29th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

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29th Infantry Brigade
Formation badge of the brigade.
Active	1914–1945 1950–1956
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry formation
Size	Brigade
Nickname(s)	"Frozen Arsehole"
Engagements	First World War Gallipoli Campaign Sinai and Palestine Campaign Second World War Battle of Madagascar Burma Campaign Korean War Third Battle of Seoul Battle of the Imjin River
Commanders
Notable commanders	Sir Oliver Leese Sir Francis Festing

The 29th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade unit of the British Army. It was originally raised in 1914 and saw service during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.

First World War

The 29th Brigade was formed in August 1914 as part of the

In the Second World War, the Cairo Brigade (a Regular Army force stationed in Egypt) was renamed as the 29th Infantry Brigade on 20 September 1939. In October 1939, it was redesignated as the 22nd Infantry Brigade. On 14 July 1940, a new 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group, under the command of Brigadier Sir Oliver Leese, was formed in the United Kingdom from Regular Army infantry battalions. It was successively under command of XII Corps, the West Sussex County Division, IV Corps and South Eastern Command before passing to War Office Control in May 1941.

The brigade, under the command of Brigadier

It remained in 36 Division, which was redesignated as the British 36th Infantry Division on 1 September 1944, for the rest of the

Officially recognised battles:[2]

• North Arakan 1 January – 12 June 1944
• Mandalay 12/13 February – 21 March 1945
• Rangoon Road 1 April – 6 May 1945

Korean War

The 29th Brigade was back in existence by 1949, and then was re-mustered after the outbreak of the Korean War as 29th Independent Infantry Brigade to reinforce the United Nations war effort. When it arrived in Korea, in December 1950, it comprised the 1st Battalion,

The brigade saw action during the third Battle for Seoul in late December 1950 and the Chinese Spring Offensive (the Battle of the Imjin River) in April 1951. In July 1951, it was re-organized as 29th British Infantry Brigade and absorbed into the 1st Commonwealth Division, the brigade finished its tour of duty in November 1951. In September 1956 all British troops had left Korea, thus ending the brigade's history.^[3][4]

Component units

First World War

1914–1918

• 5th (Service) Battalion,
  Royal Irish Regiment
  (August 1914 to June 1915)
• 6th (Service) Battalion,
  Royal Irish Rifles
  (August 1914 to May 1918)
• 5th (Service) Battalion, Connaught Rangers (August 1914 to April 1918)
• 6th (Service) Battalion, Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) (August 1914 to 2 May 1918)
• 10th (Service) Battalion,
  Hampshire Regiment
  (June 1915 to November 1916)
• 1st Battalion, Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) (November 1916 to end of war)
• 29th Machine Gun Company (May 1916 to May 1918)
• 29th Trench Mortar Battery (October 1916 to October 1917)
• 1st Battalion, 54th Sikhs (Frontier Force) (April 1918 to end of war)
• 1st Battalion, 101st Grenadiers (April 1918 to end of war)
• 2nd Battalion, 151st Sikh Infantry (June 1918 to end of war)

Second World War

1939

• 1st Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)
• 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards

1940–1945

• 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers
• 2nd Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers
• 2nd Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (only till April 16, 1944)
• 29th Independent Brigade Group Anti-tank Company (1 September 1940 – 18 January 1941)
• 204th (Oban) Anti-tank Battery, Royal Artillery (16 July 1940 – 5 May 1941)
• 17th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (16 July 1940 – 5 May 1941)
• "E" Company, 5th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Machine Guns) 16 August 1940 – 11 June 1941)
• 29th Independent Brigade Group Machine Gun Company Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (12 June 1941 – 31 October 1941)
• 29th Independent Brigade Group Reconnaissance Company (19 January 1941 – 5 May 1941)
• 29th Independent Brigade Group Machine Gun Company Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (19 January 1941 – 5 May 1941)
• "B" SS Squadron Royal Armoured Corps (20 August 1942 – 1 June 1943)
• 455th Independent Light Battery, Royal Artillery (20 August 1942 – 1 June 1943)
• "D" Company, 2nd Manchester Regiment (Machine Guns) 17 October 1943 – 16 June 1944)
• 236th Field Company, Royal Engineers (16 July 1940 – 25 January 1943)
• 29th Independent Brigade Group Company, Royal Army Service Corps 1 August 1940 – 5 May 1941)
• 154th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps (16 July 1940 – 25 January 1943)
• 29th Independent Brigade Group Workshop, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (27 April 1940 – 10 July 1941)
• 29th Independent Brigade Group Ordnance Field Park, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (29 April 1940 – 5 May 1941)
• 29th Independent Brigade Group Provost Section, Royal Military Police (18 July 1940 – 15 January 1943)

From May–Aug 1945

• 1st Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
• 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)

Korean War

From Nov 1950 – July 1951

• As 29th Independent Infantry Brigade

From July–Nov 1951

• 1st Battalion Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
• 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment
• 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles

From Nov 51 – Nov 52

• 1st Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment
• 1st Battalion Royal Leicestershire Regiment
• 1st Battalion Welch Regiment

from Nov 52 – July 53

• 1st Battalion The Black Watch
• 1st Battalion King's Regiment (Liverpool)
• 1st Battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Commanders

First World War^[5]

• Brigadier-General R. J. Cooper (26 August 1914)

• Acting: Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. N. Jourdain (11 August 1915)
• Acting: Lieutenant-Colonel Q. G. K. Agnew (13 August 1915)
• Acting: Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. N. Jourdain (10 September 1915)

• Brigadier-General R. S. Vandeleur (22 September 1915)

• Acting: Lieutenant-Colonel J. Craske (8 June 1917)

• Brigadier-General R. S. Vandeleur (28 July 1917)

• Acting: Lieutenant-Colonel E. H. Wildblood (9 June 1918)

• Brigadier-General C. L. Smith (12 June 1918)

• Acting: Lieutenant-Colonel E. H. Wildblood (12 June 1918)

• Brigadier-General C. L. Smith (21 August 1918)

Second World War

• Lt-Col E.G. Earle (acting commander)
• Brig. Sir G.W.H. Leese, Bart
• Brig. J.M.L. Grover
• Brig. F.W. Festing
• Brig. H.C. Stockwell
• Brig. G.E.R. Bastin
• Lt-Col. C.S. Mill
• Brig. J.J. McCully

Korean War

• Brig T. Brodie
• Brig A.H.G. Ricketts
• Brig D.A. Kendrew

Notes

References

• Farrar-Hockley, Anthony (1990). The British Part in the Korean War Vol I & II. HMSO.
  ISBN 978-0-11-630958-7
  .
• Foster, Geoffry (1946). 36th Division – North Burma – 1944–45. Privately published.
  OCLC 20762802
  .
• 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
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 29th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom).

• the 10th (Irish) Division at 1914–1918