21st Brigade (United Kingdom)
| 21st Brigade 21st Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1914–1918 1940 |
| Country |  |
21st Brigade (21st Bde) was an infantry formation of the
Armistice. It was briefly re-raised in the Sudan early in World War II
before being transferred to the Indian Army.
Second Boer War
British Army brigades had traditionally been ad hoc formations known by the name of their commander or numbered as an integral part of a division. However, units deployed to the
Order of Battle 1900
The composition of 21st Bde in April–June 1900 was as follows:[3] [10] [11]
- 76th Battery, Royal Field Artillery (RFA) – arrived in South Africa from Ireland in January 1900 as part of X Brigade-Division, Royal Field Artillery, in 6th Division and had served at the Battle of Paardeberg[12][13]
- 1st Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment – arrived in South Africa from Malta in March 1900[7]
- 1st Battalion
- 1st Battalion Cameron Highlanders) – arrived in South Africa from Egypt in April and had been in the operations near Bloemfontein[17][18]
- Infantry Battalion,
- Bearer Company and Field Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps
Bloemfontein to Pretoria
21st Brigade began operations as part of Lord Roberts' force and was then assigned to Lieutenant-General Ian Hamilton's Winburg Column. This force operated on Lord Roberts' right flank during the advance into the Orange Free State.[3][4][20][21][22]
Hamilton's Column left Bloemfontein on 22 April and took part in the following general actions in a march of over 450 miles (720 km) in 45 days:[10][23]
- Israel's Poorte, 25 April
- Houtnek, 30 April–1 May
- Welkom, 4 May
- Passage of the Sand River, 10 May: 21st Brigade crossed the river covered by artillery fire and deployed on a wide front before advancing, the Sussex and CIV coming under heavy fire.[24]
- Affair of Lindley, 20 May
- kopjes east of the town. While the cavalry worked round the left flank the widely-dispersed infantry advanced against the Boer centre at 15.00, with 19th Brigade on the right and 21st on the left. The CIV led Bruce Hamilton's attack, which according to Winston Churchill (observing as a war correspondent) was 'pressed with vigour, and directed with skill', the CIV advancing 'with great dash and spirit'. During the advance the two brigades diverged, but the Sussex and an artillery battery were pushed forward into the gap. After exchanges of rifle fire, the CIV clearing Roodepoort, the Boers began to pull back and were shelled as they retreated. The British casualties were not heavy except in 19th Bde. Advancing 6 miles (9.7 km) on to Florida, the force found sufficient supplies to continue the advance while the convoys caught up.[25][26][27][28]
- Six Mile Spruit (Pretoria) 4 June
- 1st (Guards) Brigade had come up in support, 21st Bde began the attack at 13.00. The Derbyshires (Sherwood Foresters), who had been skirmishing in the morning, now advanced up a flat tongue of land to the right, the CIV in the centre, and the Sussex on the left. The advance was exposed to enfilade fire from pom-pom guns but the infantry made lodgements along the rim of the Diamond Hill plateau. Here they were exposed to fire from another kopje and casualties began to mount. 82nd Battery, RFA, was brought up to suppress this fire, and by 16.00 the Guards and more batteries were up. Fighting died down at sunset, and the Boers withdrew during the night.[7][16][29][30][31]
Guerrilla warfare
After Diamond Hill and the occupation of
Royal Marine Light Infantry and Yeomanry, to rout Commandant Fourie's force on 4 September. Thereafter its units continued to participate individually in the efforts to catch Christiaan de Wet and the other Boer forces still at large – Bruce Hamilton still had the Sussex and Cameron Highlanders with him during the autumn campaign – but the brigade organisation had disappeared.[7][16][18][19][32][33]
World War I
It was assigned to the 7th Division and later to 30th Division, serving on the Western Front during World War I.
Order of battle
The composition of the brigade was:[34]
- 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment (transferred to 89th Brigade 20 December 1915)
- 2nd Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment)(left May 1918)
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers (transferred to 90th Brigade 20 December 1915)
- 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment)(left May 1918)
- 18th (Service) Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (joined from 89th Brigade 20 December 1915, rejoined 89th Brigade February 1918)
- 19th (Service) Battalion, Manchester Regiment (4th City)(joined from 90th Brigade 20 December 1915 disbanded February 1918)
- 17th (Service) Battalion, Manchester Regiment (2nd City)(joined February 1918, left as cadre June 1918)
- 2/5th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment(joined May 1918, left June 1918)
- 21st Machine Gun Company (joined 8 March 1916, moved to 30th Battalion Machine Gun Corps (M.G.C.) 1 March 1918
- 21st Trench Mortar Battery formed by 5 July 1916
On reorganisation in July 1918:
- 7th (South Irish Horse) Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment
- 1/6th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment
- 2/23rd (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment
- 21st Trench Mortar Battery
World War II
The brigade was reformed in World War II. The brigade Headquarters were formed in the Sudan on 24 July 1940, commanded by Brigadier J.C.O. Marriott and, as in World War I, consisting of three Regular Army battalions. However, with the arrival of the 5th Indian Infantry Division, which at the time consisted only of two brigades, the brigade was transferred to the Indian Army establishment and subsequently, on 12 October 1940, redesignated as the 29th Indian Infantry Brigade and the battalions were posted to the other two brigades of 5th Indian Division, the 2nd West Yorkshire Regiment to the 9th Indian Infantry Brigade and 1st Essex Regiment to 10th Indian Infantry Brigade.[35][36]
Order of battle
- 2nd Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
Notes
- ^ Amery, Vol II, p. 114.
- ^ Dunlop, p 74.
- ^ a b c d Amery, Appendix, p 505.
- ^ a b Lee, pp. 59–60.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol II, 'Chart of Staff Appointments'.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol III, p. 104.
- ^ a b c d Sussex Rgt at Anglo Boer War.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol III, pp. 171–3.
- ^ a b Creswicke, Vol III, p. 132.
- ^ a b Churchill, Appendix.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol V, p. 90.
- ^ Frederick, p. 500.
- ^ 76th Bty RA at Anglo Boer War.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol III, p. 49.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol V, p. 68.
- ^ a b c Sherwood Foresters at Anglo Boer War.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol V, pp. 17–8.
- ^ a b Camerons at Anglo Boer War.
- ^ a b CIV at Anglo Boer War.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol V, p. 97.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol V, p. 168.
- ^ Pakenham, p. 219.
- ^ Churchill, pp. 86–107, 137–54.
- ^ Churchill, pp. 173–81.
- ^ Churchill, pp. 245–57.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol V, pp. 147–8.
- ^ Lee, p. 61.
- ^ Pakenham, p. 220.
- ^ Churchill, pp. 381–400.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol VI, pp. 12–9.
- ^ Lee, pp. 61–2.
- ^ Creswicke, Vol VI, pp. 34–5, 49–53, 114–6.
- ^ Pakenham, pp. 226–35.
- ^ "7th Division". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ Joslen, p. 263.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
References
- L.S. Amery (ed), The Times History of the War in South Africa 1899-1902, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Vol II 1902; Vol III, 1905; Vol IV, 1906.
- Winston Spencer Churchill, Ian Hamilton's March, London: Longman's 1900. (Internet Archive e-book).
- Louis Creswicke, South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol II, From the Commencement of the War to the Battle of Colenso, 15th Dec. 1899 (Project Gutenberg e-book).
- Louis Creswicke, South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol III, From the Battle of Colenso, 15th Dec. 1899, to Lord Roberts's Advance into the Free State, 12th Feb. 1900 (Project Gutenberg e-book).
- Louis Creswicke, South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol V, From the Disaster at Koorn Spruit to Lord Roberts's Entry into Pretoria (Project Gutenberg e-book).
- Louis Creswicke, South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol VI, From the Occupation of Pretoria to Mr Kuger's Departure from South Africa, with a Summarised Account of the Guerilla War to March 1901 (Project Gutenberg e-book).
- Col John K. Dunlop, The Development of the British Army 1899–1914, London: Methuen, 1938.
- J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
- 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/London: London Stamp Exchange, 1990, ISBN 0-948130-03-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6.
- John Lee, A Soldier's Life: General Sir Ian Hamilton 1853–1947, London: Macmillan, 2000/Pan 2001, ISBN 0-330-48400-1.
- Thomas Pakenham, The Boer War, London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1979/abridged edition 1993, ISBN 0-297-83222-0.