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Remembered Today:

Wessex Division Headquarters


ddycher

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The Wessex Division moves from Tidworth House, Tidworth to Cathedral Yard, Exeter on 11th October 1914. Details are where and how long they were there are proving difficult to pin down. Can anyone help ?

 

regards

Dave

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  • 1 month later...

Pre-war it was at No.6 Southernhay, Exeter. Anybody know any more ?

 

Regards

Dave

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My interest was piqued because initially I wondered what the Wessex Division was doing at Tidworth House in 1914. In fact only its headquarters was there when the division was camped in the Tidworth area for its annual summer camp. Likewise, the Cathedral Yard would have not accommodated an entire division of, what, 18,000 men! I suspect that what we're talking about is its divisional staff headquarters.

 

See the LLT

 

about the 43rd (Wessex) Division

 

To summarise: on 3 August the brigades moved to defend ports while Divisional HQ was established at Exeter. All units were mobilised for full-time war service on 5 August 1914. Five days later the Division re-concentrated on Salisbury Plain and its HQ moved (back?) to Tidworth. On 22 September  the Government of India agreed to send 32 British and 20 Indian regular army battalions to Europe in exchange for 43 TF battalions. Lord Kitchener proposed instead to send the Wessex Division. The entire Division was to go, with the exception of the staffs of the infantry brigades, the ammunition columns of the artillery brigades, the Royal Engineers, the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Hampshire Heavy Battery, RGA. All units assembled at Southampton on 9 October.

 

Now see the LLT

 

about the 45th (2nd Wessex) Division

 

On 25 November 1914 it was decided to send to India 10 battalions of infantry and the artillery from the newly-formed 2nd Wessex Division .The depleted Division sailed from Southampton on 12 December 1914.

 

So we need to determine exactly who moved to Exeter on 11 October. Perhaps staff officers who did not accompany the 43rd to India and who were tasked with forming the second-line division?

 

Moonraker

 

 

 

 

Edited by Moonraker
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  • 2 weeks later...

Moonraker

 

Here I have more information.

 

This the 1/1st Wessex from August 1914

 

1292122406_Screenshot2019-02-13at1_34_50PM.png.a743b94a51abf27855f09e5b1e09f99c.png

 

This the 2/1st Wessex from formation :

 

1057359470_Screenshot2019-02-13at1_35_19PM.png.5969e9ea6992ee33209fc64bbd4875e2.png

 

Tracking the people is actually easier than the locations.

 

Regards

Dave

 

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