The 31st 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 ...

formation 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 ...

, which participated 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 ...

. The brigade was later reformed after the end of the war serving in 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 ...

until the end of

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

in 1956, which saw the reorganisation of the brigade as the 11th Infantry Brigade.

First World War

The 31st Brigade was originally raised 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 ...

in 1914, by volunteers from

Kitchener's Army The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, as Kitchener's Mob, was an (initially) all-volunteer portion of the British Army formed in the United Kingdom from 1914 onwards following the outbreak of hostilities in the Fi ...

. During the First World War, it was assigned to the 10th (Irish) Division and served in the Middle Eastern theatre at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

and

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

Order of battle

The brigade had the following composition: * 5th (Service) 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 ...

''(August 1914 – May 1918, transferred to

66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division The 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force, which saw service in the trenches of the Western Front, during the later years of the Great War and was disbanded after the w ...

)'' * 6th (Service) Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers ''(August 1914 – May 1918, transferred to 14th (Light) Division)'' * 5th (Service) Battalion,

Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in 1 ...

''(August 1914 – April 1918, transferred to 14th (Light) Division)'' * 6th (Service) Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) ''(August 1914 – November 1916, absorbed by 5th Battalion)'' * 2nd Battalion, Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) ''(November 1916 – October 1918)'' * 2nd Battalion, 42nd Deoli Regiment ''(July – October 1918)'' * 74th Punjabis ''(April – October 1918)'' * 2nd Battalion, 101st Grenadiers ''(May – October 1918)'' * 38th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

''(June – July 1918)''

Second World War

The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H11151

The 31st Infantry Brigade was formed in 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 ...

as an independent

brigade group Brigade Enterprises Limited is a real estate and property development company that is based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The Brigade Group also has operations in Mangalore, Mysore, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chikmagalur, Ahmedabad and a repr ...

.Joslen, p. 279.Imperial War Museum collections, object 30072758
/ref> On 26–27 September 1940, it was assigned to defend the

Royal Military Canal The Royal Military Canal is a canal running for between Seabrook near Folkestone and Cliff End near Hastings, following the old cliff line bordering Romney Marsh, which was constructed as a defence against the Napoleon's planned invasion of t ...

, a few miles from

Hythe Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to: Places Australia * Hythe, Tasmania Canada *Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada England * T ...

and

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

on the south coast. There is a detailed description of this defence area in British archaeological survey sources.

Order of battle

The brigade group had the following composition:Joslen, p. 279. * 2nd 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 ...

* 2nd 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 ...

* 1st Battalion,

Royal Ulster Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal County ...

* 1st 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 1 December 1940'' * 31st Independent Brigade Group Anti-Tank Company – ''formed 14 September 1940; left 1 January 1941'' * D Company, 5th (Prince of Wales's) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment (Machine Guns) – ''later 31st Independent Brigade Group MG Company (Devon); left 5 August 1941'' * 31st Independent Brigade Group Reconnaissance Company – ''formed 1 January 1941'' When the brigade operated as a brigade group, it included the following: *

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 ...

** 75th (Highland) Field Regiment – 'left 4 December 1941 ** 223rd Anti-Tank Battery – ''detached from 56th (King's Own) Anti-Tank Regiment''Frederick, pp. 914, 919. *

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 ...

** 237th Highland (City of Dundee) Field Company – left 5 August 1941 ** 9th Field Company – ''from 48th (South Midland) Division 8 December 1941''Watson & Rinaldi, p. 151. *

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 ...

** 31st Independent Brigade Group Company – formed 5 August 1940 ** 39th Motor Coach Company – from 17 August 1941 *

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 ...

** 152nd Field Ambulance – left 5 August 1941 ** 181st Field Ambulance – joined 31 July 1941 *

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...

** 31st Independent Brigade Group Workshop – formed 18 March 1941 ** 31st Independent Brigade Group Ordnance Field Park – formed 18 March 1941 *

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operation ...

** 31st Independent Brigade Group Provost Section

Commanders

The following officers commanded the brigade group: *

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. In ...

H.E.F. Smythe * Brigadier

George Hopkinson Major General George Frederick Hopkinson OBE MC (14 December 1895 – 9 September 1943) was a senior British Army officer who commanded the 1st Airborne Division during World War II, where he was killed in action in Italy in September 1943. I ...

– from 27 October 1941 The brigade was redesignated as the 1st Airlanding Brigade Group on 10 December 1941Joslen, p. 279, 414. and came under command of the 1st Airborne Division. 'It probably lost its unique badge at about this time although it did not lose its Group status until 10 March 1943.' 223rd Anti-Tank Battery, 9th Field Company and other attached units became airborne units at this time. On 15 April 1946, almost a year after the end of the war in Europe, the

6th Airlanding Brigade 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

was renamed the 31st Lorried Infantry Brigade. This brigade wore a black desert rat on a red oval. The following officers commanded the brigade between 1946 and 1956: *Brigadier Roger H. Bower: April–December 1946 *Brigadier William R. Cox: January–December 1947 *Brigadier William P. Oliver: January 1948-February 1949 *Brigadier Cyril E.H. Dolphin: February 1949-September 1950 *Brigadier Frederick Stephens: September–November 1950 *Brigadier Victor D.G. Campbell: December 1950-November 1952 *Brigadier John F.M. Macdonald: November 1952-November 1954 *Brigadier Alfred (John) Tilly: November 1954-March 1956

Bibliography

* J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, . * * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, .

External sources

The Long, Long Trail

References

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