The British Military Open Encyclopedia - ARRSE-Pedia. Back to British Army Rumour Service Home

From ARRSEpedia

Headquartered in Sheffield, 38 Regiment is a TA formation comprising three squadrons:

46 (City of Derby) Signal Squadron

Derby and Leicester

64 (City of Sheffield) Signal Squadron

Sheffield and Nottingham

93 (East Lancashire) Signal Squadron

Blackburn and Manchester

[edit] Links

38 Signal Regiment Official Site

[edit] History

1860

1st West Riding Engineer Volunteer Corps formed in Sheffield on 8th Nov 1860. Elements of this unit would also see action in 1899-1902 during the Boer War.

1908

A telegraph section is formed in the newly created Territorial Force RE as West Riding Divisional Telegraph Company RE. Also in Stoke-on-Trent a new unit called the North Midland Divisional Telegraph Company RE is formed.

1911

Both units change name to become:

West Riding Divisional Signal Company RE North Midland Divisional Signal Company RE

1914 World War 1

Both units form a second line duplicate:

1st West Riding Divisional Signal Company RE 2nd West Riding Divisional Signal Company RE - duplicate 1st North Midland Divisional Signal Company RE 2nd North Midland Divisional Signal Company RE - duplicate

1915

With the regular units being pressed in France, the law is changed to allow TF units to begin deploying to the front (previously TF could only be deployed in the UK). Unit titles are changed to:

49th (West Riding) Divisional Signal Company RE 62nd (West Riding) Divisional Signal Company RE 46th (North Midland) Divisional Signal Company RE 59th (North Midland) Divisional Signal Company RE

In March 1915 the 46th Division was the first TF division to fight on the western front.

Deployments in WW1

49th (West Riding) Divisional Signal Company RE

Went to France in April 1915 and served there until the end of the war.

62nd (West Riding) Divisional Signal Company RE

Went to France in January 1917.

46th (North Midland) Divisional Signal Company RE

Spent a brief spell in Egypt during the winter of 1915-16 but mainly served in France/Flanders.

59th (North Midland) Divisional Signal Company RE

Served in Ireland after the Easter Rebellion in 1916 and went to France in March 1917

1920 Territorial Army

46th (North Midland) Divisional Signal Company reformed in Derby, West Ridings element reformed in Leeds (from the pre war Northern Command Signal Companies - successor to 49 (WR) Signal Squadron)

1936

As part of the re-armament process 46 (North Midland) Division was broken up and merged with 49 (WR) Inf Division to form 49 (West Riding and North Midland) Infantry Division and 2nd Anti Aircraft Division.

46th (North Midland) Divisional Signals was reformed as 2nd AA Divisional Signal Regiment (Hucknall - Nottm) and North Midland Corps Signals (Derby), Staffordshire elements of the unit became part of 55th (West Lancashire) Divisional Signals.

1938 Munich Crisis - The Coverture

TA Anti-Aircraft elements mobilised amounting to 1 000 officers and 22 000 soldiers, they served in four contingents for a month at a time (with 3 mths back with normal employer).

1939 24 August - General Mobilisation

During 1939 the TA as it had done in 1914 formed second line units. The North Midland Corps became:

3rd (North Midland) Corps Signals 4th (North Midland) Corps Signals - duplicate

The AA Signal Regiment didn't duplicate but 7th AA Signal Regiment was formed in Hull/Darlington from elements from 50 (Northumbrian) Signal Regiment.

Deployments in World War 2

2nd AA Signal Regiment

Initially serving the East Midlands and North East changing to supporting the East Midlands and East Anglia in 1941

7th AA Signal Regiment

Formed to support units in Yorkshire and the North East changing in 1941 to support the North East Only.

3rd (North Midland) Corps Signals

Served in France from March - June in 1940, on return to the UK it becomes 10 Corps Signals on Home Defence duties for two years. Deploying with 10 Corps to Persia and Iraq in 1942, onto Italy in 1943 and to Greece in 1944 when Greece entered into its civil war.

4th (North Midland) Corps Signals

This unit formed the signals for 'Q' Armoured Division in 1941, this eventually became 11th Armoured Division in 1942 and saw action in 1944-45 in NW Europe.

1947

The North Midland Corps Signals were reformed in Derby as 21 (North Midland) Corps Signals and the Anti Aircraft regts as 15 (AA) Mixed Signal Regiment

15 (AA) Sig Regt (RHQ Leeds) had four Signal Squadrons:

36 - Newcastle 37 - Leeds 38 - Rotherham 39 - Beeston, Nottingham

147 (Midland) Infantry Brigade Signals Squadron part of 49 (West Riding and Midland) Armoured Division formed in Nottingham

1955

The TA lost its Anti-Aircraft role to the RAF, this lead to a major reduction in the number of TA regiments. 15 (AA) Signal Regiment was renamed and re-roled to Northern Command Signal Regiment.

1956

Northern Command SR then split into two regiments

1st Northern Command Signal Regiment (RHQ Leeds, 1 Sqn Hull, 2 Sqn Middlesbrough and 3 Sqn York) 2nd Northern Command Signal Regiment (RHQ Sheffield, 1 Sqn Derby, 2 Sqn Rotherham and 3 Sqn Sheffield)

1959

21 (North Midland) Signal Regiment renamed to 46 (North Midland) Signal Regiment. 1 Northern Command Signal Regiment becomes 60 Signal Regiment and Northern Command Signal Regiment becoming 64 Signal Regiment with its RHQ moved to Nottingham.

1961

60 Signal Regiment absorbed into 49 and 50 Signal Regiments (present day 34 Signal Regiment)

147 (Midland) Infantry Brigade Signals Squadron becomes 337 Brigade Signal Squadron

1967

Number 2 Sqn (with its detachment at Glossop - Signals In Glossop web page), 64 Signal Regiment mergers with 337 Brigade Signal Squadron to form 87 Signal Squadron.

46 Signal Regiment disbands to form 46 (North Midland) Signal Squadron.

Sheffield squadrons of 64 Signal Regiment become HQ and 64 Signal Squadrons.

All squadrons form part of the new 38 Signal Regiment.

2006

87 and 64 Signal Squadrons merge to form 64 (Robin Hood Rifles) Signal Squadron, 93 Sig Sqn returns from 37 Signal Regiment(V). Both will be Brigade Close Support Squadrons for 15 and 42 Regional Bdes. 46 Signal Squadron will become a Contingency Component Squadron.

Also its rumoured that 38 will be forming an Information System Troop

Sources

AA Command by Colin Dobinson

The Royal Corps of Signals by Cliff Lord and Graham Watson

Divisions of the British Army 1939-45 by Malcolm A. Bellis

49 (West Riding) Signal Squadron 'family tree'