The 143rd Infantry Brigade was an

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 mar ...

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. B ...

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 in 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 ...

. In the First World War the brigade served on both Western Front and later the Italian Front. During the Second World War the brigade fought in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

before being evacuated to England where it remained for the rest of the war and was finally disbanded in 1946. Raised again in the 1980s, this brigade disbanded under

Army 2020 Army 2020, was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army, in light of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. Background The British Government gave an indication of its proposals for the future structure of the Army in ea ...

in November 2014.

Formation

The Warwickshire Brigade, as this brigade was originally known, was first raised in April 1908 under the Haldane Reforms when the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

was created, which was formed by the amalgamation of the

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army Reserve, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of different military roles. History Origins In the 1790s, f ...

and

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

. The brigade was assigned to the South Midland Division, one of fourteen divisions of the peacetime Territorials. The Warwickshire Brigade was composed of the

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

, 6th, 7th and 8th Volunteer battalions of the

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 ...

First World War

The brigade and division were mobilised on 5 August 1914, a day after the British declaration of war on Germany, thus beginning the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. When asked to serve overseas (as soldiers in the TF were not obliged to serve overseas), most of the men of the brigade volunteered for Imperial Service and those who did not were left to be formed into 2nd Line battalions and brigades, forming the 2nd Warwickshire Brigade (2/5th-2/8th Royal Warwickshires) of the 2nd South Midland Division, later the 182nd (2/1st Warwickshire) Brigade,

61st (2nd South Midland) Division The 61st (2nd South Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army raised in 1915 during the Great War as a second-line reserve for the first-line battalions of the 48th (South Midland) Division. The division was sent to the We ...

. The 1st Line battalions adopted the '1/' prefix (1/5th-1/8th Royal Warwickshires) to distinguish them from the 2nd Line, which adopted the '2/'. The South Midland Division spent many months in England training until 13 March 1915 when it was warned to prepare for overseas service to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front which had suffered heavy casualties in the winter of 1914-15. Lieutenant Frederick Wigan Jones (8242039486)

Lieutenant Frederick Wigan Jones (8242039486)

On 13 May 1915 the division was numbered, becoming the 48th (South Midland) Division and the brigades in the division were also numbered, the 1st Warwickshire Brigade became the 143rd (Warwickshire) Brigade. The brigade served throughout the Great War on the Western Front in battles at the Somme and Passchendaele. In early November 1917 the 143rd Brigade, with the rest of 48th (South Midland) Division, was sent to the Italian Front and fought at

Piave River The Piave ( la, Plavis, German: ''Ploden'') is a river in northern Italy. It begins in the Alps and flows southeast for into the Adriatic Sea near the city of Venice. One of its tributaries is the Boite. In 1809 it was the scene of a battle du ...

in June 1918 and later at Vittoria Veneto, which ended the war in Italy with the signing of the

Armistice of Villa Giusti The Armistice of Villa Giusti or Padua ended warfare between Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front during World War I. The armistice was signed on 3 November 1918 in the Villa Giusti, outside Padua in the Veneto, Northern Italy, a ...

. Both the brigade and division ended the war in Italy.

Order of battle

* 1/5th Battalion,

* 1/6th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment * 1/7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment * 1/8th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (''until September 1918'') * 143rd Machine Gun Company,

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks ...

(''formed 8 January 1916, moved to 48th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 22 March 1918'') * 143rd Trench Mortar Battery (''formed 14 June 1916'')

Interwar

The brigade and division were both disbanded in 1919 and then again reformed in 1920 as part of the Territorial Army as the 143rd (Warwickshire) Infantry Brigade and continued to serve with the 48th Division. The brigade again consisted of four battalions of the

and remained this way for most of the inter-war years. However, in the late 1930s, there was an increasing need to strengthen the anti-aircraft defences for the cities of the United Kingdom and, as a result, many infantry battalions of the Territorial Army were subsequently converted into anti-aircraft or searchlight units. In 1936 the 5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshires was one of many selected and transferred to the Royal Engineers, becoming 45th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers, transferring to 32nd (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft Group, itself part of

2nd Anti-Aircraft Division The 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division (2nd AA Division) was an Air Defence formation of the British Army from 1935 to 1942. It controlled anti-aircraft gun and searchlight units of the Territorial Army (TA) defending the East Midlands and East Anglia ...

. They were replaced by the

5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment The Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion was a bicycle infantry battalion of the British Army. Formed in the Territorial Force in February 1914, it remained in the United Kingdom throughout the First World War. After the war, in 1920, it was conve ...

, originally from the 162nd (East Midland) Infantry Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division. This battalion was previously the

Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popula ...

of the

Army Cyclist Corps The Army Cyclist Corps was a corps of the British Army active during the First World War, and controlling the Army's bicycle infantry. History Formation Volunteer cyclist units had been formed as early as the 1880s, with the first complete bicy ...

. In 1938 all infantry brigades of the British Army were reduced from four battalions to three and so the 6th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment was transferred to the

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 ...

and converted to an anti-aircraft regiment, becoming 68th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery, joining the 45th AA Battalion, RE (formerly the 5th Royal Warwickshires) in the 32nd (Midland) Anti-Aircraft Group, 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division. In the following year the brigade was redesignated 143rd Infantry Brigade.

Second World War

The 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division was mobilised on 1 September 1939, along with the rest of the Territorial Army, when the German Army launched its

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

. The

Second World War 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 opposi ...

began two days later, on 3 September 1939, with Britain and France declaring war on

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The men of the brigade were called up for full-time war service and, with the division, began training in preparation for an eventual move overseas. The British Army in France 1940 F2444

The 143rd Infantry Brigade, commanded at the time by Acting

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

James Muirhead, a

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

officer, with the rest of the 48th Division was sent to France in early 1940. The brigade arrived in France on 12 January,Joslen, p. 328. where it became part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), which was stationed alongside the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

on the Franco-Belgian border. The 48th Division, commanded by

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Andrew Thorne, was the first complete division of the Territorial Army to be sent overseas during the Second World War. The division came under command of

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

, commanded by Lieutenant-General Michael Barker, serving alongside the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions, both Regular Army formations. Due to a policy within the BEF of integrating the Regular Army with the Territorials, the

was sent to 11th Brigade of the 4th Division and exchanged for the 1st Battalion,

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

, a Regular Army unit. With the rest of the division, the 143rd Brigade fought in the battles of

and

in May–June 1940 against the German Army but was forced to

retreat to Dunkirk The Battle of Dunkirk (french: Bataille de Dunkerque, link=no) was fought around the French port of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle of France on the ...

, where the 143rd Brigade in particular fought in the

battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. With the rest of the BEF, most of the brigade and division were evacuated to England after the Germans threatened to cut off the BEF from the main French Armies which would likely have caused the annihilation of the BEF. The brigade and division were successfully evacuated, yet had suffered extremely heavy casualties (8th Royal Warwicks had been reduced to 8

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

s and 134 ORs) and had to be completely reformed and brought up to strength with

conscripts Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

. Until late 1941 the division was on home defence, training in preparation for a possible German invasion of England. The invasion, fortunately, never arrived due to events that occurred during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

as German intentions turned to the

invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...

. On 20 December 1942, the division was reduced to a Lower Establishment and the division, now the 48th Infantry (Reserve) Division, became a reserve training formation in the United Kingdom and the brigade was redesignated 143rd Infantry (Reserve) Brigade. The brigade remained in this role for the rest of the war, supplying drafts of replacements for the divisions fighting overseas. The brigade and division were both disbanded after the war in 1946 when it was finally disbanded.

Order of battle

The 143rd Infantry Brigade was constituted as follows during the war: * 1/7th Battalion,

(''left 3 October 1942'') * 1/8th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (''left 13 July 1944'') * 5th Battalion,

Northamptonshire Regiment The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's O ...

(''left 29 January 1940'') * 143rd Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company ''(formed 6 October 1939, disbanded 29 January 1940)'' * 1st Battalion,

(''from 29 January 1940, left 9 November 1941'') * 10th Battalion,

Somerset Light Infantry The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Som ...

''(from 16 November 1941, left 3 June 1942, later became 7th Battalion, Parachute Regiment)'' * 8th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (''from 4 September 1942, left 26 July 1944'') * 11th Battalion,

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

''(from 13 September 1942)'' * 5th Battalion,

West Yorkshire Regiment ) , march = ''Ça Ira'' , battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine , anniversaries = Imphal (22 June) The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) wa ...

''(from 26 July, left 23 August 1944)'' * 10th Battalion,

Duke of Wellington's 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 ...

''(from 26 July 1944)'' * 11th Battalion,

York and Lancaster Regiment The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment ...

''(from 1 August 1944)'' * 1st Battalion,

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...

''(from 23 July, left 2 August 1944)'' * 11th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment ''(from 24 August 1944)''

Commanders

The following officers commanded 143rd Infantry Brigade during the war: *

J. Muirhead ''(until 7 June 1940)'' *

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

''( Acting, from 7 to 19 June 1940)'' * Brigadier J. Muirhead ''(from 19 June 1940 until 14 November 1941)'' * Lieutenant-Colonel D.B. Bird ''(Acting, from 14 November until 27 December 1941)'' * Brigadier C.D. Marley ''(from 27 December 1941 until 19 August 1944)'' * Brigadier W. Carden Roe ''(from 19 August 1944)''

Post War

The brigade was disbanded after the Second World War and not reformed in the Territorial Army in 1947. The brigade was re-raised in 1984, moving to Shrewsbury in 1986. In 1991, it took on responsibility for the Army in Shropshire, Staffordshire, Hereford and Worcester, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. With the disbandment of

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 5th Division (Australia) *5th Division (People's Republic of China) * 5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) * 5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Mo ...

, 143 (West Midlands) Brigade came under the control of the new Support Command based in

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

, in April 2012. 11 Signal Brigade and 143 (West Midlands) Brigade amalgamated to form

11th Signal Brigade and Headquarters West Midlands 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

in November 2014. A few remaining elements of the former brigade moved to

MoD Donnington MoD Donnington is a British military base situated to the north of Donnington, Telford, Shropshire. History The site was chosen in 1936 as one of a number of less vulnerable locations for storing ordnance and other military equipment previously ...

in 2015.

Victoria Cross recipients

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Arthur Hutt Arthur Hutt VC (12 February 1889 – 14 April 1954) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was ...

, 1/7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Great War

References

Bibliography

* * David Fraser (1999)

983 Year 983 ( CMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Diet of Verona: Emperor Otto II (the Red) declares war against the Byza ...

And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War. Cassell military. .

External links

143 (West Midlands) Brigade
- on British Army official website {{British infantry brigades of the Second World War 143 Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1908 Military units and formations in Shropshire Organisations based in Shropshire 1908 establishments in the United Kingdom