The 8th 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 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 ...

, before being disbanded and reactivated in the 1960s. The brigade was finally being disbanded in 2006. It was formed before 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 ...

as part of the 3rd Division. As part of that division it spent the entire war on the Western Front from 1914 to 1918 in the First World War. The brigade was also active during the Second World War.

First World War

The brigade, part of the 3rd Division, was serving in England on the outbreak of the First World War.

First World War Composition

* 2nd Battalion,

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regime ...

* 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment ''(left 24 October 1914)'' * 4th 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 ...

''(left 13 November 1915)'' * 1st Battalion,

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gord ...

''(left 12 September, returned 30 September 1914)'' * 1st 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 ...

''(from 4 until 30 September 1914)'' * 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment ''(from 25 October 1914, left 22 October 1915)'' * 1/1st Battalion,

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

''(from 10 November until 9 December 1914)'' * 1/4th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders ''(from 27 February, left 19 October 1915)'' * 13th (Service) 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 ...

''(from 23 October 1915, left 4 April 1916)'' * 7th (Service) Battalion,

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. In 19 ...

''(from 19 October 1915)'' * 1/5th Battalion, London Regiment ''(from 25 October 1915, left 10 February 1916)'' *

8th (Service) Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment The 8th (Service) Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment (8th EYR), was a unit of 'Kitchener's Army' raised shortly after the outbreak of World War I. Following a short period of training it went to the Western Front with other Kitchener battal ...

''(from 16 November 1915, disbanded 17 February 1918)'' * 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers ''(from 5 April 1916)'' * 8th 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 22 January 1916, moved to 3rd Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 6 March 1918)'' * 8th Trench Mortar Battery ''(formed 18 April 1916)''

Commanders

The commanders of the 8th Infantry Brigade during the First World War were: *Brigadier-General B. J. C. Doran (At mobilization) *Brigadier-General W. H. Bowes (23 October 1914) *Brigadier-General A. R. Hoskins (25 March 1915) *Brigadier-General J. D. McLachlan (3 October 1915) *Brigadier-General E. G. Williams (13 March 1916) *Brigadier-General G. Bull (3 December 1916) *Brigadier-General H. G. Holmes (11 December 1916) :*''Acting'': Lieutenant-Colonel A. F. Lumsden (30 April 1917) *Brigadier-General H. G. Holmes (15 May 1917) *Brigadier-General W. E. C. Tanner (20 October 1917) *Brigadier-General W. J. Webb-Bowen (2 April 1918) *Brigadier-General L. A. E. Price-Davies (3 April 1918) *Brigadier-General B. D. Fisher (12 April 1918)

Second World War

The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU1218

The brigade was in the United Kingdom upon the outbreak of the Second World War, when it was under the command of Brigadier Frank Witts.

Second World War Composition

The composition was: * 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment * 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 ...

* 2nd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment ''(until 5 February 1940)'' * 8th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company ''(formed 3 September 1939, disbanded 1 January 1941)'' * 4th Battalion,

Royal Berkshire Regiment The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as the Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), b ...

''(from 5 February until 11 June 1940)'' * 1st 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 ...

''(before 6 June 1940)''

Northern Ireland

Reactivated in the mid-late 1960s, the 8th Brigade was part of the 5th Division before arriving in

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 ...

after the beginning of

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 " ...

, reporting to GOC Northern Ireland. It was based at

Ebrington Barracks Ebrington Barracks was a military installation on the east bank of the River Foyle in Derry, Northern Ireland. History The present barracks, named after Hugh Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington (later Earl Fortescue), were built on the site in 184 ...

, Derry, and covered the north and northwest of the province. The Brigade Headquarters moved to

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 ...

in October 2003. The brigade was disbanded and handed over responsibility to HQ 39th Infantry Brigade, based 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. During 1989, the 8th Infantry Brigade had the following structure: * HQ 8th Infantry Brigade & 218th 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 ...

, Derry ** 1st Btn, Gloucestershire Regiment, Ballykelly ** 1st Btn, Royal Hampshire Regiment, Derry ** 4th Btn, Ulster Defence Regiment ** 5th Btn, Ulster Defence Regiment ** 6th Btn, Ulster Defence Regiment ** 8th Btn, Ulster Defence Regiment

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 8 Infantry 8 Infantry 8 Infantry Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I