First World War In accordance with the
Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (
7 Edw. 7, c.9) which brought the
Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for
Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. 2nd Line units performed the home defence role, although in fact most of these were also posted abroad in due course. On 15 August 1915, TF units were instructed to separate home service men from those who had volunteered for overseas service (1st Line), with the home service personnel to be formed into reserve units (2nd Line). On 31 August, 2nd Line units were authorized for each 1st Line unit where more than 60% of men had volunteered for overseas service. After being organized, armed and clothed, the 2nd Line units were gradually grouped into large formations thereby forming the 2nd Line brigades and divisions. These 2nd Line units and formations had the same name and structure as their 1st Line parents. On 24 November, it was decided to replace imperial service (1st Line) formations as they proceeded overseas with their reserve (2nd Line) formations. A second reserve (3rd Line) unit was then formed at the peace
headquarters of the 1st Line. The brigade was formed as a 2nd Line duplicate of the
Hampshire Brigade in October 1914, shortly after the outbreak of war. It was assigned to the
2nd Wessex Division, the 2nd Line duplicate of the
Wessex Division. The division was selected for service in
India thereby releasing British and Indian regular battalions for service in Europe. On 12 December, the brigade embarked at
Southampton with three battalions; the 2/4th
Hampshires landed at
Karachi on 9 January 1915 and the rest of the brigade at
Bombay between 4 and 8 January. The brigade was effectively broken up on arrival in India; the units reverted to peacetime conditions and the battalions were dispersed to
Secunderabad (2) and
Quetta. The Territorial Force divisions and brigades were numbered in May 1915 in the order that they departed for overseas service, starting with the
42nd (East Lancashire) Division. The 2nd Wessex Division should have been numbered as the 45th (2nd Wessex) Division, but as the division had already been broken up, this was merely a place holder. Likewise, the 2nd/1st Hampshire Brigade was notionally numbered as
134th (2/1st Hampshire) Brigade. The units pushed on with training to prepare for active service, handicapped by the need to provide experienced manpower for active service units. The 2/4th and 2/5th Hampshires served in the
Sinai and Palestine Campaign from April and May 1917, and the 2/7th Hampshires in
Mesopotamia from September 1917. At this point the brigade disappeared.
First World War units The brigade commanded the following units: While in India, it served with the
2nd Quetta Brigade,
4th (Quetta) Division from January 1915 to April 1917. It landed at
Suez on 15 May and joined the
233rd Brigade on formation on 25 May; the brigade joined the
75th Division on formation on 25 June. The battalion left the division on 2 May 1918 and disembarked at
Marseille on 1 June. It joined the
62nd (2nd West Riding) Division on 6 June and was posted to the
186th (2/2nd West Riding) Brigade on 14 June. By the
Armistice with Germany on 11 November 1918, the battalion was still with 186th Brigade, 62nd Division east of
Maubeuge, France. It landed at Suez on 5 April and joined the
232nd Brigade on formation on 14 April; the brigade joined the 75th Division on formation on 25 June. it posted 5 officers and 300 men to the 1/4th Battalion,
Wiltshire Regiment. It was stationed variously at
Petersfield,
Bournemouth and
Hursley Park before being absorbed into the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, Hampshire Regiment (former 3/5th Battalion) on 1 September 1916. It went to
Mesopotamia, arriving at
Basra on 11 September, and was initially on
Lines of Communication duties. In September 1918, it was attached to
38th Brigade,
13th (Western) Division. At the
Armistice of Mudros that ended the war with the
Ottoman Empire on 30 October 1918 it was still attached to 38th Brigade, 13th Division near
Delli Abbas north-east of
Baghdad. the doubling of the
Territorial Army was authorised, with each unit and formation forming a duplicate. Consequently,
134th Infantry Brigade was formed in April 1939 as part of the
45th Infantry Division, duplicate of the
43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. Unusually, it was not a mirror of its parent, the 43rd and 45th Divisions being organized on a geographical basis. Initially, the brigade was administered by the 43rd Division until the 45th Division began to function from 7 September 1939. The brigade remained in the United Kingdom with the 45th Division during the
Second World War and did not see active service overseas. In July 1944, the brigade started to disperse as its component units were posted away, a process that was completed on 15 August and the brigade disbanded. • 11th Battalion,
South Staffordshire Regimentfrom 16 October 1943 to 14 November 1944 • 7th Battalion,
Royal Ulster Riflesfrom 15 November 1943 • 11th Battalion,
Argyll and Sutherland Highlandersfrom 23 July 1944 • 2/6th Battalion,
Lancashire Fusiliersfrom 25 July 1944 • 14th Battalion,
Durham Light Infantryfrom 15 November 1944 ==Commanders==