In September 1939, the British Army was in process of expanding their anti-aircraft and mobile (including armoured) assets. Among these new changes was the formation of Anti-Aircraft Command which was formed on 1 April 1939, and the 1st Armoured Division formed in 1937. The list below will include the British Army units, colonial units, and those units which were in the process of formation.
The list includes units which were in the process of formation, cadre sized, or had no units attached. Also included are Territorial Army (TA) and Supplementary Reserve (SR) units.
War Office
The War Office or WO as it was abbreviated, was the office of the British Government which controlled all of the Armed Forces of which were based around the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland and Middle East.
Secretary of State for War, The Right Honourable Leslie Hore-Belisha, MP (holding the office from 28 May 1937 – 5 January 1940) Army Council, Secretary of State for War held the office of President of the Army Council, this council was made up of 7 other members Department of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War Department of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War Department of the Financial Secretary of the War Office Department of the Director-General of the Territorial Army Military Attaches to Embassies Legations to Foreign Courts British Military Mission to the Egyptian Army British Military Mission to the Iraq Army Department of the Chief-of-Staff of the Imperial General Staff Department of the Quartermaster General to the Forces Department of the Adjutant General to the Forces Office of the Judge Advocate General to the Forces Selection Board Officer Training Corps Inspectors-General Elements of the Department of the Director General of Munitions Production, had been transferred to the Ministry of Supply on 1 August 1939.
Aldershot Command
Aldershot Command's geographical area encompassed portions of the following counties Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex. Its primary formations on the outbreak of the war were: 1st Army Tank Brigade 1st Anti-Aircraft Brigade 1st Infantry Division 2nd Infantry Division
Northern Command
Northern Command
Headquartered at York, covering the areas of: Berwick-upon-Tweed (except regulars), Northumberland, County Durham, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Rutlandshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire.
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command: General Sir William 'Barty' Henry Bartholomew Northern Command Pay Section, Royal Army Pay Corps, Imphal Barracks Air Formation Signals, Royal Corps of Signals (SR), Leeds 1st (West Riding) Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals, Leeds 3rd (West Riding) Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals, Leeds 5th Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals, Bradford Northern Command Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals, York 4th Artillery Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp 7th Tank Signal Section, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp Signals Training Centre, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp Training Battalion, Royal Corps of Signals, Catterick Camp 1st Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own North Yorkshire Regiment (The Green Howards), Catterick Camp (attached to 13th Inf Bde for Admin) Royal Irish Fusiliers Depot, Catterick Camp (temporary) Railway Operating Group, Royal Engineers (SR), Leeds 153rd (London and North Eastern) Railway Operating Company, Royal Engineers, Cambridge 155th (London, Midland, and Scottish) Railway Workshop, Royal Engineers, Derby 1st Docks Group, Royal Engineers (SR), York 2nd Docks Group, Royal Engineers (SR), Crewe 106th (West Riding) Army Troop Company, Royal Engineers (SR), Doncaster 107th (North Riding) Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers (SR), Middlesbrough 150th (London and North Eastern) Railway Construction, Royal Engineers (SR), Cambridge 15th Company, Royal Army Service Corps, Imphal Barracks 28th Company, Royal Army Service Corps, Catterick Camp H Company, Royal Army Service Corps, Catterick Camp 9th Section, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Catterick Camp 13th Section, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Chetwynd Barracks 8th Company, Royal Army Medical Corps, York Detachment, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Catterick Camp Detachment, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Imphal Barracks Section, Corps of Military Police, Claro Barracks Section, Corps of Military Police, Uniacke Barracks Royal Artillery Fixed Defences, Northern Ports Royal Artillery Coast Defences, Northern Command, Tynemouth Castle Humber Fire Command, Hedon Tees and Hartlepool Fire Command, Hartlepool Tynemouth Fire Command, Tynemouth