44th (Home Counties) Division.

The Sussex Royal Field Artillery was a Territorial Force, already in existence at the outbreak of war. The 6 battery’s from Sussex were part of the 44th (Home Counties) Division and were formed into two brigades of Artillery:

The Artillery of the 1st Home Counties Brigade consisted as :-

1st Sussex Bty. (Territorial Force) on 4th Aug 1914 was at Brighton.
2nd Sussex Bty. (Territorial Force) on 4th Aug 1914 was at Brighton.
3rd Sussex Bty. (Territorial Force) on 4th Aug 1914 was at Hove.

The Artillery of the 2nd Home Counties Brigade consisted as :-

4th Sussex Bty. (Territorial Force) on 4th Aug 1914 was at Eastbourne.
5th Sussex Bty. (Territorial Force) on 4th Aug 1914 was at St. Leonards-on-Sea.
6th Sussex Bty. (Territorial Force) on 4th Aug 1914 was at Bexhill-on-Sea.

The pre-war Division was mainly used to supply garrison troops, filling in the places that appeared as Regular units were brought back to England. Somewhere around 30th October 1914, the majority of the units of the Division were transferred to India to replace Regular Battalions being sent to the Western Front.

The 44th (Home Counties) Division consisted of:

131st Brigade (Surrey Brigade)
1/4th Bn, the Queen's
1/5th Bn, the Queen's (left December 1915)
1/5th Bn, the East Surrey (left December 1917)
1/6th Bn, the East Surrey (left December 1917)

132nd Brigade (Middlesex Brigade)
1/7th Bn, the Middlesex (left August 1914 and moved to Gibraltar)
1/8th Bn, the Middlesex (left August 1914 and moved to Gibraltar)
1/9th Bn, the Middlesex (left November 1917)
1/10th Bn, the Middlesex
1/4th Bn, the Border (joined September 1914)
2/4th Bn, the Border (arrived in India March 1915)
1/4th Bn, the KSLI (joined September 1914; two companies left April 1915, the remainder December 1915)
1/1st Brecknockshire Bn, the South Wales Borderers (joined September 1914, left December 1914)

133rd Brigade (Kent Brigade)
1/4th Bn, the Buffs
1/5th Bn, the Buffs (left December 1915)
1/4th Bn, the Royal West Kents
1/5th Bn, the Royal West Kents (left December 1917)

Divisional Artillery
CCXX (1st Home Counties) Brigade, RFA (left and joined III Corps in Mesopotamia between December 1915 and July 1916) (left again October 1917).
CCXXI (2nd Home Counties) Brigade, RFA (left October 1917)
CCXXII (3rd Home Counties (Cinque Ports)) Brigade, RFA (left May 1916)
4th Home Counties (H) Brigade, RFA (did not move to India; moved to 63rd Division 9 June 1916)
Home Counties (Kent) Heavy Battery (did not move to India; joined XVI HA Brigade in France December 1915)

Engineer Units
1st (Home Counties) Field Coy RE (did not move to India; joined 8th Division February 1915)
2nd (Home Counties) Field Coy RE (did not move to India; joined 5th Division February 1915)
Home Counties Divisional Signal Company (did not move to India; joined 28th Division January 1915)

Field Ambulances
(all left October 1914 and joined 27th Division)
1st (Home Counties) Field Ambulance RAMC
2nd (Home Counties) Field Ambulance RAMC
3rd (Home Counties) Field Ambulance RAMC

Other units
Home Counties Divisional Transport and Supply Column (did not embark for India. Transport became 27th Divisional Train; on 1 January 1916 it transferred to 55th Division).

To all intents and purposes the Division ceased to exist when it reached India.

In 1916 the Division was re-numbered: The 1st Home Counties Brigade became CCXX Brigade and the 2nd Home Counties Brigade became CCXXI Brigade.

In October 1917 the 1st Home Counties Brigade (CCXX) and 2nd Home Counties Bridage (CCXXI) left for Mesopotamia where it joined the 17th Indian Division. It was renumbered as follows:-

1st Sussex Bty became 1064th Bty.
2nd Sussed Bty became 1065th Bty.
3rd Sussex Bty became 1066th Bty.
4th Sussex Bty became 1067th Bty
5th Sussex Bty became 1068th Bty.
6th Sussex Bty became 1069th Bty.