The 39th Infantry Brigade was a military 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 ...

that was first established 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 reformed in the 1950s.

History

First World War

The 39th Infantry Brigade was first formed as part of the

13th (Western) Division The 13th (Western) Division was one of the Kitchener's Army divisions in the First World War, raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener. It fought at Gallipoli, in Mesopotamia (including the capture of Baghdad) and Persia. War service 1914� ...

in World War I, and was with the Division in Gallipoli,

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

, and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

for the entire war. The brigade was detached from the division on 1 July 1918 and posted to

North Persia Force North Persia Force (Norper force) was a British military force that operated in Northern Persia from 1918–1919. Composition The force was a large brigade which consisted of: * 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers * 1st Battalion, 42nd Deoli Reg ...

where it remained until 31 August 1919. The following units served with the brigade: * 9th (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 ...

7th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment The 7th (Service) Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment (the 'Glosters') was a unit of 'Kitchener's Army' raised immediately after the outbreak of World War I. After a short period of training it fought in the Gallipoli Campaign, distinguishi ...

* 9th (Service) Battalion,

Worcestershire Regiment The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regiment f ...

* 7th (Service) Battalion,

Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment) The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was created on 21 April 1758 from the 2nd Battal ...

* 39th Machine Gun Company ''(joined 25 October 1916)'' * 39th Supply and Transport Column, Army Service Corps ''(joined January 1917)'' * 'G' Trench Mortar Battery ''(joined on 13 January 1917; transferred to 38th Brigade on 7 October 1917)'' * 39th Trench Mortar Battery ''('H' Battery joined from

36th Indian Brigade The 36th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. It took part in the Mesopotamian campaign and later formed part of the North Persia Force. It r ...

14th Indian Division The 14th Indian Division was formed during World War I, for service in the Mesopotamian Campaign. It was composed of battalions of the Regular British Army, the British Territorial Force and the British Indian Army. History The Division now pa ...

on 8 October 1917; renamed 39th Battery on 18 February 1918)'' * 39th Small Arms Ammunition Section ''(joined by March 1918)''

Second World War

The Brigade was not reformed for 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 ...

Post Second World War

The Brigade was reformed in the early 1950s in the United Kingdom, and on the reformation of the 3rd Infantry Division on 1 April 1951, the Brigade became part of it, along with the 19th Infantry Brigade and 32nd Guards Brigade. Its first operational summons was in October that year, when it was moved to

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

aboard two aircraft carriers, and then on to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. It took up duties in the south of the canal zone with two battalions, the 1st

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 ...

and 1st 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 ...

. It was joined by 1st Battalion, The

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 ...

, soon afterwards. In October 1952, it was returned to the UK in order to rebuild the strategic reserve. In February 1953, it was warned for movement to carry out anti-Mau Mau operations with

East Africa Command East Africa Command was a Command of the British Army. Until 1947 it was under the direct control of the Army Council and thereafter it became the responsibility of Middle East Command. It was disbanded on 11 December 1963, the day before Kenya bec ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

. Again at a strength of two battalions, 1st Buffs being joined by 1st Battalion,

The 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 ...

, it arrived in April 1953 and was soon deployed in Kenya's Rift Valley, commanded by Brigadier J.W. Tweedie. After over a year of operations, both the Buffs and Devons were withdrawn and relieved in December 1954 and January 1955, respectively. Reliefs were 1st Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and 1st Battalion The Rifle Brigade. The Brigade left

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

in 1956 for

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Having been withdrawn from Kenya, the Brigade HQ under Brigadier C.H. ('Monkey') Blacker was dispatched to Aden from Northern Ireland in May 1964, to relieve HQ Aden Garrison in an operational role at Thumier. The Brigade was involved in operations along the

Radfan Radfan or the Radfan Hills is a region of the Republic of Yemen. In the 1960s, the area was part of a British protectorate of Dhala (a member of the Federation of South Arabia) and was the site of intense fighting during the Aden Emergency. In 1 ...

until October, when control was passed to HQ 24th Infantry Brigade.

Northern Ireland

Back in the UK, the Brigade joined the reforming 5th Infantry Division on its establishment on 1 April 1968. From August 1969, the Brigade, as 39 Airportable Brigade, was involved in

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...

in Northern Ireland, eventually taking on responsibility, under

HQ Northern Ireland HQ Northern Ireland was the formation responsible for the British Army in and around Northern Ireland. It was established in 1922 and disbanded, replaced by a brigade-level Army Reserve formation, 38 (Irish) Brigade, in 2009. History Ireland was ...

, for an area including

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

and the eastern side of the province, but excluding the South Armagh border region. From September 1970, it was commanded by (then)

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 ...

Frank Kitson General Sir Frank Edward Kitson, (born 15 December 1926) is a retired British Army officer and writer on military subjects, notably low intensity operations. He rose to be Commander-in-Chief UK Land Forces from 1982 to 1985 and was Aide-de- ...

.Bloody Sunday Inquiry website—Statement of General Sir Frank Kitson. Retrieved 28 May 2008
Structure of the 39th Infantry Brigade during 1989: * HQ 39th Infantry Brigade & 213th Signal Squadron,

Royal Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

, Lisburn ** 1st Btn,

The 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 (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

Ballykinler Ballykinler (), often transcribed as Ballykinlar, is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies 12 kilometres south west of Downpatrick, in the parish of Tyrella and Dundrum. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 34 ...

** 3rd Btn,

Queen's Regiment The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the ar ...

RAF Aldergrove Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove or more simply JHC FS Aldergrove is located south of Antrim, Northern Ireland and northwest of Belfast and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is sometimes referred to simply as Alde ...

** 3rd Btn, Parachute Regiment,

** 1st/9th Btn, Ulster Defence Regiment ** 3rd Btn, Ulster Defence Regiment ** 7th/10th Btn, Ulster Defence Regiment ** 33rd Independent Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, Antrim The Brigade took on some units from 3 Brigade when that brigade was disbanded on 1 September 2004. The HQ 8 Infantry Brigade based in

Shackleton Barracks Shackleton Barracks is a former British military installation at Ballykelly in Northern Ireland. History The site formerly known as RAF Ballykelly was handed over to the British Army as Shackleton Barracks on 2 June 1971. Battalion HQ and HQ Co ...

Ballykelly, County Londonderry Ballykelly () is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies west of Limavady on the main Derry to Limavady A2 road and is east of Derry. It is designated as a Large Village and in 2011 the population of Ballykell ...

was disbanded and handed over responsibility to HQ 39 Infantry Brigade at

Thiepval Barracks Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn, County Antrim, is the headquarters of the British Army in Northern Ireland and its 38th (Irish) Brigade. History The barracks were built in 1940. They are named after the village of Thiepval in Northern France, an im ...

in Lisburn on 1 September 2006. On 1 August 2007, the Brigade was amalgamated with

107 (Ulster) Brigade The 107th Brigade, later 107th (Ulster) Brigade was an infantry formation of the British Army which saw service in the First World War. The brigade was later reformed during the Cold War and finally disbanded in 2006, following the drawdown of ...

when the new non-deployable brigade HQ, the 38 (Irish) Brigade, was formed in the province.''Hansard'', proceedings of the British Parliament
/ref>

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:39 Infantry Brigade Infantry brigades of the British Army British Army in Operation Banner Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I