The rest of the division's infantry and artillery was progressively sent to France to reinforce the Regulars of the British Expeditionary Force.

In February 1915 HQ and No 1 Section of the Signal Company were assigned to 29th Division, newly formed from Regular units brought back from colonial garrisons.

[3][4][5] When the Territorial Army was doubled in size after the Munich Crisis, the division was duplicated and 1st and 2nd (London) Motor Divisional Signals were formed at Clapham in 1939.

1st London Division (it dropped the 'Motor' designation in June 1940) was not sent to join the new British Expeditionary Force in France but remained in the UK.

After the Dunkirk evacuation the division held the critical south-east corner of England throughout the period of greatest invasion threat.

The division was now fully equipped and undergoing intensive training and in June it came under War Office control while it mobilised for overseas service.

From South Africa most of the troops sailed to Bombay, then on to Basra in Iraq, arriving on 4 November and then by road and rail to Kirkuk.

The final attack on Tunis (Operation Strike) began on 6 May, the division meeting strong resistance before the Germans surrendered on 12 May.

[17][22][23][24] 56th (London) Division landed as the right hand half of X Corps at Salerno before dawn on 9 September 1943 in Operation Avalanche.

There was bitter fighting for 10 days in the Salerno beachhead and support troops frequently found themselves in the firing line holding off German counter-attacks.

Assault crossings of rivers now became a feature of the campaign, and the signal units had to make special arrangements at assembly points, ensure waterproofing of equipment, and provide beachhead communications on the far side.

During phases of mobile warfare a Main HQ could move every day, and wireless and despatch riders had to be used until lines could be re-established.

After the Volturno, X Corps made rapid progress up Highway 6 until it reached the Bernhardt Line in the mountains round Monte Camino.

[32][33] On 30 January 168 Bde was about to resume the offensive on the Garigliano when it was hurriedly withdrawn to reinforce the landing further up the coast at Anzio, which had run into trouble.

On 10 July the refitted division left Port Said to return to Taranto, from where it was sent to join V Corps with Eighth Army on the Adriatic coast of Italy.

[40][41] For 56th (L) Division the Spring 1945 offensive in Italy began on 5 April with an operation to clear a triangle of ground between the River Reno and the south-west corner of Comacchio Lagoon.

[50] 3rd Air Formation Signals HQ was sent to Middle East Forces at the end of 1940, to be built up to strength by absorbing small units already serving with No 204 Group and other RAF HQs.

[4] With the proliferation of RAF HQs in the Middle East, 4th Air Formation Signals was formed in July from Nos 2 and 3 Companies of 3rd AFS.

All this imposed a heavy burden on the AFS units maintaining communications as the Western Desert Campaign ebbed and flowed in advance and retreat.

After D Day (6 June) reserve units and formations in the UK were required to send large drafts to reinforce 21st Army Group fighting in Normandy.

[3][4][60] In 1947 London District Signals was reduced to a mixed squadron ('mixed' indicating that members of the Women's Royal Army Corps were integrated into the unit) and in 1949 to a troop, but in 1952 it was reformed as London District Signal Regiment in the Army Emergency Reserve (the successors of the Supplementary Reserve).

Both troops had the role of reinforcing the Regular 22 Signal Regiment at Lippstadt in Germany as part of British Army of the Rhine.

In 1982 this role was expanded to reinforcing 2 Infantry Division HQ and Signal Regiment; later it was re-roled as a theatre reserve squadron for British Army of the Rhine Command Communications.