Volturno. Assault crossings of rivers now became a feature of the campaign, and the signal units had to make special arrangements at assembly points, ensure waterproofing of equipment, and provide beachhead communications on the far side. Divisional HQs normally operated as Main and Rear echelons, sometimes with a small Tactical HQ. During phases of mobile warfare a Main HQ could move every day, and wireless and despatch riders had to be used until lines could be re-established.Edwards, pp. 138–9.Molony, Vol V, pp. 337–42, 439–40.Nalder, pp. 406–7.
The division's attempt to cross the Volturno was repulsed, but the neighbouring divisions got across, and 56th (L) crossed by a US-built bridge. 168 Bde Group rejoined 56th (L) Division at Caserta during these operations. After the Volturno, X Corps made rapid progress up Highway 6 until it reached the Bernhardt Line in the mountains round Monte Camino. There was bitter fighting on Monte Camino itself that lasted until its capture on 9 December, when the division was rested.Edwards, pp. 140–1.Molony, Vol V, pp. 444, 450–3, 517–8. The next obstacle in front of X Corps was the lower Garigliano river south of Monte Cassino. 56th (London) Division's attack on the night of 17 January launched the Battle of Monte Cassino. However, fierce counter-attacks prevented X Corps from advancing far beyond the river.Edwards, pp. 142–3.Molony, Vol V, pp. 606–16, 632–4.
Anzio On 30 January, 168 Bde was about to resume the offensive on the Garigliano when it was hurriedly withdrawn to reinforce the landing further up the coast at Anzio, which had run into trouble. On 6 February, the rest of 56th Division was also withdrawn from the Garigliano and landed as reinforcements at Anzio. The infantry were continually engaged in the Anzio beachhead and, by 25 February, were down to less than half strength. On 9 March, the exhausted division was evacuated from Anzio.Edwards, pp. 143–4.Molony, Vol V, pp. 635–6, 744, 754–7.