The 133rd 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. Br ...

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 service 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 ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, but never as a complete formation. 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 ...

, the brigade fought in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

in May 1940 and was evacuated at Dunkirk. It later fought in the North African Campaign, and was disbanded on 1 January 1943.

Formation

After the creation of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

in 1908, four Volunteer battalions from Kent were organised into a brigade, the Kent Brigade, within the Home Counties Division. Two, the 4th and 5th, were of the

Buffs (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 the other two, the 4th and 5th ( The Weald of Kent), of the

Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Queen' ...

First World War

On the outbreak of the

, the men of the division accepted liability for overseas service to relieve Regular troops for the fighting fronts. The division was ordered to

, although the brigade staffs and Regular adjutants of the battalions were to remain behind. The Home Counties Division embarked at Southampton and sailed on 30 October 1914, disembarking at Bombay on 1–3 December.Becke, pp. 49–54.

Service in India

On arrival, the division's units were sent distributed to various peacetime stations across India,

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

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 Wells explai ...

to continue their training for war. 4th Buffs served at Aden from 4 August 1915 to 28 January 1916. The TF battalions had all taken the prefix '1' (1/4th Buffs ''etc'') to distinguish them from their 2nd-Line battalions forming in the United Kingdom, and in May 1915, the division was numbered

44th (Home Counties) Division The Home Counties Division was an infantry division of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army, that was raised in 1908. As the name suggests, the division recruited in the Home Counties, particularly Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. ...

, and the brigade formally became 133rd (Kent) Brigade (though without a commander or staff, and with its battalions scattered). The 2nd Line units became

202nd (2/1st Kent) Brigade The 2nd Kent Brigade was a 2nd Line Territorial Force Brigade of the British Army in World War I. The brigade was formed as a duplicate of the Kent Brigade in October 1914 as part of the 2nd Home Counties Division. As the name suggests, the b ...

, part of

67th (2nd Home Counties) Division The 2nd Home Counties Division was a 2nd Line Territorial Force division of the British Army in World War I. The division was formed as a duplicate of the 44th (Home Counties) Division in November 1914. As the name suggests, the division recruit ...

. From 1915 onwards there was a regular drain on the battalions as they lost their best Non-Commissioned Officers for officer training, sent detachments to various places in India, and provided drafts to replace casualties among units fighting in

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 F ...

. 1/5th Buffs landed at

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...

on 6 December 1915 and joined

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 ...

in Mesopotamia. By early 1916 it had become obvious that the Territorial Divisions in India were never going to be able to reform and return to Europe to reinforce 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 majo ...

as had been originally intended. They continued training in India for the rest of the war, providing drafts and detachments as required. 1/5th Royal West Kents was transferred to Mesopotamia at the end of 1917, landing at

on 11 December and joining

54th Indian Brigade The 54th 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 formed part of the occupation force for Iraq post-w ...

18th Indian Division The 18th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It took part in the Mesopotamian campaign and formed part of the occupation force for Iraq post-war. The division was n ...

. After the war ended, the remaining Territorial units in India were gradually reduced, but 1/4th Royal West Kents finally saw active service during the Third Afghan War.

Order of Battle

During the First World War the Kent Brigade was composed as follows: Commander: Brigadier-General L. Combe (remained in the United Kingdom) * 4th Battalion,

''(from

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

)'' * 5th (The Weald of Kent) Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment) (''from

Ashford Ashford may refer to: Places Australia *Ashford, New South Wales *Ashford, South Australia *Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia Ireland *Ashford, County Wicklow *Ashford Castle, County Galway United Kingdom * Ashford, Kent, a town ** ...

'') (''left December 1915'') * 4th Battalion,

(''from

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

'') (''left January 1916'') * 5th Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) (''from

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

'') (''left December 1917'')

Between the wars

The Territorial Force was disbanded shortly after the end of the war. It did, however, start to reform in early 1920 and was later renamed the Territorial Army. The Home Counties Division was reformed as the

and the brigade was reformed as the 133rd (Kent) Infantry Brigade and again included two battalions of the

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 two of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. The brigade saw many changes throughout the inter-war years. In 1921 the 4th and 5th ( The Weald of Kent) battalions of the Buffs were amalgamated as the 4th/5th Battalion, Buffs. In the same year the 5th QORWKR were transferred to the 132nd (Middlesex and Kent) Infantry Brigade. They were replaced in the brigade by the

4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

and 5th (Cinque Ports) battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment, both previously having been attached to the division for training. In 1938 all infantry brigades of the British Army were reduced from four battalions to three and so the 4th QORWKR was also transferred to the 132nd Brigade.

Second World War

The brigade and division, along with the rest of the Territorial Army, were mobilised in late August 1939, due to the deteriorating situation in Europe and, on 1 September 1939, the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

marched into Poland. Britain and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

declared war on

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

two days later, 3 September 1939, beginning the

. Upon mobilisation in the early stages of the war in September 1939, 133rd Brigade HQ with 4th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment became HQ Western Sub-Area in the United Kingdom while the other units of the brigade were temporarily under the command of other formations. The brigade reassembled in

44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division The Home Counties Division was an infantry division of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army, that was raised in 1908. As the name suggests, the division recruited in the Home Counties, particularly Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. ...

on 7 October 1939. The 4th Battalion,

was quickly posted away to 25th Brigade, being replaced by the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, a Regular Army unit, making the brigade an all-Royal Sussex formation.Joslen, p. 319. Before the war, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment had been serving 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 ...

, under command of Northern Ireland District.

Order of Battle

133rd Brigade was constituted as follows: * 4th Battalion,

''(until 31 December 1939, to 25th Brigade)'' *

4th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment The 2nd Sussex Rifle Volunteers was a part-time unit of the British Army first raised from the county of Sussex in 1859. It later became the 4th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment. A detachment served in the Second Boer War. During the First World W ...

5th (Cinque Ports) Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment The 1st Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers was a part-time unit of the British Army first raised from the Cinque Ports of Kent and Sussex in 1859. It later became the 5th (Cinque Ports) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. During the First World Wa ...

* 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment ''(from 20 December 1939)'' * 133rd Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company ''(formed 2 January 1940, disbanded 8 January 1941)''

Commanders

The following officers commanded the 133rd Infantry Brigade during the war: *

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 ...

N.I. Whitty ''(until 19 June 1940)'' * Brigadier E.C. Beard ''(from 19 June 1940 until 6 March 1942)'' *

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

J.J. McCully ''(

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

, from 6 to 8 March 1942)'' * Lieutenant-Colonel K.C. Hooper ''(Acting, from 8 to 10 March 1942)'' * Lieutenant-Colonel L.G. Whistler ''(Acting, from 10 March until 1 April 1942, again from 24 August 1942)'' * Brigadier A.W. Lee ''(from 3 September 1942)''

Service

Commanded by

N.I. Whitty, the 133rd Brigade was sent to France with the rest of 44th Division as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), landing on 9 April 1940. The brigade saw fighting in the St Omer-La Bassée area during the

(23–29 May) and retreated to Dunkirk, where they were then evacuated from on 30 May 1940. Back in the United Kingdom, 133rd Brigade was re-equipped and reformed in numbers as all units had suffered heavy casualties (

5th Royal Sussex The 1st Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers was a part-time unit of the British Army first raised from the Cinque Ports of Kent and Sussex in 1859. It later became the 5th (Cinque Ports) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. During the First World ...

had suffered 354 casualties, nearly half their strength) and had to be brought back up to their War Establishment strengths with large numbers of conscripted men. The 133rd Brigade was positioned in Southeast England to defend what 44th Division's commander, Major-General Brian Horrocks, regarded as 'the No 1 German invasion area, stretching from the Isle of Thanet to

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 ...

and on to

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

The British Army in North Africa 1942 E16837

In May 1942 the brigade was sent to North Africa with the rest of the 44th Division, now under Major-General

Ivor Hughes Major-General Sir Ivor Thomas Percival Hughes, (21 December 1897 – 16 August 1962) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the world wars. During the Second World War he commanded the 44th (Home Counties) Division during the Bat ...

, where it fought at the Battle of Alam el Halfa. After Alam Halfa, 133rd Brigade was converted to a lorried infantry brigade, assigned first to 8th Armoured Division and then to

10th Armoured Division 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

with which it fought at the Second Battle of El Alamein, transferring briefly to Major-General Douglas Wimberley's

51st (Highland) Infantry Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...

. After El Alamein the brigade's battalions were posted away on 31 December and 133rd Brigade was officially disbanded on 15 January 1943. The 4th and 5th (Cinque Ports) Battalions were then merged to become the 4th/5th Battalion and with the 2nd Battalion were then posted to the

6th Indian Infantry Division The 6th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II, created on 1 March 1941 in Secunderabad. On 11 September 1941 it was shipped to the Iraq and later Iran. During 1942 and 1943 it was part of the Tenth Ar ...

, the 4th/5th posted to the 27th Indian Infantry Brigade, the 2nd posted to the

24th Indian Infantry Brigade The 24th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed in February 1941, in India and at first assigned to the 10th Indian Infantry Division, and fought in the Anglo-Iraq ...

. However, neither unit saw combat again and both these battalions remained in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

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 ...

for the rest of the war.

Post-War

The brigade was reformed again after the war, as the 133rd (Kent and Sussex) Infantry Brigade, when the Territorial Army was reorganised in 1947. The brigade was now composed of three amalgamated battalions: the 4th/5th Battalion,

, 4th/5th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment (which absorbed the duplicate 6th Battalion) and 4th/5th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * Fraser, David (1999) 983 And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War. Cassell military. .

External links

The Regimental Warpath 1914–1918

The Long, Long Trail
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Military units and formations established in 1908 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 disestablished in 1943