The 16th 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. ...

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 Gurkha ...

that saw active service during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...

and the First and

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 ...

History

Second Boer War

During the

, the 16th brigade was active in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

as part of the 8th Division from early 1900 until the war ended in 1902. It was under the command of major-general Barrington Campbell, and included the following battalions: *2nd Battalion

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

, 2nd Battalion

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

, 2nd Battalion

East Yorkshire Regiment The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...

, 1st Battalion

Leinster Regiment The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot and the 109th Regiment of Foot ...

First World War

The brigade was part of the

6th Infantry Division 6th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *6th Division (Australia) * 6th Division (Austria) * 6th (United Kingdom) Division * Finnish 6th Division (Winter War) *Finnish 6th Division (Continuation War) * 6th Division (Reichswehr) *6th Divisio ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. It served on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

throughout the War.

Order of battle

Component units included: *1st Battalion, the Buffs *1st Battalion, the

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...

(left November 1915) *1st Battalion, the

King's Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. I ...

*2nd Battalion, the York and Lancaster Regiment * 1/5th Battalion, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (joined February 1915, left June 1915) *8th Battalion, the

Bedfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a 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 First and Second World Wa ...

(joined 17 November 1915, disbanded 16 February 1918) *16th Machine Gun Company (formed in February 1916, left to move into 6th Machine Gun Battalion 1 March 1918) *16th Trench Mortar Battery

Officers commanding

The following commanded the 16th Infantry Brigade during the First World War: *Brigadier-General E. C. Ingouville-Williams (at mobilization) *Brigadier-General C. L. Nicholson (16 June 1915) *Brigadier-General W. L. Osborn (26 July 1916) *Brigadier-General H. A. Walker (26 October 1917) *Brigadier-General P. W. Brown (16 October 1918 - temporary) *Brigadier-General W. G. Braithwaite (19 October 1918)

Second World War

The brigade was based in Palestine before 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 ...

during the

Arab revolt The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On ...

, and at the beginning of the war as part of the British 8th Infantry Division. It was later part of the British 6th Infantry Division which was redesignated as the

British 70th Infantry Division British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

on 10 October 1941. This brigade was involved in the breakout from

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

and after being transferred, along with the rest of the 70th Division, to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, it was transformed into a

Chindit The Chindits, officially as Long Range Penetration Groups, were special operations units of the British and Indian armies which saw action in 1943–1944 during the Burma Campaign of World War II. The British Army Brigadier Orde Wingate form ...

formation. It fought in the Second Chindit Campaign of 1944, commanded by Brigadier Gilmour Anderson. Battles which the brigade took part in included, Battle of Sidi Barrani,

Battle of Bardia The Battle of Bardia was fought between 3 and 5 January 1941, as part of Operation Compass, the first British military operation of the Western Desert campaign of the Second World War. It was the first battle of the war in which an Australian ...

, Battle of Damascus, Battle of Tobruk (both stages).Joslen, p. 257-8.

Order of battle

According to

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

policy, regiments would be assigned to formations/commands for max of 3 years, and be rotated at the end of their tenure. Units which formed under the brigade during the war included: * 2nd Battalion,

, Mobilisation—12 May 1941 / 30 May 1941 – 14 October 1944 * 1st Battalion,

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot an ...

, Mobilisation—16 October 1939 / 7 May 1945 – 31 August 1945 * 1st Battalion, Welch Regiment, Mobilisation—6 November 1939 * 1st Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, Mobilisation—6 January 1940 * 2nd Battalion,

Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

, 15 October 1939 – 6 January 1940 * 2nd 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 ...

, 16 October 1939 – 5 December 1939 * 1st Battalion,

Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

, 28 December 1939 – 15 January 1940 * 1st Battalion,

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

, 17 January 1940 – 15 May 1941 / 30 May 1941 – 11 June 1941 * 2nd Battalion,

Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Ar ...

, 24 January 1940 – 22 October 1944 * 2nd Battalion,

King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the r ...

, 11 June 1941 – 25 September 1943 / 15 October 1944 – 28 October 1944 * 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, 15 October 1944 – 28 October 1944 * 1st 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 Re ...

, 23 October 1944 – 5 August 1945 * 2nd 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 ...

, 29 October 1944 – 31 August 1945 * 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, 29 October 1944 – 31 August 1945 * 4th Battalion,

Border Regiment The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. After service i ...

, 29 October 1944 – 20 February 1945 * 1st 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 were ...

, 6 May 1945 – 31 August 1945 * 1st Battalion,

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Ma ...

, 27 May 1945 – 31 August 1945 * 16th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company, 20 September 1941 – 28 February 1942 During the period 26 February 1942 to 7 February 1943, when the brigade went to

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, the following additional units were under its command: * 51st (Westmorland and Cumberland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery * 2 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 head ...

* 61 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 do ...

* 215th 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 ...

In September 1943 the brigade was re-organised for

Long-range penetration A long-range penetration patrol, group, or force is a special operations unit capable of operating long distances behind enemy lines far away from direct contact with friendly forces as opposed to a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, a small group ...

role under Special Force. During this period, the brigade controlled (in addition to their regular units): * 45th (South Western) Reconnaissance Regiment,

Reconnaissance Corps The Reconnaissance Corps, or simply Recce Corps, was a corps of the British Army, formed during the Second World War whose units provided reconnaissance for infantry divisions. It was formed from infantry brigade reconnaissance groups on 14 Janu ...

— Forming 45 & 54 Columns, under command from 16 September 1943 – 17 October 1944 as infantry * 2nd Battalion,

— Forming 21 & 22 Columns * 2nd Battalion,

— Forming 17 & 71 Columns * 51st/69th Infantry Regiment, Royal Artillery — Forming 51 & 69 Columns, under command from 18 October 1943 – 28 October 1944 as infantry

Officers Commanding

Commanding officers included: * Brigadier C.E.N. Lomax * Brigadier O.L. Roberts * Brigadier A.R. Aslett * Brigadier R.G. Price * Brigadier B.E. Fergusson * Brigadier C.J. Wilkinson * Brigadier G.M. Anderson

References

{{British infantry brigades of the Second World War 16 Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II

History

Second Boer War

First World War

Order of battle

Officers commanding

Second World War

Order of battle

Officers Commanding

See also

References