By December 1914 the East Anglian Reserve Division concentrated around
Thetford in
Norfolk in early 1915. Training was impeded by the lack of arms and equipment and the constant drain of providing drafts to the 1st-Line battalions (the
1st East Midland Brigade was serving at
Gallipoli). Eventually, the men were issued with
.256-in Japanese Ariska rifles for training. In October the establishment strength of the 2nd-Line battalions was reduced to 23 officers and 600 men, the surplus being transferred to new 3rd-Line battalions, which had been authorised in May 1915 and were intended to provide drafts to both the 1st and 2nd Line. In November the men finally received
Lee–Enfield rifles and were able to return the obsolete Japanese rifles to store. Whilst at Thetford, the division had formed part of
First Army in
Central Force. In June 1916 it moved to
Harrogate as part of Local Forces in
Northern Command. The camps around Harrogate were broken up in October and 207 Bde went into winter billets. In early May 1917, 69th Division moved to the
Retford area, with 207 Bde going under canvas at
Carburton. This camp was maintained until winter set in, when the brigade moved to
Clipston, Nottinghamshire. During the winter the brigades of 69th Division were completely reorganised, with the 2nd-Line TF battalions being replaced by Graduated Battalions of the Training Reserve. The division and brigades thereby lost their local associations, and titles like 'East Anglian' and 'East Midlands' were dropped from 1 January 1918. At the end of the winter, 206 Bde moved to
Thoresby Hall, later returning to Clipston, and remained a training formation for the rest of the war. After the
Armistice with Germany the brigade continued at nearly full strength for several months, until demobilisation began in earnest in March 1919, when the brigade was disbanded. ==World War II==