The division was created as the "2nd Highland Division", a second-line formation of the
Highland Division at the end of August 1914. At this time, Territorial Force soldiers could not be deployed overseas without their consent and the Territorial units were accordingly split into a "first line", with men who had volunteered for overseas service, and a "second line", which was intended for home service only. The second line units also served to absorb the large number of new, untrained, recruits who had joined the Territorial Force following the outbreak of war. The division's units formed through late 1914 and assembled as a coherent unit in January 1915. As with the original Highland Division, the 2nd Highland was organised into three infantry brigades. These were later numbered as the
191st, composed of the 2/4th, 2/5th, and 2/6th
Seaforth Highlanders, 2/4th
Cameron Highlanders, and 2/4th
Black Watch; the
192nd, composed of the 2/4th, 2/5th, 2/6th, and 2/7th
Gordon Highlanders and 2/6th and 2/7th
Black Watch; and the
193rd, composed of the 2/6th, 2/7th, 2/8th, and 2/9th
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The 191st Brigade recruited from the far north of Scotland; the 192nd from the north-east and Aberdeen; and the 193rd from central and western Scotland. The Black Watch battalions were recruited from Fife, Dundee and Perthshire. and the numbers for the subsidiary brigades were also not reused. ==Order of battle==