219th Brigade (United Kingdom)
| 219th Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 November 1916 – 8 April 1918 26 October 1940 – 11 December 1942 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry Brigade |
| Role | Training and Home Defence |
219th Brigade (219 Bde) was a Home Service formation of the British Army during World War I and World War II.
World War I
219 Bde was raised in late 1916 as part of 73rd Division, which had the dual role of training men for overseas drafts and providing forces for home defence.[1]
Composition
The following infantry battalions served in 219 Bde during World War I:[1][2]
- 8th (Home Service) Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment, disbanded by 3 December 1917.[3]
- 13th (Home Service) Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, formed 4 December 1916, disbanded March or August 1918.[4]
- 45th Provisional Battalion, became 28th Battalion, Manchester Regiment on 1 January 1917, disbanded 29 March or August 1918.[5]
- 270th Graduated Battalion, became 52nd (Graduated) Battalion, King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry) on 26 October 1917, moved to 208th (2nd Norfolk and Suffolk) Brigade March 1918.[6]
Commanders
The following officers commanded 219 Bde in World War I:[2]
- Brig-Gen R. Dawson (1 November 1916 – 7 September 1917)
- Brig-Gen F.L. Banon (7 September 1917 – 22 February 1918)
Service
73 Division assembled around Blackpool and then in January 1917 moved to Hertfordshire and Essex to join Southern Army (Home Forces). 219 Brigade was stationed at Danbury and Maldon in Essex, moving to Southend in October. Its role was training, particularly in improving the physique of the men who were being prepared for active service.[2]
On 21 December 1917 orders were issued to break up 73rd Division. Disbandment began in January 1918 and its last elements disappeared on 8 April 1918.[1][2]
World War II
In World War II a new brigade under the title of 219th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), composed of infantry battalions from Southern England, was formed for service in the United Kingdom on 26 October 1940.[7]
Composition
The following units served in 219 Brigade:[7]
- 15th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) (until 27 September 1942)
- 11th Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) (until 3 November 1941)
- 11th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment (renamed 2nd Battalion 27 May 1942, replacing Regular battalion captured in the Malayan Campaign,[8] left 18 September 1942)
- 10th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment (until 21 September 1942)
- 16th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (18 September – 1 December 1942) – converted into 10th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery[9]
- 9th Battalion, Essex Regiment (18 November 1941 – 30 November 1942) – converted into 8th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery[10]
- 8th Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) (29 September – 30 November 1941) – converted into 9th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery[11]
Commanders
The following officers commanded 219 Brigade in World War II:[7]
- Brigadier I.T.P. Hughes
- Brigadier H.S. Brown (from 5 May 1941)
- Brigadier D.C. Pullen-Brown (from 9 June 1941)
- Brigadier G.P. Harding (from 19 November 1941)
- Brigadier A Low (from 26 August 1942)
Service
219th Independent Infantry Brigade (the suffix 'Home' was dropped on 1 December 1941) was attached to divisions of XII Corps – 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, its duplicate 45th (Wessex) Infantry Division, and 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division at various times.[12] The brigade was disbanded on 11 December 1942 when its battalions were converted into Medium Regiments of the Royal Artillery.[7]
Notes
- ^ a b c 73 Div at Long, Long Trail
- ^ a b c d Becke, pp. 111–6.
- ^ Dorsets at Long, Long Trail
- ^ Loyals at Long, Long Trail
- ^ Manchesters at Long, Long Trail
- ^ KOYLI at Long, Long Trail
- ^ a b c d Joslen, p. 382.
- ^ Joslen, pp. 449, 537
- ^ 10 Med Rgt at RA 39–45
- ^ 8 Med Rgt at RA 39–45
- ^ 9 Med Rgt at RA 39–45
- ^ Joslen, pp. 69–74, 382.
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 1-84734-739-8.
- 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 1-84342-474-6.
Online sources
- Military units and formations established in 1916
- Brigades of the British Army
- Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I
- Military units and formations disestablished in 1918
- Military units and formations established in 1940
- Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II
- Military units and formations disestablished in 1942