During the Second World War, it served with the 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division in Belgium and France, later being evacuated at Dunkirk and seeing service again in North Africa at El Alamein before being disbanded in January 1943.

After the creation of the Territorial Force in 1908, the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Volunteer battalions of the Middlesex Regiment were organised into a brigade within the Home Counties Division.

On the outbreak of the First World War, the men of the division accepted liability for overseas service to relieve Regular troops for the fighting fronts.

[1] On arrival, the division's units were sent distributed to various peacetime stations across India, Aden and Burma to continue their training for war.

By early 1916 it had become obvious that the Territorial Divisions in India were never going to be able to reform and return to Europe to reinforce the Western Front as had been originally intended.

[1][2] During 1919 the remaining Territorial units in India were gradually reduced, but 1/4th and 2/4th Border finally saw active service during the Third Afghan War.

[15] Both 44th and 42nd divisions had been held back from reinforcing the BEF sooner in order to participate in potential operations in Northern Europe, yet this had never come to anything.

[14] Back in the United Kingdom, 132nd Brigade was re-equipped and positioned in its own county of Kent to defend what 44th Division's commander, Major-General Sir Brian Horrocks, regarded as 'the No 1 German invasion area, stretching from the Isle of Thanet to Dover and on to Folkestone'.

The 44th Division was broken up after Alamein, due to a shortage of manpower in the Mediterranean, and the brigade's battalions were posted away during November and December.