| 15th Brigade 1st Rhine Brigade 15th Infantry Brigade 15 (North East) Brigade | |
|---|---|
 Merlin Insignia of 15 (North East) Brigade | |
| Active | 1905–1948 1982–2014 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry Regular andTerritorial Army |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | Support Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Imphal Barracks,York |
| Engagements | First World War: Battle of Mons Battle of Le Cateau First Battle of Ypres Battle of the Somme Third Battle of Ypres Vimy Ridge Battle of Épehy Second World War: Norwegian Campaign Operation Husky Italian Campaign North West Europe Campaign Post War: Battle of Surabaya |
The15th Infantry Brigade, later15 (North East) Brigade, was aninfantrybrigade of theBritish Army. It was part of the regular5th Infantry Division during theFirst World War andSecond World War, and was subsequently part of the2nd Infantry Division in the north of the United Kingdom, with specific responsibility for the areas ofNorth East England andYorkshire and the Humber.
The 15th Infantry Brigade was first formed in 1905 at Fermoy and up to the outbreak of the First World War continued to serve in Ireland. The Brigade, which at that time consisted of 1st Battalion,Norfolk Regiment, 1st Battalion,Dorset Regiment, 1st Battalion,Cheshire Regiment and 2nd Battalion,Highland Light Infantry, was mobilized on 5 August 1914 and crossed to France as part the5th Division with theBritish Expeditionary Force.
During the opening months of the War, the Brigade had its full share of fighting and saw action atMons,Le Cateau, at the crossings of theMarne andAisne and in the first battles inFlanders.
The Brigade has chosen Ypres, November 1914, as the Brigade Battle and there is an annual Brigade Dinner to celebrate it. The Brigade fought in all four battles of Ypres.
The Brigade distinguished itself in various battles. One of the most notable was the attack onHill 60 nearYpres in 1915. Hill 60 was the highest point on what was known as the "Caterpillar Ridge" and as such was an excellent post for observation of the ground area aroundZillebeke and Ypres. The 5th Division, composed of13th,14th and 15th brigades, had the task of securing Hill 60 and the ridge line. The Hill was taken between 17 and 19 April 1915, with heavy losses, and the subsequent German counterattack in early May was particularly ferocious. The Germans, unable to obtain victory, eventually resorted to the use ofchlorine gas and Brigade casualties during the first week in May 1915 were 33 officers and 1,553 men. However, the line was held until reliefs were brought forward and the Brigade withdrawn.
The last battle of the Great War in November 1918 found 15th Brigade in the forefront of the advance, east of the RiverSambre.
Following the war the 15th Brigade returned to Belfast where it commanded 1st Battalion,Dorsetshire Regiment, 1st Battalion,Somerset Light Infantry, 1stDurham Light Infantry and 1st Battalion,King's Royal Rifle Corps. In 1924 the 15th Brigade moved to Germany as part of theBritish Army of the Rhine and was renamed1st Rhine Brigade. The Brigade was reformed, as 15th Infantry Brigade in October.
The brigade was formed from regular units on the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939. When the 5th Division was sent toFrance late 1939, the 15th Brigade was sent instead in May to Norway, as part ofSickleforce to participate in the unsuccessfulNorwegian Campaign, under the command of Lieutenant-General H.R.S.Massey. The brigade was reunited with the 5th Division on 3 August.
The Brigade served with this formation for the rest of the war, seeing action in theAllied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 andItalian Campaign later in the year. After participating in the later stages of theBattle of Anzio, the brigade was deployed to garrison duties in the Middle East before being transferred toNorth-western Europe on 3 March 1945. The brigade was disbanded inHanover on 31 March 1948.
The Brigade was reformed in 1982, as aTerritorial Army formation, which in turn was part of the2nd Infantry Division.[2] The Brigade's Headquarters were atAlanbrooke Barracks and its first commander in this new role was Brigadier Michael Aris. Its organisation and role were tested in Exercise Keystone in 1983, when it consisted of:
In 1999, having been a territorial formation for many years, the brigade was made responsible for both regular and territorial units in the North East, when the Second Division became a "Regenerative Division", responsible for the north of England and Scotland.
This brigade was merged with the former4th Mechanised Brigade to become the Headquarters North East section of4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East based inCatterick.[3]
In 1989 the 15th Infantry Brigade, (at that time a Reserve Brigade), had the following structure
_Infantry_Brigade_-_Organization_1989.png)
Structure 1989:[4]
15th (North East) Brigade was a Regional Brigade responsible for the recruiting of soldiers and Officers for the Regular andTerritorial Army. It trained the Territorial Army for operations, provided a command and control focus for all military support to civilian authorities during civil emergencies e.g. flooding and was responsible for providing the "Firm Base" to the Regular Army within its area. The brigade had its headquarters atImphal Barracks inYork and included the following units:[5]
_Infantry_Brigade_-_Organization_2007.png)
The following officers commanded the 15th Brigade during its existence: