133rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
Kent Brigade 133rd (Kent) Brigade 133rd Infantry Brigade | |
---|---|
Active | 1908–1943 |
Country | Western Desert Campaign |
The 133rd Infantry Brigade was an
Formation
After the creation of the
First World War
On the outbreak of the First World War, the men of the division accepted liability for overseas service to relieve Regular troops for the fighting fronts. The division was ordered to British India, although the brigade staffs and Regular adjutants of the battalions were to remain behind. The Home Counties Division embarked at Southampton and sailed on 30 October 1914, disembarking at Bombay on 1–3 December.[1]
Service in India
On arrival, the division's units were sent distributed to various peacetime stations across India,
The TF battalions had all taken the prefix '1' (1/4th Buffs etc) to distinguish them from their 2nd-Line battalions forming in the United Kingdom, and in May 1915, the division was numbered 44th (Home Counties) Division, and the brigade formally became 133rd (Kent) Brigade (though without a commander or staff, and with its battalions scattered).[1] The 2nd Line units became 202nd (2/1st Kent) Brigade, part of 67th (2nd Home Counties) Division.
From 1915 onwards there was a regular drain on the battalions as they lost their best Non-Commissioned Officers for officer training, sent detachments to various places in India, and provided drafts to replace casualties among units fighting in
By early 1916 it had become obvious that the Territorial Divisions in India were never going to be able to reform and return to Europe to reinforce the Western Front as had been originally intended. They continued training in India for the rest of the war, providing drafts and detachments as required. 1/5th Royal West Kents was transferred to Mesopotamia at the end of 1917, landing at Basra on 11 December and joining 54th Indian Brigade, 18th Indian Division.[1]
After the war ended, the remaining Territorial units in India were gradually reduced, but 1/4th Royal West Kents finally saw active service during the
Order of Battle
During the First World War the Kent Brigade was composed as follows:[1][3][4]
Commander: Brigadier-General L. Combe (remained in the United Kingdom)
- 4th Battalion,
- 5th (The Weald of Kent) Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment) (from Ashford) (left December 1915)[5][6]
- 4th Battalion,
- 5th Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) (from Bromley) (left December 1917)[7][8]
Between the wars
The Territorial Force was disbanded shortly after the end of the war. It did, however, start to reform in early 1920 and was later renamed the Territorial Army.[1] The Home Counties Division was reformed as the 44th (Home Counties) Division and the brigade was reformed as the 133rd (Kent) Infantry Brigade and again included two battalions of the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) and two of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment.
The brigade saw many changes throughout the inter-war years. In 1921 the 4th and 5th (
Second World War
The brigade and division, along with the rest of the
Upon mobilisation in the early stages of the war in September 1939, 133rd Brigade HQ with 4th Battalion,
Order of Battle
133rd Brigade was constituted as follows:[12]
- 4th Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) (until 31 December 1939, to 25th Brigade)
- 4th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
- 5th (Cinque Ports) Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment (from 20 December 1939)
- 133rd Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (formed 2 January 1940, disbanded 8 January 1941)
Commanders
The following officers commanded the 133rd Infantry Brigade during the war:[12]
- Brigadier N.I. Whitty (until 19 June 1940)
- Brigadier E.C. Beard (from 19 June 1940 until 6 March 1942)
- acting, from 6 to 8 March 1942)
- Lieutenant-Colonel K.C. Hooper (Acting, from 8 to 10 March 1942)
- Lieutenant-Colonel L.G. Whistler (Acting, from 10 March until 1 April 1942, again from 24 August 1942)
- Brigadier A.W. Lee (from 3 September 1942)
Service
Commanded by Brigadier N.I. Whitty, the 133rd Brigade was sent to France with the rest of 44th Division as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), landing on 9 April 1940. The brigade saw fighting in the St Omer-La Bassée area during the Battle of France (23–29 May) and retreated to Dunkirk, where they were then evacuated from on 30 May 1940.[12]
Back in the United Kingdom, 133rd Brigade was re-equipped and reformed in numbers as all units had suffered heavy casualties (
In May 1942 the brigade was sent to North Africa with the rest of the 44th Division, now under Major-General
Post-War
The brigade was reformed again after the war, as the 133rd (Kent and Sussex) Infantry Brigade, when the Territorial Army was reorganised in 1947. The brigade was now composed of three amalgamated battalions: the 4th/5th Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment),[15] 4th/5th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment (which absorbed the duplicate 6th Battalion)[16] and 4th/5th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment.[17]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Becke, pp. 49–54.
- ^ Robson, Appendices 1 & 2.
- ^ "The Long, Long Trail – Researching soldiers of the British Army in the Great War of 1914-1919".
- ^ "44th (Home Counties) Division". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ a b "The Long, Long Trail – Researching soldiers of the British Army in the Great War of 1914-1919".
- ^ a b "Buffs (East Kent Regiment)". Archived from the original on 1 February 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ a b "The Long, Long Trail – Researching soldiers of the British Army in the Great War of 1914-1919".
- ^ a b "Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)". Archived from the original on 1 February 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ "5th Battalion,The Buffs [UK]". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 27 December 2005. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "The Long, Long Trail – Researching soldiers of the British Army in the Great War of 1914-1919".
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c d e Joslen, p. 319.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Horrocks, p. 97.
- ^ "4th Battalion,The Buffs [UK]". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 26 December 2005. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "4th/5th Battalion,The Royal Sussex Regiment [UK]". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 26 December 2005. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "4th/5th Battalion, the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment [UK]". www.regiments.org. Archived from the original on 14 February 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
Bibliography
- Becke, A.F. (1936). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2A. The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56). London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-12-4.
- Horrocks, Brian (1960). A Full Life. London: Collins.
- Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.
- Robson, Brian (2004). Crisis on the Frontier: The Third Afghan War and the Campaign in Waziristan 1919–20. Stapelhurst: Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-211-8.
- ISBN 978-0-304-35233-3.
External links