page_title: 44 (Home Counties) Signal Regiment
section_title: Mobilisation
hierarchical_section_title: 44 (Home Counties) Signal Regiment / World War I / Mobilisation
context_page_description: 44 (Home Counties) Signal Regiment was a Territorial Army unit of the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals. It had its origins in a Volunteer unit of the Royal Engineers formed in the 1890s. It provided the divisional signals for the 44th (Home Counties) Division and its duplicates in both World Wars, also seeing active service with 28th Division in World War I. Its successor continued in the postwar TA and Army Reserve.
context_section_description: The Signal Company had been with the Home Counties Division on Salisbury Plain for its annual training when the order came to mobilise on 4 August 1914. The unit returned to Brighton and was embodied the following day. Shortly afterwards, TF units were invited to volunteer for overseas service. Early in September battalions of the Home Counties Division began to relieve Regular units at Gibraltar, then in October the infantry and artillery of the whole division embarked for garrison service in India. Although it did later receive a number (44th), the Home Counties Division never operated as a formation during the war: its units remained scattered in colonial garrisons or were attached to Indian divisions. The Divisional RE remained in England to support Regular formations: the Signal Company joined the 28th Division, which was forming at Winchester primarily from units returned from service in India.
  On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Later 3rd Line units were formed to supply drafts to the 1st and 2nd Lines.
caption: Formation sign of the 28th Division, a strip of red cloth on the shoulder strap.