| Glasgow Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1890–1902 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Volunteer Force |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Glasgow Hamilton |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Colonel Sir William Cuninghame, VC |
The Glasgow Brigade was an infantry formation of Britain's Volunteer Force from 1890 to 1902. It was the forerunner of two formations of the Territorial Force that saw service in both World Wars.
The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle Volunteer units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. [1] [2] The Stanhope Memorandum of 1888 proposed a comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training. [3] [4] Under this scheme a number of Volunteer Battalions of regiments in Southern Scotland would assemble together at Glasgow as the Clyde Brigade. [5]
The Brigade Headquarters (HQ) was at 137 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, and the brigade commander was Colonel Sir William Cuninghame, VC, appointed 17 October 1888. [5]
With a total of 17 battalions this brigade was larger than most VIBs and in 1890 it was split into two, the Volunteer Battalions of the Royal Scots Fusiliers and Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders continuing in the Clyde Brigade, while the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and Highland Light Infantry formed a separate Glasgow Brigade. Sir William Cuninghame continued in command of the Glasgow Brigade]. [5]
From 1890 the Glasgow Brigade had the following composition: [5]
Sir William Cuninghame retired in 1897, after which the HQ moved to Hamilton, South Lanarkshire and the Officer Commanding 26th and 71st Regimental District (the Cameronians and HLI depot) became ex-officio brigade commander. [5]
All the battalions provided volunteers to serve alongside the Regular regiments in the 2nd Boer War and gained the Battle honour South Africa 1900–02. [5] [6]
The Volunteer Infantry Brigades were reorganised in 1902 and the Glasgow Brigade was split up. The four Volunteer Battalions of the Cameronians constituted the new Scottish Rifles Brigade, while the four Volunteer Battalions of the Highland Light Infantry became the Highland Light Infantry Brigade. [5]
These successor brigades were carried through when the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908. [7] [8] They formed part of the Lowland Division of the TF. During World War I they became the 156th (Scottish Rifles) Brigade and 157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigade in the 52nd (Lowland) Division, and formed Second Line duplicates as the 195th (2/1st Scottish Rifles) Brigade and 196th (2/1st Highland Light Infantry) Brigade of the 65th (2nd Lowland) Division. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
The 9th (Scottish) Division, was an infantry division of the British Army during the First World War, one of the Kitchener's Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener to serve on the Western Front during the First World War.
The 52nd Lowland Volunteers is a battalion in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Lowlands, forming the 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile association with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the senior Reserve line infantry battalion in the British Army. It is one of two Reserve battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, along with 51st Highland, a similar unit located in the Scottish Highlands.
The Cameronians was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Regiment and the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry. In 1968, when reductions were required, the regiment chose to be disbanded rather than amalgamated with another regiment, one of only two infantry regiments in the British Army to do so, with the other being the York and Lancaster Regiment. It can trace its roots to that of the Cameronians, later the 26th of Foot, who were raised in 1689. The 1881 amalgamation coincided with the Cameronian's selection to become the new Scottish Rifles.
The 28th Infantry Brigade was a British Army formation which served during the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, The Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation.
The Glasgow Highlanders was a former infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force, later renamed the Territorial Army. The regiment eventually became a Volunteer Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry in 1881. The regiment saw active service in both World War I and World War II. In 1959 the Highland Light Infantry was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers. The Glasgow Highlanders was later amalgamated into the 52nd Lowland Volunteers in 1967.
The 127th (Manchester) Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service during both the First and Second World Wars. It was assigned to the 42nd Division and served in the Middle East and on the Western Front in the First World War.
The 156th Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army. The brigade saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars with the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.
The 155th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars. Assigned to the 52nd (Lowland) Division, the brigade saw active service in the Middle East and on the Western Front during the First World War. During the Second World War, now the 155th Infantry Brigade, it continued to serve with the 52nd Division in Operation Dynamo, and later in North-western Europe from late 1944 until May 1945.
The 157th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army. The brigade fought in both the First and the Second World Wars, assigned to 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.
The 140th Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army's Territorial Army (TA) that had its origins in a South London Brigade of the former Volunteer Force. It served on the Western Front in the First World War and was recreated during the Second World War where it served only in the United Kingdom as a training formation.
The 65th Division of the British Army was a second-line Territorial Force division, formed in 1914, which served on home defence duties during the First World War.
221st Mixed Brigade was a Scottish Home Service formation of the British Army that served under various titles throughout World War I.
The 195th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army raised during the Great War. The brigade was part of the Territorial Force and created as a 2nd Line of the 156th Brigade and part of the 65th Division, itself formed as a 2nd Line of the 52nd (Lowland) Division. The brigade was initially composed of four battalions of the Cameronians.
The 17th Battalion, The London Regiment , was a unit of Britain's Territorial Force formed in 1908 from Volunteer corps dating back to 1859. It saw considerable service on the Western Front, at Salonika and in Palestine during World War I. It served as an infantry regiment during World War II before conversion to an artillery unit in 1947 and subsequent amalgamation in 1967.
The Rangers was a volunteer unit of the British Army, originally formed in 1860. It provided a detachment for service in the Second Boer War, saw intensive action on the Western Front in the First World War, and served as motorised infantry during the Second World War during the campaigns in Greece and the Western Desert.
The 1st Lanarkshire Artillery Volunteers were formed in 1859 as a response to a French invasion threat. Its units fought at Gallipoli and in Palestine during World War I, and in Normandy and North West Europe during World War II. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army until 1961.
The Blythswood Rifles was a Scottish Volunteer unit of the British Army. Raised in Glasgow from 1859, it later became a battalion of the Highland Light Infantry. During World War I it served at Gallipoli, in Egypt and Palestine, in Ireland, and on the Western Front. Converted into an anti-aircraft artillery regiment just before World War II, it served in The Blitz and in the Middle East during the war, and continued in the postwar Territorial Army until 1955.
The Clyde Brigade was a Scottish infantry formation of Britain's Volunteer Force from 1888 to 1902.
The 1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers was a Scottish Volunteer unit of the British Army. Originally raised in Glasgow from 1859, it later became a battalion of the Cameronians. During World War I it served on the Western Front and in Ireland. Converted into an anti-aircraft regiment just before World War II, it served during The Blitz and in the campaign in North West Europe, and continued in air defence role in the postwar years until 1955.
The 4th Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps was a Scottish Volunteer unit of the British Army. Originally raised in Glasgow in 1859, it later became a battalion of the Cameronians. During World War I it served at Gallipoli, in Egypt and Palestine, and on the Western Front. Converted into an anti-aircraft regiment just before World War II, it served throughout the war and continued in an air defence role in the postwar years until 1950.