Hampshire Brigade

Last updated

Portsmouth Brigade
Hampshire Brigade
128th (Hampshire) Brigade
128th Infantry Brigade
Active1889–1919
1920–1946
1947–?
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Branch Flag of the British Army.svg Volunteer Force/Territorial Force/Territorial Army
Type Infantry
Size Brigade
Part of 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division
46th Infantry Division
Garrison/HQ Netley Castle
Southampton
Engagements Second World War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Frederick Browning
Manley Angell James
Douglas Kendrew

The Hampshire Brigade, previously the Portsmouth Brigade and later 128th (Hampshire) Brigade, was an infantry formation of the British Army of the Volunteer Force, Territorial Force (TF) and Territorial Army (TA) in existence from 1889 until after the Second World War. It served in British India during the First World War, but not as a complete formation. During the Second World War, the 128th Infantry Brigade fought in the Tunisia Campaign, in the Italian Campaign, and later in the Greek Civil War. The brigade was composed entirely of battalions from the Hampshire Regiment (later Royal Hampshire Regiment).

Contents

Volunteer Brigade

The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for units of the Volunteer Force, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training. [1] [2] [3] Under this scheme four of the five Volunteer Battalions (VBs) of the Hampshire Regiment formed the Portsmouth Brigade (the 4th VB was initially in the Portland Brigade, but joined after that formation was disbanded in the early1890s): [4]

The first brigade commander was Colonel Sir William Humphery, 1st Baronet, formerly commanding officer of the 1st VB, appointed 26 January 1889. He was succeeded by Col the Hon Henry Crichton, retired from the 21st Hussars, who moved the brigade HQ to his home at Netley Castle. [4] [5]

The volunteer brigades were extensively reorganised in 1902 but the Portsmouth Brigade was unchanged, apart from being retitled the Hampshire Brigade. [4] Colonel Crichton was knighted (KCB) in 1911 after he retired from the command. [5] [6]

Territorial Force

Under the Haldane Reforms the Volunteer Force was subsumed into the Territorial Force (TF), the volunteer battalions becoming numbered battalions of their parent units. The TF also introduced higher formations, the Hampshire Brigade now forming part of the Wessex Division. TF brigades now adiopted a standard four-battalion establishment, so the 8th (Isle of Wight Rifles, 'Princess Beatrice's) Bn remained unattached under the orders of Southern Command, allocated to 'Southern and South Western Coast Defences'. The composition of the brigade on the outbreak of the First World War was therefore: [7] [8]

First World War

On 29 July 1914, the Wessex Division was on Salisbury Plain carrying out its annual training camp when 'precautionary orders' were received, and next day the division took up emergency war stations in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. The order to mobilise arrived on the evening of 4 August. Between 10 and 13 August the division concentrated on Salisbury Plain and began war training. [7] [9]

On the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and on 15 August the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. [10]

On 24 September, at the special request of the Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, the Wessex Division accepted liability for service in British India to relieve the Regular units there for service on the Western Front. The division's infantry battalions (without their brigade headquarters) embarked at Southampton on 8 October and then were convoyed to Bombay. They were immediately distributed to garrisons across India, reverting to peacetime service conditions, and the Hampshire Brigade never saw service as a whole, though it was formally numbered the 128th (Hampshire) Brigade in May 1915. [7] [9]

As soon as the Wessex Division had left for India, the 2nd Wessex Division and its brigades began to be organised from the 2nd Line battalions being raised by the home depots. Recruitment and training of the 2nd Wessex Division proceeded so well that it was also sent to India in December 1914, and later received the notional titles of 45th (2nd Wessex) Division and 134th (2/1st Hampshire) Brigade. [11] [12] Brigadier-General G.H. Nicholson, who had commanded the Hampshire Brigade since 14 February 1914, took temporary command of the 2/1st Hampshire Brigade on its formation and went out to India in command of the 2nd Line troops before returning to the UK. [4] [11]

By early 1915 the need was growing for troops to be sent from India to various theatres of war, and the first drafts and formed units from the Wessex Divisions began to go on active service, particularly to the Mesopotamian Front. By the end of the war only one battalion remained in India from the two Hampshire brigades. [7] [9] [11] [12]

Order of battle

The brigades composition was as follows: [7] [9]

Interwar

The Territorial Force was disbanded shortly after the war ended but reformed in the 1920s as the Territorial Army. The brigade was reformed in the Territorial Army, as the 128th (Hampshire) Infantry Brigade, in 1920 and was again part of the 43rd Division and again included four battalions of the Hampshire Regiment. [13]

However, the composition of the brigade changed over the years. The 5th and 7th battalions were merged in 1923 to become the 5th/7th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment [14] They were replaced in the brigade by the 8th (Isle of Wight Rifles) Battalion, Hampshire Regiment.

In 1937 the 8th (Isle of Wight Rifles) Battalion was converted to the Royal Artillery role as The Princess Beatrice's (Isle of Wight Rifles) Heavy Regiment. [15] The following year, in 1938, all infantry brigades of the British Army were reduced from four infantry battalions to three. As a consequence of this, the 6th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Battalion, Hampshire Regiment was, like the 8th Battalion, transferred to the Royal Artillery and redesignated the 59th (Duke of Connaught's Hampshire) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery [16] and became the anti-tank regiment for the 43rd Division. They were replaced in the brigade by the 4th Battalion, Dorset Regiment, originally from the 129th (South Western) Infantry Brigade. The brigade, shortly afterwards, was redesignated the 128th Infantry Brigade.

In the spring and summer of 1939 the Territorial Army was doubled in size and all units were ordered to form a duplicate unit and the 4th Battalion was split in two, to create the 1/4th and 2/4th battalions [17] and 5th/7th Battalion was split into the 5th and 7th battalions. [18] However, unlike, most Territorial divisions which formed an exact 'mirror' duplicate of 2nd Line units, the 43rd (Wessex) was instead split on a geographical basis. The units from Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire remained with the 43rd Division and units from Devonshire, Somerset and Cornwall joined the 45th Infantry Division. Therefore, the newly raised 7th Hampshire Regiment and the 4th Dorset Regiment were both transferred to the 130th Infantry Brigade. The 128th Brigade kept the 1/4th and 5th Hampshires, two 1st Line units, and the 2/4th Battalion, a 2nd Line unit.

Second World War

During the Second World War, the 128th Brigade was mobilised in September 1939, soon after the outbreak of war. The brigade continued to serve with the 43rd Division and was preparing to go overseas to the Franco-Belgian border to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). The brigade was at the time commanded by Brigadier Frederick Browning, a Regular Army officer of the Grenadier Guards. However, the BEF's retreat and evacuation from Dunkirk during the Battle of France cancelled these plans and the division instead remained in Kent on the defensive and prepared for a potential German invasion of England.

Men of the 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment move up to their last objective before the Gothic Line, Italy, 27 August 1944. The British Army in Italy 1944 NA18067.jpg
Men of the 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment move up to their last objective before the Gothic Line, Italy, 27 August 1944.

On 6 June 1942 the 43rd (Wessex) Division was reorganised as a 'Mixed Division' and 34th Tank Brigade arrived to replace the 128th Infantry. The brigade was, therefore, transferred to the 46th Infantry Division on 15 August, and would remain with the division for the rest of the war. The 128th Brigade remained with the 46th for the rest of the war. With this division the brigade served in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. It then bore the brunt of a German offensive, Operation Ochsenkopf, in Northern Tunisia during the spring of 1943. After the Axis surrender in May 1943, it then went on to fight in the Italian Campaign from September 1943 until late 1944, when it was then deployed to Greece to help calm the Greek Civil War.

The 128th Infantry Brigade fought in many battles in Italy including the Salerno landings in September 1943, Naples, and at the Gothic Line. It ended the war in Austria.

Order of battle

128 Brigade had the following composition during the war: [19]

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, 128 Bde was reformed in 43 Division with the following composition and so was no longer a solely Hampshire formation: [17] [20]

The brigade appears to have been finally disbanded in the 1960s.

Commanders

The following officers commanded the Portsmouth/Hampshire Brigade: [4] [7]

The following officers commanded 128th Brigade during the Second World War: [19]

Victoria Cross recipients

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Beckett, pp. 135, 185–6.
  2. ↑ Dunlop, pp. 60–1; Appendix A.
  3. ↑ Spiers, pp. 228–9.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Army List, various dates.
  5. 1 2 Burke's: Erne.
  6. ↑ London Gazette, 19 June 1911.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 43–8.
  8. ↑ Conrad 1914.
  9. 1 2 3 4 43rd (1st Wessex) Division at Long, Long Trail.
  10. ↑ Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.
  11. 1 2 3 Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 55–60.
  12. 1 2 45th (2nd Wessex) Division at Long, Long Trail.
  13. ↑ "43 Division" (PDF).[ permanent dead link ]
  14. ↑ "Volunteers, Militia Territorial Formations of the Hampshire Regiment". 1rhamps.com. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "Princess Beatrice's Isle of Wight Rifles [UK]". Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "6th Battalion, The Royal Hampshire Regiment [UK]". Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  17. 1 2 "4th Battalion, The Royal Hampshire Regiment [UK]". Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "5th Battalion, The Royal Hampshire Regiment [UK]". Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  19. 1 2 Joslen, p. 313.
  20. ↑ Watson, TA 1947.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division</span> Military unit

The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was an infantry division of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). The division was first formed in 1908, as the Wessex Division. During the First World War, it was broken-up and never served as a complete formation. It was reformed in the TA in 1920, and then served in the campaign in North West Europe from June 1944 until May 1945, during the Second World War. The division suffered heavy casualties and gained an excellent reputation. After the Second World War, the division formed part of the postwar TA, and became the 43rd (Wessex) Division/District in 1961. It was finally disbanded in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Hampshire Regiment</span> Military unit

The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th Regiment of Foot and the 67th Regiment of Foot. The regiment existed continuously for 111 years and served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. An Army Order of the 28 November 1946 stated, due to distinguished service in the Second World War, the regiment would be re-titled as the Royal Hampshire Regiment.

The 131st Infantry Brigade, originally the Surrey Brigade was an infantry formation of Britain's Territorial Army that saw service during both the First and the Second World Wars. In the First World War the brigade was in British India for most of the war and did not see service as a complete unit but many of its battalions would see service in the Middle East.

The 130th Brigade, originally the Plymouth Brigade was an infantry formation of Britain's Volunteer Force, Territorial Force, and later Territorial Army (TA). In the First World War the brigade was in British India for most of the war and did not see service as a complete formation, but many of its battalions fought in the Middle East campaigns. The brigade did see action during the campaign in North West Europe of the Second World War, distinguishing itself at actions such as Operation Jupiter, the capture of Mont Pinçon, Operation Market Garden, at 'Dorset Wood' and at Hengelo. As 130 Brigade it continued in the postwar TA until 1961.

The 129th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that served during both the First and Second World Wars. In both wars the brigade was part of 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">145th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

The 145th Infantry Brigade was a regional brigade of the British Army that saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars, disbanding in 1943 and being reformed in the 1990s. The Brigade was renamed Headquarters 11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East in October 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">153rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

153rd Infantry Brigade was a formation of Britain's Territorial Force/Territorial Army that was part of 51st (Highland) Division in both World Wars. From its origins in the 19th Century Volunteer Force it was based in Aberdeen and was composed of Highland battalions. It served on the Western Front in World War I, and after it was captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux early in World War II it was reformed from its 2nd Line and saw action in North Africa, Sicily and North West Europe. It continued serving postwar until the reduction of the Territorial Army in the 1960s.

227th Brigade was an infantry formation of the British Army formed for Home Service under various short-lived titles in the First and the Second World Wars. Later it was upgraded to a field formation composed of Scottish troops, and saw heavy fighting in the Normandy and North West Europe Campaign.

The 1st Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers, later the 8th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, but known informally as the 'Isle of Wight Rifles', was an auxiliary unit of the British Army formed to defend the Isle of Wight after a mid-19th Century invasion scare. During World War I it fought in the Gallipoli Campaign, taking part in the calamitous attack at Suvla Bay, and later at the battles of Gaza and Megiddo in Palestine. Between the wars it was converted to coast defence artillery and served in this role on the Isle of Wight throughout World War II. One battery was sent to reinforce the garrison of Tobruk, where it was captured in 1942. Postwar the unit converted to the air defence role, then reverted to infantry, and its successors continue in today's Army Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampshire Yeomanry</span> Military unit

The Hampshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry cavalry regiment formed by amalgamating older units raised between 1794 and 1803 during the French Revolutionary Wars. It served in a mounted role in the Second Boer War and World War I, and in the air defence role during and after World War II. The lineage is continued by 295 Battery and 457 Battery, batteries of 106 (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery, part of the Army Reserve.

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.

233rd Brigade was an infantry formation of the British Army in the First and the Second World Wars

The 45th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army. It was formed in the First World War as a duplicate of the 43rd (Wessex) Division and was originally formed as the 2nd Wessex Division in 1914–1915 before later being renamed as the 45th Division and the brigades numbered. It was sent overseas to India in December 1914 to relieve Regular Army units for service in France. The division remained there for the rest of the war, supplying drafts of replacements to the British units fighting in the Middle East and later complete battalions.

The 134th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army. It was formed in the First World War as a duplicate of the Hampshire Brigade and was originally formed as the 2nd/1st Hampshire Brigade in 1914–1915 before later being renamed as the 134th Brigade. It was sent overseas to India in December 1914 to relieve Regular Army units for service in France. The brigade remained there for the rest of the war, supplying drafts of replacements to the British units fighting in the Middle East and later complete battalions. By September 1917 the last of its battalions had departed.

The 135th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army. It was formed in the First World War as a duplicate of the South Western Brigade and was originally formed as the 2nd/1st South Western Brigade in 1914–1915 before later being renamed as the 135th Brigade. It was sent overseas to India in December 1914 to relieve Regular Army units for service in France. The brigade remained there for the rest of the war, supplying drafts of replacements to the British units fighting in the Middle East and later complete battalions.

The 136th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army. It was formed in the First World War as a duplicate of the Devon and Cornwall Brigade and was originally formed as the 2nd/1st Devon and Cornwall Brigade in 1914–1915 before later being renamed as the 136th Brigade. It was sent overseas to India in December 1914 to relieve Regular Army units for service in France. The brigade remained there for the rest of the war, supplying drafts of replacements to the British units fighting in the Middle East and later complete battalions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">223rd Brigade (United Kingdom)</span> Home Defence formation of the British Army

The 223rd Brigade was a Home Defence formation of the British Army in the First and the Second World Wars. It existed under several variations of the 223 Brigade title, and was eventually converted into an airborne formation.

The 224th Brigade was a Home Defence formation of the British Army in World War I and World War II. It existed under several variations of the 224th Brigade title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment</span> Military unit

The 6th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment was an infantry battalion of the British Army. Part of the Volunteer Force, later the Territorial Force, the battalion was part of the Hampshire Regiment and recruited from Portsmouth, Hampshire. It served as infantry during World War I and as a Royal Artillery regiment during and after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exeter and South Devon Volunteers</span> Military unit

The Exeter & South Devon Volunteers was the premier unit of Britain's Volunteer Force. Formed in 1852 it went on to become a battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. Both its active service battalions went to garrison India on the outbreak of the First World War, and then saw action in Mesopotamia and Palestine. In the Second World War, the battalion served in the garrison of Gibraltar. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army until it was merged with other West Country units. Its successors today serve in a reserve battalion of The Rifles.

References

External sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.