The 13th Infantry Brigade was a regular

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

that saw active service during both the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and the

Second World Wars World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

First World War

The 13th Brigade was temporarily under the command of 28th Division between 23 February and 7 April 1915, when it was replaced by 84th Brigade from that Division and moved to the regular 5th Division. It served on the Western Front for most of the war except for a brief period in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Order or battle

Component units included: * 2nd Battalion,

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own ...

* 2nd Battalion,

Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...

''(left January 1916)'' * 1st Battalion,

Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Queen' ...

* 2nd Battalion,

King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry) The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somerset and Cornwall ...

''(left December 1915)'' * 1/9th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment ''(joined November 1914, left February 1915)'' * 14th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

''(joined December 1915, became Divisional Pioneers October 1918)'' * 15th (Service) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment ''(joined January 1916, disbanded October 1918)'' * 16th (Service) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment ''(joined October 1918)''

Second World War

The brigade was sent to France in mid-September 1939, initially as an independent formation, where it became part of the British Expeditionary Force.Joslen, p. 251 After the retreat from France the brigade reformed in the United Kingdom. In April–May 1942 13th Brigade, after leaving the United Kingdom along with the rest of the division, was involved in the landings on

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a Spa town, spa and resort town and in World ...

held French

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

in 1942. The brigade, with the rest of 5th Infantry Division, fought in the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It bega ...

and the Italian Campaign where

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Maurice Albert Windham Rogers of the 2nd Battalion,

Wiltshire Regiment The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot. The ...

was posthumously awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

in 1944, the first and only VC to be awarded to the brigade and division during the Second World War. In 1945 the 5th Infantry Division was transferred to the

British Second Army The British Second Army was a field army active during the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front throughout most of the war and later active in Italy. During the Second World War the army ...

participate in the final stages of the

North West Europe Campaign The North West Europe campaign was a campaign by the British Commonwealth armed forces in North West Europe, including its skies and adjoining waters during World War II. The term Western Front has also sometimes been used informally. The United S ...

where they invaded Germany. The brigade was part of the 5th Division throughout the Second World War.

Order of battle

The 13th Brigade was constituted as follows during the war: * 2nd Battalion,

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Reg ...

* 2nd Battalion,

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment o ...

(''until 28 September 1939, rejoined 30 November 1939, left 14 July 1944'') * 2nd Battalion,

* 13th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company ''(disbanded 6 January 1941)'' * 13th Infantry Brigade Special Company ''(from 4 May 1943 until 20 June 1944)'' * 5th Battalion,

Essex Regiment The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

(''from 14 July 1944'') Between 23 April and 19 May 1942 the following units were under command of the brigade for operations in Madagascar: * 91st Field Regiment,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

* 252nd Field Company,

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

* 13th Infantry Brigade Company,

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

* 164th Field Ambulance,

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

Commanders

The following officers commanded the 13th Brigade during its existence: * Major-General William F. Vetch: June 1902-June 1906 * Major-General Henry M. Lawson: June 1906-May 1907 * Brigadier-General Charles C. Monro: May 1907-January 1911 * Brigadier-General Thompson Capper: February 1911-February 1914 * Brigadier-General Gerald J. Cuthbert: February–October 1914 * Brigadier-General William B. Hickie: 1 October 1914 * Colonel A. Martyn: 13 October 1914 (acting) * Lieutenant-Colonel W. M. Withycombe: 7 November 1914 (acting) * Brigadier-General Edward J. Cooper: 3 December 1914-February 1915 * Lieutenant-Colonel L. J. Bols: 1 February 1915 (acting) * Brigadier-General Robert Wanless O’Gowan: 8 February–August 1915 * Brigadier-General Charles C. M. Maynard: 21 August–31 August 1915 * Colonel P. M. Robinson: 31 August 1915 (acting) * Brigadier-General Charles C. M. Maynard: 18 September 1915 * Lieutenant-Colonel E. S. D'E. Coke: 23 October 1915 (acting) * Brigadier-General Lumley O. W. Jones: 2 November 1915-16 November 1917 * Lieutenant-Colonel L. Murray: 16 November 1917 (acting) * Brigadier-General Lumley O. W. Jones: 18 December 1917 * Lieutenant-Colonel C. T. Furber: 8 September 1918 (acting) * Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. C. Kirk: 15 September 1918 (acting) * Brigadier-General Arthur T. Beckwith: 21 September 1918 – 1919 * Brigadier-General T.Stanton Lambert: October 1919-June 1921 * Brigadier William A. Blake: December 1926-December 1930 * Brigadier David Forster: December 1930-December 1934 * Brigadier John H.T. Priestman: December 1934-September 1938 * Brigadier A. Reade Godwin-Austen: September 1938-January 1939 * Brigadier Henry B.D. Willcox: January–November 1939 * Brigadier Miles C. Dempsey: November 1939-July 1940 * Brigadier Douglas N. Wimberley: July–September 1940 * Brigadier Valentine C. Russell: September 1940-May 1943 * Brigadier Lorne M. Campbell: May 1943-September 1944 * Brigadier Francis R.G. Matthews: September–November 1944 * Brigadier William H. Lambert: November 1944-August 1945 * Brigadier Robert W.M. de Winton: August 1945-February 1947

Sources

References

{{British infantry brigades of the Second World War 13 Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II