The 2/1st London Brigade was a 2nd Line formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army. It was formed at the start of World War I and served in overseas garrisons in Malta and Egypt. Although it never saw action as a formation, its constituent battalions fought at Gallipoli and served against the Senussi tribesmen. The brigade was then sent to the Western Front where it was broken up to provide drafts for 1st Line units.
Origin
When the Territorial Force (TF) was created in 1908, the 1st London Brigade in 1st London Division comprised the first four battalions of the new London Regiment, each of which had previously been a Volunteer battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (the City of London Regiment). When World War I broke out in 1914, the 1st London Brigade was the first complete TF formation to go overseas on service, relieving the Regular Army garrison of Malta in September. Each battalion left behind a cadre of officers and men (mainly those who were unfit or who had not volunteered for overseas service) to organise a 2nd Line battalion from the mass of volunteers who were coming forward. These units were distinguished from the 1st line by a '2/' prefix, so that the 2/1st London Brigade consisting of the 2/1st, 2/2nd etc battalions of the London Regiment was created in the 2/1st London Division. Initially, the 2nd Line was regarded as a reserve for the TF overseas, but its units were soon being prepared for overseas service themselves.
Order of battle
The brigade was constituted as follows: 2/1st (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – formed at Handel Street, Bloomsbury 2/2nd (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – formed at Tufton Street, Westminster 2/3rd (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – formed at Edward Street, Hampstead Road, St Pancras 2/4th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – formed at Shaftesbury Street, City Road, Hoxton
Basic training
A serious shortage of equipment hampered the training of the 2nd Line TF units and formations – at first 'wooden equivalents' had to be employed in place of rifles, later some .256-in Japanese Ariska rifles became available. 2/2nd Londons trained in Vincent Square, close to its Tufton St HQ, but this was too cramped and it soon moved to Tattenham Corner railway station to train on Epsom Downs. 2/3rd Londons also went to Epsom Downs, while 2/4th Bn moved from Hoxton to New Barnet. Despite the difficulties, the battalions were quickly recruited up to full strength, and in mid-December the whole of 2/1st London Brigade assembled around Maidstone.
Malta
From Maidstone the brigade was ordered to Malta at short notice to relieve the 1/1st London Bde for service on the Western Front. The 2/2nd, 2/3rd and 2/4th battalions disembarked on 31 December, and their 1st Line equivalents departed on 2 January 1915, leaving behind for the newcomers their obsolete Long Lee-Enfield rifles and Vickers-Maxim machine guns and the unfit personnel. The 2/1st Londons only reached Malta on 11 February 1915.
While on Malta the Brigade continued training, maintained coastal patrols, guarded Prisoners of war, caught possible spies, and performed public duties. In April 1915, the 2/3rd Londons left Malta for Egypt, landing at Port Said and going to garrison Khartoum in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. The battalions in Malta were still regarded as draft-finding units for the 1/1st Brigade, but in July they were ordered to prepare to go to Egypt as Service Battalions. The Brigade HQ and battalions arrived at Alexandria aboard various ships between 25 and 31 August.