The 23rd 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 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. 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 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 ...

, mainly on the Western Front During 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 opposin ...

, the brigade saw active service in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign, the Western Desert Campaign, and the Burma Campaign.

History

First World War

Order of battle

* 2nd Battalion,

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

* 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 ...

* 2nd Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) ''(left February 1918)'' * 2nd Battalion,

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers R ...

* 1/6th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) ''(from March to June 1915)'' * 1/7th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment ''(from March 1915 to February 1916)'' * 23rd 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 15 January 1916, moved to 8th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 20 January 1918)'' * 23rd Trench Mortar Battery ''(formed January 1916)''

Commanders

The commanders of the 23rd Infantry Brigade during the First World War were:* *Brigadier-General F. A. Adam (24 September 1914) *Brigadier-General R. J. Pinney (28 October 1914) *Brigadier-General T. E. Travers-Clarke (28 July 1915) *Brigadier-General H. D. Tuson (8 September 1915) *Brigadier-Gemeral E. A. Fagan (27 August 1916) *Lieutenant-Colonel J. Hamilton-Hall (2 March 1917 - acting) *Brigadier-General G. W. St. G. Grogan (12 March 1917)

Second World War

During the inter-war period, the Canal Brigade had been formed to defend the Suez Canal. After the outbreak of the

, the brigade was redesignated as the 23rd Infantry Brigade on 20 September 1939. It was dispersed in the canal area, and became part of HQ Canal sub-Area troops. In May 1941, the brigade was re-formed to take part in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign, during June and July 1941, as part of

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 Divisi ...

. In October 1941, the 6th Infantry Division was re-designated as the 70th Infantry Division. The divisio, including the brigade, and was transported to

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 ...

to relieve the 9th Australian Infantry Division. As part of the Tobruk garrison, the brigade helped to fend off Rommel's Axis forces until the siege was relieved at the end of the year during Operation Crusader. In March 1942, the 70th Infantry Division arrived in India. Its brigades, including the 23rd Infantry Brigade, were assigned to the

Chindits 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 ...

. The brigade was retrained as a long range penetration unit. The brigade did not take part in the Second Chindit Expedition. Instead, it was deployed during the

Battle of Kohima The Battle of Kohima proved the turning point of the Japanese U-Go offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War. The battle took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima, now the capital city of N ...

behind Japanese lines, and interdicted Japanese communication and supplies.

Commanders

* Brigadier W. T. Brooks 1939 - 1940 * Brigadier J. T. Leslie 1940 * Brigadier

Alexander Galloway Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Galloway, (3 November 1895 – 28 January 1977) was a senior British Army officer. During the Second World War, he was particularly highly regarded as a staff officer and, as such, had an influential role in the ...

1941 * Lieutenant-Colonel R. F. Heyworth * Brigadier C. H. V. Cox 1941 - 1943 * Lieutenant-Colonel E. W. Towsey 1943 * Brigadier P. C. Marindin 1943 * Brigadier L. E. C. M. Perowne 1943 - 1945 * Brigadier R. G. Collingwood 1945

Order of battle

* 1st Battalion,

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot a ...

''(from 3 September 1939 to 14 August 1940)'' * 1st 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 3 September 1939 to 22 January 1940, rejoined 17 October 1941 to 17 June 1945)'' * 2nd Battalion,

Rifle Brigade (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 "Ri ...

''(from 7 January 1940 to 18 January 1941)'' * 1st Battalion,

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 ...

''(from 31 January to 21 July 1940, rejoined 5 June 1941 to 22 January 1942)'' * 2nd Battalion,

Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd Regiment of Foot, 42nd (Roy ...

''(from 5 April to 1 July 1940)'' * 1st Battalion,

Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regim ...

''(from 2 June to 14 August 1940)'' * 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 Fus ...

''(from 22 July to 14 August 1940)'' * 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 ...

''(from 16 May to 4 June 1941)'' * 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 ...

''(from 29 May 1941 to 28 October 1944)'' * 11th Czech Battalion ''(from 30 May to 6 October 1941)'' * 23rd Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company ''(formed 23 September 1941, disbanded 16 February 1942)'' * 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 3 to 24 February 1942)'' * 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 ...

''(from 3 to 14 February 1942)'' * 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 ...

''(from 19 October 1943 to 28 October 1944)'' * 2nd Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) ''(from 24 October 1944 to 17 June 1945)'' * 3rd Battalion,

9th Gurkha Rifles The 9th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha infantry regiment of the Indian Army and, previously, the British Army. The regiment was initially formed by the British in 1817, and was one of the Gurkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army after independe ...

''(from 12 November 1944 to 13 June 1945)'' * 12th Battalion,

Nigeria Regiment The Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force, was formed by the amalgamation of the Northern Nigeria Regiment and the Southern Nigeria Regiment on 1 January 1914. At that time, the regiment consisted of five battalions: *1st Batta ...

''(from 15 November 1944 to 7 March 1945)'' * 3rd Battalion,

6th Gurkha Rifles The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Compa ...

''(from 27 March to 16 June 1945)'' * 3rd Battalion, 4th Gurkha Rifles ''(from 28 March to 13 June 1945)'' * 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 O ...

''(from 18 to 31 August 1945)'' * 2nd Battalion,

South Lancashire Regiment The South Lancashire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment, which recruited, as its title suggests, primarily from the South Lancashire area, was created as part of the Childers Re ...

''(from 19 to 31 August 1945)''

Chindit units

* 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment:Columns 44, 56 * 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment: Columns 33, 76 * 4th Battalion, Border Regiment:Columns 34, 55 * 60th (North Midland) 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 ...

: Columns 60, 68 (fighting as infantry) * 12th Field Company Royal Engineers & Medical Detachment: Support

References

{{British infantry brigades of the Second World War Infantry brigades of the British Army Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations in Burma in World War II