48 (South Midland) Signal Regiment was a Territorial Army (TA) unit of the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals from 1920. It had its origins in a Volunteer unit of the Royal Engineers formed in 1861 and provided the communications for several infantry divisions during World War II. Postwar, it went through a number of reorganisations. Its successor still serves as a squadron in today's Army Reserve.

Royal Engineers

When the old Volunteer Force was subsumed into the Territorial Force (TF) after the Haldane reforms in 1908, the 2nd Gloucestershire (The Bristol Engineer Volunteer Corps) Royal Engineers (originally formed at Bristol on 10 April 1861 by employees of the Bristol and Exeter Railway) provided the Royal Engineers (RE) components of the TF's South Midland Division, including the South Midland Divisional Telegraph Company, with the following organisation:Lord & Watson, p. 159.Lord & Watson, p. 216.Nalder, pp. 616–7.Monthly Army List, various dates.London Gazette, 20 March 1908.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 77–83.

Company Headquarters (HQ) at 32 Park Row, Bristol No 1 Section at 32 Park Row No 2 (Warwickshire) Section at Warwick, attached to the Warwickshire Brigade No 3 (Gloucester & Worcester) Section at Cheltenham, attached to the Gloucester & Worcester Brigade No 4 (South Midland) Section at Oxford, attached to the South Midland Brigade

Nos 2–4 Sections were largely manned by the three infantry brigades to which they were attached. The Telegraph Company was redesignated a Signal Company in 1911.

The South Midland Division mobilised on the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, and went to its war stations round Chelmsford in Essex. Shortly after mobilisation, the TF was invited to volunteer for overseas service and the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered. The titles of these 2nd Line units were distinguished by a '2/' prefix, including the 2/1st South Midland Divisional Signal Company in the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division.Lord & Watson, p. 223.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 33–9.

48th (South Midland) Divisional Signals, RE

The 1st South Midland Division embarked for France at the end of March 1915 to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and took its place in the line of the Western Front. It was designated the 48th (South Midland) Division in May. For the 'Big Push' of 1916, (the Battle of the Somme) all signal companies spent three months in preparing new cable communications; the Division fought through the Somme until November. During periods of action, signal lines were constantly cut by shellfire, and any advance required the rapid installation of additional lines. The German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich) in Spring 1917 created a devastated area over which new communications had to be installed, and the divisional cable wagons came into their own. Later in the year 48th (SM) Division took part in several phases of the Third Battle of Ypres. By now, divisional signal companies had added a section for the Royal Artillery, which previously handled its own communications, and the number of infantry signallers attached to brigade signal sections was increased.Nalder, pp. 112–7, 127–9.Priestley, pp. 57, 172, 204–5.

In November 1917, 48th (SM) Division was ordered to the Italian Front. At first, the British forces in Italy were dependent on the local civil telephone system, which had been badly disrupted by the war. In June 1918, the division was closely engaged in the fighting on the Asiago Plateau, where cables were difficult to install and wireless was more widely used than on the Western Front. At the conclusion of the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, 48th (SM) Division led the pursuit into Austrian territory until the Armistice of Villa Giusti came into effect on 3 November.Nalder, pp. 131–5.

61st (2nd South Midland) Divisional Signals, RE

Training for 61st (2nd South Midland) Division was badly delayed by lack of equipment. The division embarked for France during May 1916. Unlike its 1st Line, which had a year's experience of trench warfare before its first major action, 61st (2nd SM) Division was thrown into the disastrous Battle of Fromelles just seven weeks after arrival. It later served during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the Third Battle of Ypres. In December 1917, it helped to fight off the German counter-attacks after the Battle of Cambrai.

The opening of the German spring offensive on 21 March found 61st (2nd SM) Division holding the line in front of St Quentin. The BEF had introduced a new system of defence in depth, but this was still incomplete, particularly the essential buried cable communications, and surface lines were quickly cut by the massive German bombardment. The forward positions were quickly cut off, and morning mist made visual communication impossible. However, though heavily attacked, 61st Division managed to keep its 'battle zone' intact for most of the day. But by the next day, 61st (2nd SM) Division was being pushed south-westwards away from its neighbouring division, the RE field companies were destroying bridges and the signals company was extemporising communications with whatever cable was left. The division fell back to the defences of the 'Green Line', which were barely started. By 23 March, the badly mauled 61st (2nd SM) Division was in reserve during the actions at the Somme Crossings, though individual units were still engaged.Edmonds, 1918, Vol I, pp. 129, 175, 186, 201, 272–82, 338, 404, 497, 500.Nalder, pp. 140–2. The division was withdrawn and sent to the quiet area of the Lys front. This sector was where the second phase of the German offensive, the Battle of the Lys fell on 9 April, and 61st (2nd SM) Division came into action on 11 April (the Battle of Estaires. It was committed piecemeal, and command had to be improvised. It fought on through the Battle of Hazebrouck (12–15 April) and the Battle of Béthune (18 April).Edmonds, 1918, Vol II, pp. 95, 224, 246, 254–5, 321, 362.

The Allies launched their Hundred Days Offensive on 8 August, but 61st (2nd SM) Division did not return to the fighting until its final stages, joining the pursuit on 2 October and participating in the Battle of the Selle on 24–25 October, and the Battle of Valenciennes on 1–2 November. In this phase of mobile warfare, divisional signals had to rely on vulnerable cables strung from by cable wagons (which had hardly been used during static trench warfare), or small cable barrows over the shell holes of the old battlefields, and infantry brigade communications were especially hampered. Much re-use of captured German cable and poles was employed, and corps cavalry and bicycle units had to be used to supplement the limited number of dispatch riders. Wireless sections had been increased in August, allowing signal companies to man stations as far forward as battalion HQs.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 127, 379–82, 391–2, 455–7, 577–8.Nalder, pp. 149–51.Priestley, pp. 296, 318–25. Hostilities on the Western Front ended with the Armistice with Germany on 11 November.

Southern Command Signals

The other component of the future signal regiment was the RE Signal Companies raised in Birmingham for Southern Command in 1908: Southern Command Signal Companies at The Barracks, Great Brook Street, Birmingham Southern Wireless Signal Company Southern Cable Signal Company Southern Airline Signal Company

On the outbreak of World War I, the Southern Signal Companies were formed into the RE Signals Depot at Fenny Stratford. Although the companies did not see active service themselves, they raised a number of new signal units that served in various theatres of the war, beginning with a Southern Motor Airline Section that embarked for the Western Front on 10 November 1914.'Embarkation Dates', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 162/7.

Royal Corps of Signals In 1920, the RE Signal Service became the independent Royal Corps of Signals (RCS) and 48th (South Midland) Divisional Signals was formed in the new corps as part of the Territorial Army (TA), which replaced the TF in 1921. It was established at The Barracks, Great Brook Street, Birmingham, moving in the 1930s to Cateswell House, Stratford Road, in Hall Green, Birmingham.

The Worcestershire Cadet Signal Company of the RCS was affiliated to the unit.

48th (SM) Divisional Signals comprised Nos 1–3 Companies with Nos 2 and 3 Wireless Sections attached. The RCS also carried out some signal functions for the Royal Artillery: by 1927, the unit had a number of these sections attached to it at Great Brook Street:Titles & Designations, 1927. 228th Field Artillery Signal Section 229th Field Artillery Signal Section 209th Medium Artillery Signal Section

By the 1930s, it also had two attached Supplementary Reserve sections providing communications for the Royal Air Force: No 2 (South Midland) Air Wing Signal Section No 1 (South Midland) Air Force Port Depot Signal Section

The unit was mechanised by 1932.

World War II Mobilisation When the TA was doubled in size in early 1939 after the Munich Crisis, the division once again formed a duplicate, 61st Division, for which the signals split to form 61st Divisional Signals. The TA mobilised on 1 September 1939, just before the outbreak of war, with 48th (SM) Division and 61st Division both in Southern Command.Southern Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.Joslen, pp. 77–8.Joslen, pp. 95–6.

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 Company Q Section – quartermasters M Section – maintenance No 1 Company – Divisional HQ A & C Sections – wireless B Section – cable D Section – despatch riders and cipher section O Section – operating No 2 Company – divisional artillery E, F & G Sections – individual artillery regiments H Section – HQ divisional artillery No 3 Company – infantry, reconnaissance and RE R Section – reconnaissance battalion J, K & L Sections – individual infantry brigades

48th (South Midland) Divisional Signals

Battle of France 48th (SM) Division moved to France in January 1940 to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). When the German offensive began with the invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May, the BEF advanced into Belgium under Plan D, and soon its leading divisions were in place on the River Dyle. However, the Germans had broken through in the Ardennes and the BEF was forced to retreat back to the line of the Escaut. The division was heavily engaged on 21 May, holding back German attempts o cross the river.Ellis, Chapter IV.Ellis, Chapter VI.Nalder, pp. 280–4.

However, the German breakthrough from the Ardennes had reached the sea and the BEF was cut off. The division was among the forces pulled out of the east-facing Escaut line to form a west-facing line along a series of canals in the Bergues–Cassel–Hazebrouck area covering the approaches to Dunkirk, where the division arrived on 25 May.Ellis, Chapter VIII.Ellis, Chapter IX. Next day the decision was made to evacuate the BEF from Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo), and forces in the 'pocket' in which the BEF was now confined were progressively pulled into the Dunkirk perimeter. 48th (SM) Division held a series of delaying positions before moving into the bridgehead. Although most vehicles had to be destroyed, signal units were permitted to move their wireless vehicles and despatch riders into the perimeter to maintain communications, and a skeleton wireless service was maintained to the end. 48th (SM) Division was embarked on 30 May.Ellis, Chapter XI.Ellis, Chapter XII.Ellis, Chapter XIII.Ellis, Chapter XIII.

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