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{{Infobox military unit
The '''172nd (2/1st South Lancashire) Brigade''' was a formation of the [[Territorial Force]] of the [[British Army]]. It was assigned to the [[57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division]] and served on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] during the [[First World War]].
|unit_name=172nd (2/1st South Lancashire) Brigade
|image=
|caption=
|dates= January 1915–July 1919<br>November 1943–April 1944
|country={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|allegiance=
|branch=[[Image:Flag of the British Army.svg|23px]] [[British Army]]
|type=Infantry Brigade
|role=Deception (WWII)
|size=
|command_structure=[[57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division]]
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=
|notable_commanders=
|anniversaries=
}}


'''172nd (2nd/1st South Lancashire) Brigade''' (172 Bde) was a 2nd-Line infantry formation of the British [[Territorial Force]] raised during [[World War I]] that served on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]. The brigade's number was also used for deception purposes during [[World War II]].
==Formation==

<small>The infantry battalions did not all serve at once, but all were assigned to the brigade during the war.</small>
==Origin==
*2/9th Battalion, [[King's (Liverpool Regiment)]]
On 31 August 1914 the [[War Office]] authorised the formation of a reserve or 2nd-Line unit for each Territorial Force (TF) unit that was proceeding on overseas service. The 2nd/1st South Lancashirel Brigade came into existence in November 1914, composed of 2nd-Line duplicates of the battalions of the peacetime [[166th (South Lancashire) Brigade|South Lancashire Brigade]] that were due to be sent overseas. The brigade was part of [[57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division|2nd West Lancashire Division]]. In August 1915 these formations were assigned numbers, becoming '''172nd (2nd/1st South Lancashire) Brigade''' and '''57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division''' respectively.<ref name = Becke>Becke, pp. 1–7.</ref><ref name = 57Div>[http://www.1914-1918.net/57div.htm 57th Division at Long, Long Trail]</ref>
*2/10th Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment)

*2/4th Battalion, [[South Lancashire Regiment]]
==Order of Battle==
*2/5th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment
The following units served in 172 Bde during World War I:<ref name = Becke/><ref name = 57Div/><ref>[http://www.warpath.orbat.com/divs/57_div.htm#172_bde 172 Bde at Regimental Warpath]</ref>
*172nd Machine Gun Company
* 2/9th Battalion [[King's Regiment (Liverpool)]] – ''amalgamated in February 1918 with 1/9th King's from [[164th (North Lancashire) Brigade]] and redesignated 9th King's''<ref name = King's>[http://www.1914-1918.net/kings.htm King's at Long, Long Trail]</ref><ref name= Liverpool>[http://www.warpath.orbat.com/regts/kings_liverpool.htm King's at Regimental Warpath]</ref>
*172nd Trench Mortar Battery
* 2/10th (Liverpool Scottish) Battalion King's Regiment (Liverpool) – ''transferred to [[55th (West Lancashire) Division]] 20 April 1918''<ref name = King's/><ref name= Liverpool/>
*1/9th Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment)
* 2/4th Battalion Prince of Wales's Volunteers ([[South Lancashire Regiment]])<ref name = SLancs>[http://www.1914-1918.net/southlancs.htm South Lancs at Long, Long Trail]</ref><ref name = POW>[http://www.warpath.orbat.com/regts/s_lancs.htm South Lancs at Regimental Warpath]</ref>
*1st Battalion, [[Royal Munster Fusiliers]]
* 2/5th Battalion Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment) – ''broken up February 1918 and distributed to 1/5th, 2/4th South Lancashires, 57th Bn Machine Gun Corps and No 2 Entrenching Battalion''<ref name = SLancs/><ref name = POW/>
<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=4 February 2012|publisher=The Long Long Trail|title=57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division|url=http://www.1914-1918.net/57div.htm}}</ref>
* 172nd Machine Gun Company – ''joined February 1917; transferred to 57th Bn [[Machine Gun Corps]] 1 March 1918''
* 172nd Trench Mortar Battery – ''joined February 1917''
* 1st Battalion [[Royal Munster Fusiliers]] – ''joined 20 April 1918 from [[16th (Irish) Division]]''<ref>[http://www.1914-1918.net/rmf.htm Munsters at Long, Long Trail]</ref>

==Commanders==
The following officers commanded 172 Bde during World War I:<ref name = Becke/>
* Col. O.J.H. Ball (from 6 January 1915)
* Brig.-Gen. A.L. Macfie (transferred from South Lancashire Brigade April 1915)
* Brig.-Gen. G.C.B. Paynter (from 25 August 1916; wounded 4 October 1918; returned 25 October 1918)
* Lt.-Col. M.E. Makgill-Crichton-Maitland (acting)

==History==
The formations and units of 57th Division concentrated around [[Canterbury]] in early 1915 as part of [[British Second Army (Home Forces)|Second Army]], [[British Central Force|Central Force]]. Training was hampered by lack of equipment: the infantry trained on obsolete .256-inch Japanese rifles until [[Lee-Enfield|.303-inch service rifles]] (many in poor condition) arrived in November 1915. In July 1916, 57th Division was transferred to the Emergency Reserves in the [[Aldershot Garrison|Aldershot]] area where it continued training.<ref name = Becke/><ref name = 57Div/> 172 Brigade was initially at [[Mytchett]] and later at Blackdown]].<ref name = Becke/><ref name = SLancs/>

On 5 January 1917 the division was ready for overseas service, and between 7 and 22 February its units and formations crossed to France and disembarked at [[Le Havre]]. On 25 February it took over a section of the Front Line under the command of [[II ANZAC Corps]]. 172 Brigade served on the Western Front for the rest of the war, taking part in the following operations:<ref name = Becke/>

* [[Second Battle of Passchendaele]] 26 October–7 November 1917
* [[Battle of Arras (1918)|Second Battle of Arras]]:
** [[Battle of the Scarpe (1918)|Battle of the Scarpe]] 28–30 August 1918
** [[Battle of Drocourt-Queant Line]] 2–3 September 1918
* Battles of the [[Hindenburg Line]]:
** [[Battle of the Canal du Nord]] 27 September–1 October 1918
** [[Battle of Cambrai (1918)|Battle of Cambrai]] 8–9 October 1918
** Capture of [[Cambrai]] 9 October 1918
* Final Advance in [[Artois]] and [[Flanders]] 15 October–1 November 1918
** Occupation of [[Lille]] 17 October 1918

On 1 November 1918 172 Bde went into billets at Lille, and was still resting when the [[Armistice with Germany]] was signed. For the rest of 1918 its units were involved in clearing and evacuating stores from the [[Arras]] area. Demobilisation began in January 1919 and units were steadily reduced to cadres. The last cadres of 57th Division left France in July 1919, completing the disbandment of 172 Bde.<ref name = Becke/>

==World War II==
172 Brigade was never reformed, but the number was used for deception purposes during World War II. During November and December 1943, 30th Battalion [[Green Howards]], a line of communication unit serving in [[42nd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|42nd Brigade]] in North Africa and composed mainly of men below Medical Category 'A', was redesignated '172nd Infantry Brigade' and acted as if it were a full brigade. It was succeeded in this role by 30th Battalion [[Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment]] from December 1943 until June 1944.<ref>Joslen, pp. 287, 354.</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}


==References==
==References==
* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions,'' London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8.
{{reflist}}


* Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, ''Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2003, ISBN 1843424746.
{{DEFAULTSORT:172nd (2 1st South Lancashire) Brigade}}
[[Category:Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I]]


==External sources==
* [http://www.1914-1918.net The Long, Long Trail]


* [http://www.warpath.orbat.com/index.htm The Regimental Warpath 1914–1918]
{{UK-mil-unit-stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:172nd (2 1st South Lancashire) Brigade}}
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1915]]
[[Category:Brigades of the British Army]]
[[Category:Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1943]]
[[Category:Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1944]]

Revision as of 16:21, 19 August 2013

172nd (2/1st South Lancashire) Brigade
ActiveJanuary 1915–July 1919
November 1943–April 1944
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry Brigade
RoleDeception (WWII)
Part of57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division

172nd (2nd/1st South Lancashire) Brigade (172 Bde) was a 2nd-Line infantry formation of the British Territorial Force raised during World War I that served on the Western Front. The brigade's number was also used for deception purposes during World War II.

Origin

On 31 August 1914 the War Office authorised the formation of a reserve or 2nd-Line unit for each Territorial Force (TF) unit that was proceeding on overseas service. The 2nd/1st South Lancashirel Brigade came into existence in November 1914, composed of 2nd-Line duplicates of the battalions of the peacetime South Lancashire Brigade that were due to be sent overseas. The brigade was part of 2nd West Lancashire Division. In August 1915 these formations were assigned numbers, becoming 172nd (2nd/1st South Lancashire) Brigade and 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division respectively.[1][2]

Order of Battle

The following units served in 172 Bde during World War I:[1][2][3]

Commanders

The following officers commanded 172 Bde during World War I:[1]

  • Col. O.J.H. Ball (from 6 January 1915)
  • Brig.-Gen. A.L. Macfie (transferred from South Lancashire Brigade April 1915)
  • Brig.-Gen. G.C.B. Paynter (from 25 August 1916; wounded 4 October 1918; returned 25 October 1918)
  • Lt.-Col. M.E. Makgill-Crichton-Maitland (acting)

History

The formations and units of 57th Division concentrated around Canterbury in early 1915 as part of Second Army, Central Force. Training was hampered by lack of equipment: the infantry trained on obsolete .256-inch Japanese rifles until .303-inch service rifles (many in poor condition) arrived in November 1915. In July 1916, 57th Division was transferred to the Emergency Reserves in the Aldershot area where it continued training.[1][2] 172 Brigade was initially at Mytchett and later at Blackdown]].[1][6]

On 5 January 1917 the division was ready for overseas service, and between 7 and 22 February its units and formations crossed to France and disembarked at Le Havre. On 25 February it took over a section of the Front Line under the command of II ANZAC Corps. 172 Brigade served on the Western Front for the rest of the war, taking part in the following operations:[1]

On 1 November 1918 172 Bde went into billets at Lille, and was still resting when the Armistice with Germany was signed. For the rest of 1918 its units were involved in clearing and evacuating stores from the Arras area. Demobilisation began in January 1919 and units were steadily reduced to cadres. The last cadres of 57th Division left France in July 1919, completing the disbandment of 172 Bde.[1]

World War II

172 Brigade was never reformed, but the number was used for deception purposes during World War II. During November and December 1943, 30th Battalion Green Howards, a line of communication unit serving in 42nd Brigade in North Africa and composed mainly of men below Medical Category 'A', was redesignated '172nd Infantry Brigade' and acted as if it were a full brigade. It was succeeded in this role by 30th Battalion Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment from December 1943 until June 1944.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Becke, pp. 1–7.
  2. ^ a b c 57th Division at Long, Long Trail
  3. ^ 172 Bde at Regimental Warpath
  4. ^ a b King's at Long, Long Trail
  5. ^ a b King's at Regimental Warpath
  6. ^ a b c South Lancs at Long, Long Trail
  7. ^ a b South Lancs at Regimental Warpath
  8. ^ Munsters at Long, Long Trail
  9. ^ Joslen, pp. 287, 354.

References

  • Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8.
  • Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2003, ISBN 1843424746.

External sources

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=172nd_(2/1st_South_Lancashire)_Brigade&oldid=569242689"