The 15th Infantry Brigade, later 15 (North East) 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 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 ...

. It was part of the regular 5th Infantry Division during 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 ...

and

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 opposin ...

, and was subsequently part of the 2nd Infantry Division in the north of the United Kingdom, with specific responsibility for the areas of

North East England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authorit ...

and

Yorkshire and the Humber Yorkshire and the Humber is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The population in 2011 was 5,284,000 with its largest settlements being Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Hull, and York. It is ...

History

Formation

The 15th Infantry Brigade was first formed in 1905 at Fermoy and up to the outbreak of the First World War continued to serve in Ireland. The Brigade, which at that time consisted of 1st Battalion,

Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

, 1st Battalion,

Dorset Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 1 ...

, 1st Battalion,

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. T ...

and 2nd Battalion,

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusi ...

, was mobilized on 5 August 1914 and crossed to France as part the 5th Division with the British Expeditionary Force.

First World War

During the opening months of the War, the Brigade had its full share of fighting and saw action at

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

, Le Cateau, at the crossings of the

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

and

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

. The Brigade has chosen Ypres, November 1914, as the Brigade Battle and there is an annual Brigade Dinner to celebrate it. The Brigade fought in all four battles of Ypres. The Brigade distinguished itself in various battles. One of the most notable was the attack on Hill 60 near

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

in 1915. Hill 60 was the highest point on what was known as the "Caterpillar Ridge" and as such was an excellent post for observation of the ground area around

Zillebeke Zillebeke (also known as Zellebeck) is a village in the Flemish province of West Flanders in Belgium. It is a former municipality which is now part of Ypres. History On 3 March 1914 the then municipality was granted the arms of the last Lords o ...

and Ypres. The 5th Division, composed of 13th,

14th 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 (number), 13 and preceding 15 (number), 15. In relation to the word "four" (4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a s ...

and 15th brigades, had the task of securing Hill 60 and the ridge line. The Hill was taken between 17 and 19 April 1915, with heavy losses, and the subsequent German counterattack in early May was particularly ferocious. The Germans, unable to obtain victory, eventually resorted to the use of

chlorine gas Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine is ...

and Brigade casualties during the first week in May 1915 were 33 officers and 1,553 men. However, the line was held until reliefs were brought forward and the Brigade withdrawn. The last battle of the Great War in November 1918 found 15th Brigade in the forefront of the advance, east of the River

Sambre The Sambre (; nl, Samber, ) is a river in northern France and in Wallonia, Belgium. It is a left-bank tributary of the Meuse, which it joins in the Wallonian capital Namur. The source of the Sambre is near Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, in the Aisne ...

Order of battle

* 1st Battalion,

Bedfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the World War ...

''(to 1 Nov 1918)'' * 1st Battalion,

* 1st Battalion,

Dorsetshire Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 19 ...

''(to November 1915)'' * 1/6th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment ''(from 17 December 1914 to 1 Mar 1915)'' * 1/6th (Rifle) Battalion,

King's Regiment (Liverpool) The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 and numbered as the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot in 1751. Unlike most British Army infantry regiments, which we ...

''(from 27 February 1915 to 18 November 1915)'' * 16th (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 ...

''(from 26 December 1915 to 4 October 1918)'' * 15th 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 tank ...

''(formed 27 December 1915, moved to 5th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 26 April 1918)'' * 15th Trench Mortar Battery ''(formed April 1916)''

The Inter-War Years

Following the war the 15th Brigade returned to Belfast where it commanded 1st Battalion,

, 1st 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 Some ...

, 1st

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...

and 1st Battalion,

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

. In 1924 the 15th Brigade moved to Germany as part of the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located a ...

and was renamed 1st Rhine Brigade. The Brigade was reformed, as 15th Infantry Brigade in October.

Second World War

The brigade was formed from regular units on the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939. When the 5th Division was sent to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

late 1939, the 15th Brigade was sent instead in May to Norway, as part of Sickleforce to participate in the unsuccessful Norwegian Campaign, under the command of Lieutenant-General H.R.S.Massey. The brigade was reunited with the 5th Division on 3 August. The Brigade served with this formation for the rest of the war, seeing action 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 ...

in July 1943 and Italian Campaign later in the year. After participating in the later stages of the

Battle of Anzio The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...

, the brigade was deployed to garrison duties in the Middle East before being transferred to

North-western Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern Europe, Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnography, ethnographically. Geographic defini ...

on 3 March 1945. The brigade was disbanded in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

on 31 March 1948.

Order of battle

* 1st 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 ...

* 1st 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 ...

* 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment

Reformation

The Brigade was reformed in 1982, as a Territorial Army formation, which in turn was part of the 2nd Infantry Division. The Brigade's Headquarters were at

Alanbrooke Barracks Alanbrooke Barracks is a military installation at Topcliffe in North Yorkshire, England. History The barracks were established, on the site of the former RAF Topcliffe airbase, in 1974, as an ordnance field park. The barracks were named Alanbroo ...

and its first commander in this new role was Brigadier Michael Aris. Its organisation and role were tested in Exercise Keystone in 1983, when it consisted of: *

Queen's Own Yeomanry The Queen's Own Yeomanry (QOY) is one of the Army Reserve(United Kingdom), Army Reserve light armoured reconnaissance regiments. History The Queens Own Yeomanry was initially formed on 1 April 1971 as the 2nd Armoured Car Regiment from five of th ...

* 6th Battalion,

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (often referred to as the Royal Fusiliers or, simply, the Fusiliers) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st battalion, part of ...

* 7th Battalion,

The Light Infantry The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. The regiment was one of four 'large' regiments formed after the 1966 Defence White Paper through the amalgamation of units of the Light Infantry Brigad ...

* 1st Battalion,

Yorkshire Volunteers The Yorkshire Volunteers was an infantry regiment of the British Territorial Army. The regiment was raised on 1 April 1967 and disbanded on 25 April 1993. Following subsequent amalgamations and reorganisations the regiment is represented by th ...

* 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Volunteers In 1999, having been a territorial formation for many years, the brigade was made responsible for both regular and territorial units in the North East, when the Second Division became a "Regenerative Division", responsible for the north of England and Scotland. This brigade was merged with the former 4th Mechanised Brigade to become the Headquarters North East section of

4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East, previously known as 4th Mechanized Brigade and before that 4th Armoured Brigade is a brigade formation of the British Army, currently based in Catterick, North Yorkshire as part of 1st ...

based in Catterick.

Role and Structure

In 1989 the 15th Infantry Brigade, (at that time a Reserve Brigade), had the following structure 15th Infantry Brigade (TA)

Structure 1989: * ''HQ 15th Infantry Brigade and Signal Troop, Royal Signals (V)'' * ''

'' ''(V)'' * ''1st (Cleavland) Battalion,

(V)'' * ''2nd (

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

and

Humberside Humberside () was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East Riding of Yorkshire, West ...

) Battalion,

(V)'' * ''6th Battalion,

(V)'' * ''7th (

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

) Battalion,

(V)'' * ''8th (

) Battalion,

(V)'' * ''101st (Northumbrian) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery'' ''(V)'' * ''269th (West Riding) Observation Post Battery, Royal Artillery'' ''(V)'' 15th (North East) Brigade was a Regional Brigade responsible for the recruiting of soldiers and Officers for the Regular and Territorial Army. It trained the Territorial Army for operations, provided a command and control focus for all military support to civilian authorities during civil emergencies e.g. flooding and was responsible for providing the "Firm Base" to the Regular Army within its area. The brigade had its headquarters at

Imphal Barracks Imphal Barracks is a military installation located in Fulford, York, England. History Cavalry barracks were built in Fulford as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution and were completed in 1795 but these have now bee ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and included the following units:MoD Structure
15th (North East) Infantry Brigade (TA)

(Formation Reconnaissance) * 4th Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th & 33rd/76th Foot) * 5th Battalion,

* 72nd Engineer Regiment,

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 ...

* 150th (Yorkshire) Transport Regiment,

Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army. History The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on 5 April 1993, by the union of five British Army corps: * Royal Engine ...

* 102nd Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

Commanders

The following officers commanded the 15th Brigade during its existence: * Brigadier-General Richard L. Payne: July 1905-March 1907 * Brigadier-General Vesey J. Dawson: March 1907-April 1908 * Major-General Alexander Wilson: April 1908-August 1911 * Brigadier-General Count Gleichen: August 1911-March 1915 * Brigadier-General Edward Northey: March-June 1915 * Brigadier-General Martin N. Turner: June 1915-November 1917 * Brigadier-General Richard D. F. Oldman: November 1917-1919 * Brigadier-General George T. C. Carter-Campbell: November 1919-July 1921 * Colonel-Commandant Herbert C. Potter: July 1921-December 1922 * Colonel-Commandant Sir Percy C. B. Skinner: December 1922-1923 * Colonel-Commandant Bertram N. Sergison-Brooke: April-December 1927 * Brigadier Charles E. Heathcote: December 1929-April 1932 * Brigadier George C. Kelly: April 1932-October 1934 * Brigadier Archibald B. Beauman: October 1934-October 1938 * Brigadier Henry B. D. Willcox: October 1938-January 1939 * Brigadier Horatio P. M. Berney-Ficklin: July 1939-22 April 1940 * Brigadier H. E. F. Smyth: 22–25 April 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 colonel. ...

A. L. Kent-Lemon: 25 April – 25 May 1940 (

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

) * Brigadier H. P. M. Berney-Ficklin: 25 May – 20 June 1940 * Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Robinson: 20–22 June 1940 (acting) * Brigadier J. A. H. Gammell: 22 June – 23 July 1940 * Brigadier Hector R. N. Greenfield: 25 July 1940 – 8 March 1943 * Brigadier George S. Rawstorne: 8 March – 19 August 1943 * Brigadier E. Owen Martin: 19 August 1943 – 22 January 1944 * Brigadier John Y. Whitfield: 22 January – 29 April 1944 * Lieutenant-Colonel P. St Clair-Ford: 29 April – 6 May 1944 (acting) * Brigadier J. Y. Whitfield: 6 May – 2 July 1944 * Lieutenant Colonel P. St Clair-Ford: 2–13 July 1944 (acting) * Brigadier Christopher Huxley: 13 July 1944 – 21 June 1945 * Brigadier David Russell Morgan: 21 June 1945 – October 1946 * Brigadier James F. S. McLaren: October 1946-June 1947 * Brigadier Richard W. Goodbody: June 1947-January 1948 * Brigadier Michael A. Aris: January 1982-November 1984 * Brigadier Peter S. Morton: November 1984-April 1987 * Brigadier Timothy D. V. Bevan: April 1987-January 1990 * Brigadier Anthony de C. L. Leask: January 1990-December 1991 * Brigadier Christopher J. Marchant-Smith: December 1991-December 1994 * Brigadier J.Austin Thorp: December 1994-July 1997 * Brigadier Alan P. Deed: July 1997-June 2000 * Brigadier Andrew P. Farquhar: June 2000-September 2002 * Brigadier David A. H. Shaw: September 2002-August 2004 * Brigadier Richard W. Dennis: August 2004-January 2008 * Brigadier David J. H. Maddan: January 2008-December 2010 * Brigadier Greville K. Bibby CBE: January 2011-December 2014

References

External links

15 (North East) Brigade
– on British Army official website

Yorkshire Volunteers Official Website

History of 15 Infantry Brigade
{{British infantry brigades of the Second World War Infantry brigades of the British Army Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I 15 Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 2014