41st Brigade | |
---|---|
Active | 21 August 1914–24 March 1919 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | New Army |
Type | Infantry |
Size | Brigade |
Part of | 14th (Light) Division |
Nickname(s) | Greenjacket Brigade |
Engagements | Battle of the Somme Battle of Arras Third Battle of Ypres German spring offensive Hundred Days Offensive |
41st Brigade (41st Bde) was an infantry formation of the British Army during World War I. It was formed in August 1914 as part of the New Army, also known as Kitchener's Army, and was assigned to the 14th (Light) Division, serving on the Western Front. It was sometimes known as the 'Greenjacket Brigade' [lower-alpha 1] because it was composed of battalions of the King's Royal Rifle Corps and the Rifle Brigade, whose full dress uniforms were Rifle green. [1]
On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army. The newly-appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. Men flooded into the recruiting offices and the 'first hundred thousand' were enlisted within days. [2] [3] Army Order No 324 of 21 August authorised six new infantry divisions to be formed from these recruits, which became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. The senior of these division was to be 8th (Light) Division composed of battalions drawn from light infantry and rifle regiments of the British Army, with three brigades numbered 23rd, 24th and 25th. This formation began assembling at Aldershot. However, it soon emerged that sufficient Regular Army battalions would be brought back from overseas garrisons to form an additional division: this became 8th Division, and the Kitchener division was renumbered on 14 September as the 14th (Light) Division, its brigades becoming 41st, 42nd and 43rd. [4] [5]
The brigade was composed as follows: [4] [5]
Following massive casualties during the German spring offensive all infantry battalions of 14th (L) Division were reduced to training cadres (TCs) in April. Various other units were attached to the division during May to work on the Lillers–Steenbecque–Morbecque defence line. The division then proceeded to Brookwood in England on 17 June to be reconstituted at Pirbright Camp with troops of medical category B. 41st Brigade was then composed as follows: [4] [5]
14th (Light) Division crossed to France in May 1915 and completed its concentration around Watten, north-west of Saint-Omer, by 25 May. Thereafter it served on the Western Front in the following operations: [4] [5]
1915
1916
1917
1918
Following casualties in the German spring offensive, 14th (L) Division was withdrawn to England to be reconstituted (see above). It returned to the Western Front in July and participated in the following actions:
Following the Armistice with Germany demobilisation of 14th (L) Division began in December 1918 and the division and its formations ceased to exist on 24 March 1919. [4]
41st Brigade was not reactivated in World War II. [6]
The following officers commanded the brigade: [4]
The formation sign of 14th (L) Division was a light infantry green rectangle crossed by two white lines, one horizontal the other diagonal. [7] Within the division the units wore a variety of identifying signs; for 41st Bde these were: [8]
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