| East Midland Brigade 162nd (East Midland) Brigade 162nd Infantry Brigade 162nd Independent Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
_PW.svg) | |
| Active | April 1908 – 30 September 1919 February 1920 – 31 August 1944 January 1947 – 1 May 1961 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division |
| Peacetime HQ | Bedford,Bedfordshire |
| Engagements | |
TheEast Midland Brigade was aninfantrybrigade of theTerritorial Force, part of theBritish Army, that was raised in 1908. As the name suggests, it commandedinfantrybattalions recruited in theEast Midlands of England:Bedfordshire,Northamptonshire,Cambridgeshire andHertfordshire. The brigade was an integral part of theEast Anglian Division.
It was numbered as the162nd (East Midland) Brigade (and the division as54th (East Anglian) Division) and saw active service in theFirst World War atGallipoli in 1915, Egypt in 1916 and in theSinai and Palestine Campaign in 1917 and 1918.
Disbanded after the war, the brigade was reformed in theTerritorial Army as the162nd Infantry Brigade and continued to be part of the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division. In theSecond World War, the brigade remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war and did not see service and was disbanded in August 1944.
The brigade was reformed in 1947 as162nd Independent Infantry Brigade before being finally disbanded in 1961.
TheTerritorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of theTerritorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which combined and re-organised the oldVolunteer Force, theHonourable Artillery Company and theYeomanry. On formation, the TF contained 14infantrydivisions and 14 mounted yeomanrybrigades.[1] One of the divisions was theEast Anglian Division and theEast Midland Brigade formed one of its constituent brigades.[2][a]
As the name suggests, the brigade recruited in the East Midlands of England and commanded four infantrybattalions:
In peacetime, the brigadeheadquarters was inBedford.[2] The battalions were organized on an 8-company basis, but shortly after the outbreak of theFirst World War they were reorganized on theregular army standard of four companies in January 1915.[3]
The brigade was on its annual fortnight's training camp when the First World War broke out on 4 August 1914. It immediately mobilized and concentrated atBury St Edmunds;[4] it was employed on coastal defence duties inEast Anglia until May 1915.[3]
In accordance with theTerritorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which brought theTerritorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered forImperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. 2nd Line units performed the home defence role, although in fact most of these were also posted abroad in due course.[5] The East Midland Brigade formed the2nd East Midland Brigade in this manner with an identical structure.[6]
| Original Battalions | East Midland Brigade[7] | 2nd East Midland Brigade[6] |
|---|---|---|
| 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment | 1/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment | 2/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment[f] |
| 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment | 1/4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment | 2/4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment[g] |
| 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment | 1/1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment | 2/1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment[h] |
| 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment | 1/1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment | 2/1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment[i] |
The 1/1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment[j] left the brigade on 6 November 1914, landed atLe Havre and joined the4th (Guards) Brigade in2nd Division on theWestern Front.[12] It was to remain on the Western Front for the rest of the war.[11] Likewise, the 1/1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment landed at Le Havre on 15 February 1915 and joined the82nd Brigade in27th Division.[12] It also spent the rest of the war on the Western Front.[10] They were replaced by the 10th (Hackney) and 11th (Finsbury Rifles) battalions of theLondon Regiment, transferred from3rd London Brigade,1st London Division in April 1915.[13]
In May 1915, the brigade concentrated with its division in theSt Albans area to prepare for overseas service. In mid-May, the East Anglian Division was numbered as54th (East Anglian) Division and the brigade became162nd (East Midland) Brigade.[13] On 8 July it was warned for service atGallipoli and between 28 and 30 July it departedDevonport (Beds[14] and Northants[15] battalions) andLiverpool (London[16] battalions) for theMediterranean.[3] On the night of 10/11 August 1915 the brigadelanded at Suvla with its division as part ofIX Corps.[17]
The brigade's first attack was against Kiretch Tepe Ridge and Kidney Hill in support of the10th (Irish) Division on 15 August which cost a high price: the 1/5th Bedfords suffered casualties of 14officers and 300other ranks, the 1/10th Londons 6 and 260 and the 1/11th Londons 9 and 350 (the 1/4th Northants had not yet landed).[18] After the failure of theBattle of Scimitar Hill (21 August), theSuvla front subsided intotrench warfare. The brigade spent September, October and November serving turns in frontline trenches with names likeFinsbury Vale andNew Bedford Road,[14] battalions normally spending about a week at a time in the frontline[16] with the enemy lines being as little as 15–50 yards away.[15] Sniping and artillery attacks were a constant problem, as was the heat, flies, and lack of sanitation.[16]
The brigade was withdrawn fromSuvla in early December, departing forMudros and from there to Egypt.[17]
The brigade arrived atMena Camp, Cairo on 19 December 1915. It would spend the rest of the war in Egypt, Palestine and Syria.[17]
On 2 April 1916, the brigade joined No. 1 (Southern) Section of theSuez Canal Defences.[17]
In 1917, the brigade took part in theinvasion of Palestine. It fought in theFirst Battle of Gaza (26 and 27 March), theSecond Battle of Gaza (17–19 April) underEastern Force, and theThird Battle of Gaza (27 October – 7 November), the Capture of Gaza (1–7 November) and theBattle of Jaffa (21 and 22 December) as part ofXXI Corps.[17]
Still with XXI Corps, in 1918 the brigade took part in the Fight at Ras el'Ain (12 March) andBerukin (9 and 10 April).[17] It then took part in the Final Offensive in Palestine in theBattle of Sharon (19–23 September). The brigade reachedHaifa by 4 October, and advanced onBeirut viaAcre,Tyre andSidon concentrating at Beirut by 5 November. However, theArmistice of Mudros had ended the war with theOttoman Empire on 31 October.[17]
The division and brigade were withdrawn to Egypt in late November and December, concentrating atHelmie by 7 December. On 6 January 1919, the 162nd Brigade Trench MortarBattery was disbanded marking the start of the demobilization process. By 30 September 1919 the division had disappeared in Egypt.[17]
The brigade commanded the following units:[7][19]
The brigade had the following commanders:[20]
| From | To | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 August 1911 | 15 August 1915 | Colonel Charles de Winton | promotedBrigadier-General on 5 August 1914 |
| 15 August 1915 | 20 August 1915 | Lieutenant-Colonel P.C. Byrne | acting |
| 20 August 1915 | 25 May 1917 | Brigadier-General A. Mudge | sick 25 May 1917 |
| 25 May 1917 | 23 June 1917 | Lieutenant-Colonel E.W. Brighten | acting |
| 23 June 1917 | 12 June 1918 | Brigadier-General A. Mudge | leave 12 June 1917 |
| 12 June 1918 | 20 June 1918 | Lieutenant-Colonel J.F.S. Winnington | acting |
| 20 June 1918 | 25 August 1918 | Lieutenant-Colonel E.W. Brighten | acting |
| 25 August 1918 | demobilization | Brigadier-General A. Mudge |
TheTerritorial Force was effectively disbanded in 1919, but started to reform from 1 February 1920 as the units commenced recruiting. From 1 October 1921, it was renamed as theTerritorial Army (TA).[21] In 1920, the54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division (and the brigade) began to reform inEastern Command[17] with the same structure as the pre-war formation, and the brigade was reconstituted as162nd (East Midland) Infantry Brigade.[21] However, in the early 1920s, the 1st Battalion,Cambridgeshire Regiment was transferred to163rd (Norfolk and Suffolk) Infantry Brigade and replaced by the5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, previously theHuntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion of theArmy Cyclist Corps[22]
In 1938, a major reorganization of the Territorial Army saw infantry divisions reduced from twelve to nine battalions and so the 162nd Brigade was reduced from four to three battalions.[23] Consequently, the 4th Northants were transferred to theRoyal Engineers and converted as50th (The Northamptonshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers with asearchlight role and became part of32nd (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft Group,2nd Anti-Aircraft Division.[24][25] The 5th Northants were transferred to the143rd (Warwickshire) Infantry Brigade of the48th (South Midland) Infantry Division in 1938 and received the 1st Cambridgeshires as a replacement (which had transferred to 163rd (Norfolk and Suffolk) Infantry Brigade in the 1920s).[26]
By 1939, it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out, and as a direct result of theGerman invasion of Czechoslovakia on 15 March,[23] the doubling of the Territorial Army was authorised, with each unit and formation forming a duplicate.[27] The 162nd Brigade formed the55th Infantry Brigade which became part of a new18th Infantry Division.[28]
| Original Battalions | 162nd Brigade[29] | 55th Brigade[28] |
|---|---|---|
| 5th Battalion,Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment[k] | 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment | 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment |
| 1st Battalion,Cambridgeshire Regiment | 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment | 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment |
| 1st Battalion,Hertfordshire Regiment | 2nd Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment | 2nd Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment |
At the outbreak ofSecond World War on 3 September 1939, the162nd Infantry Brigade was part of54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division inEastern Command.[31] Apart from a period (5 December 1942 – 15 August 1943) when it served underLondon District, as162nd Independent Infantry Brigade from 10 November 1942 to 5 September 1943, the brigade remained with the 54th Division until the division was disbanded in December 1943. Thereafter, the brigade formed part of theLine of communication (LoC) for21st Army Group, the last two months of its existence under 12th LoC Area.[29]
The brigade headquarters disbanded on 31 August 1944, having never left the United Kingdom.[29]
The brigade commanded the following units:[29]
The brigade had the following commanders:[29]
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 3 September 1939 | 27 August 1940 | BrigadierJ. Macready |
| 27 August 1940 | 14 October 1941 | Brigadier R.B.S. Reford |
| 14 October 1941 | 31 August 1944 | Brigadier T.G. Newbury |
TheTerritorial Army was formally disbanded at the end of the war. TA units were reactivated on 1 January 1947, though no personnel were assigned until commanding officers and permanent staff had been appointed in March and April 1947.[33] The brigade was reformed in 1947 as the162nd Independent Infantry Brigade and commanded:[34]
On 1 May 1961, the ten existing TA divisions were merged with thedistricts, and the number of infantry brigades were reduced from 31 to 23.[35] On 1 April 1961, the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment[36] was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment[37] to form the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment.[36][l] On 1 May 1961, the 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment[39] amalgamated with R (The Northamptonshire Regiment) Battery, 438th Light Anti-Aircraft RegimentRA (formerly 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment)[40] to form 4th/5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment.[41]
TheVictoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded toBritish andCommonwealth forces. Two soldiers won the award while serving with the brigade:
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