1st Composite Mounted Brigade

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1st Composite Mounted Brigade
ActiveSeptember 1915–December 1915
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
TypeDismounted Yeomanry
Size Brigade
Engagements World War I

The 1st Composite Mounted Brigade [1] was a formation of the British Army in World War I. It was formed by the 2nd Mounted Division during the Gallipoli Campaign on 4 September 1915 by absorbing the 1st South Midland, 2nd South Midland and 5th Mounted Brigades. The brigade was dissolved on return to Egypt in December 1915.

Contents

Formation

Due to losses during the Battle of Scimitar Hill and wastage during August 1915, the 2nd Mounted Division had to be reorganised. On 4 September 1915, the 1st Composite Mounted Brigade was formed from 1st (1st South Midland), 2nd (2nd South Midland) and 5th (Yeomanry) Mounted Brigades. [2] Each dismounted brigade formed a battalion sized unit:

1st South Midland Regiment (Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire Yeomanry)
2nd South Midland Regiment (Buckinghamshire, Dorset and Berkshire Yeomanry)
5th Yeomanry Regiment (Hertfordshire and 2nd County of London Yeomanry)

The brigade was commanded by Br-Gen E.A.Wiggin, former commander of the 1st South Midlands Mounted Brigade. [3] The 2nd Composite Mounted Brigade was formed at the same time with the 3rd and 4th Regiments.

Dissolved

The brigade left Suvla on 31 October 1915 for Mudros. It left Mudros on 27 November, arrived Alexandria on 1 December and went to Mena Camp, Cairo. [4] Each regiment had left a squadron headquarters and two troops (about 100 officers and men) in Egypt to look after the horses. [5] The 1st South Midland, 2nd South Midland and Yeomanry Mounted Brigades were reformed on 1 December and the 1st Composite Mounted Brigade passed out of existence. [6]

See also

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The 1st South Midland Mounted Brigade was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908.

The 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908.

The London Mounted Brigade was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908.

The North Midland Mounted Brigade was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">14th Cavalry Brigade (British Indian Army)</span> Military unit

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">162nd (East Midland) Brigade</span> Military unit

The East Midland Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army, that was raised in 1908. As the name suggests, it commanded infantry battalions recruited in the East Midlands of England: Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. The brigade was an integral part of the East Anglian Division.

The Eastern Mounted Brigade was a formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army, organised in 1908. After serving dismounted in the Gallipoli Campaign, it was absorbed into the 3rd Dismounted Brigade in Egypt in February 1916.

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The 2nd Composite Mounted Brigade was a formation of the British Army in World War I. It was formed by the 2nd Mounted Division during the Gallipoli Campaign on 4 September 1915 by absorbing the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and London Mounted Brigades. The brigade was dissolved on return to Egypt in December 1915.

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References

  1. Despite the name, the brigade was dismouted throughout its existence.
  2. Becke 1936 , p. 17
  3. Becke 1936 , p. 10
  4. Becke 1936 , p. 14
  5. James 1978 , p. 34
  6. Becke 1936 , pp. 10, 11

Bibliography