The 4th Guards 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 ...

. It was formed by battalions withdrawn from the

Guards Division The Guards Division is an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the training and administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Guards reserve battalion. The Guards Division is responsible for providing two b ...

and served with the 31st Division on the Western Front 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 ...

. It ended the war as General Headquarters Troops, before being broken up in the Guards Division on 17 November 1918.

History

Formation

In February 1918, British divisions on the Western Front were reduced from a 12-battalion to a 9-battalion basis (brigades from four to three battalions). The 4th Guards Brigade was formed on 8 February 1918 by taking a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

from each of the

s of the

: the 3rd Battalion,

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

from the 1st Guards Brigade, the 2nd Battalion,

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG), is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infantry regiments in the British Army. The regiment has parti ...

from the 2nd Guards Brigade and the 4th Battalion,

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

from the 3rd Guards Brigade. It joined the 31st Division at noon on the same day.

War service

The brigade replaced the 94th Brigade in 31st Division, temporarily taking over the 94th

Machine Gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

and the 94th

Trench Mortar ''Minenwerfer'' ("mine launcher" or "mine thrower") is the German name for a class of short range mine shell launching mortars used extensively during the First World War by the Imperial German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by engin ...

Battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

of that brigade. The 94th Machine Gun Company joined 31st Battalion,

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 tank ...

(as C Company) on 3 March. The 4th Guards Trench Mortar Battery was formed on 19 March, took over the Stokes mortars and 94th Trench Mortar Battery then disappeared. The brigade remained with the division until 20 May and in that time saw considerable action in the Battle of the Lys in April, particularly the

Battle of Estaires The Battle of the Lys, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres, was fought from 7 to 29 April 1918 and was part of the German spring offensive in Flanders during the First World War. It was originally planned by General Erich Ludendorff as O ...

Battle of Hazebrouck Hazebrouck (, nl, Hazebroek, , vls, Oazebroeke) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France. It was a small market town in Flanders until it became an important railway junction in the 1860s. West Flemish was the usual language until ...

and the Defence of Nieppe Forest. It was then withdrawn to GHQ Reserve of the British Expeditionary Force.

Post-war

At the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

, the brigade was still part of GHQ Reserve but serving as Corps Troops with the Cavalry Corps. On 17 November, the brigade rejoined the Guards Division at

Maubeuge Maubeuge (; historical nl, Mabuse or nl, Malbode; pcd, Maubeuche) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is situated on both banks of the Sambre (here canalized), east of Valenciennes and about from the Belgian border ...

. The battalions rejoined their original brigades and the 4th Guards Brigade

Headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

and Trench Mortar Battery were disbanded.

Order of battle

The following units served in the brigade: * 4th Battalion,

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

* 3rd Battalion,

* 2nd Battalion,

* 4th Guards Trench Mortar Battery

Commanders

The brigade had the following commanders:

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* * * * *{{cite web, url=http://www.warpath.orbat.com/divs/31_div.htm , title=31st Division on ''The Regimental Warpath 1914 - 1918'' by PB Chappell , access-date=2014-02-21 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104025945/http://www.warpath.orbat.com/divs/31_div.htm , archive-date=4 November 2013 , df=dmy Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Guards Division (United Kingdom) Military units and formations established in 1918 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918