The 26th Infantry Brigade was the name of two

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 ...

formations 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

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 ...

First World War

The 26th Brigade was formed in 1914 as part of Kitchener's Army of volunteers. It served on the Western Front throughout the war as part of the

9th (Scottish) Division The 9th (Scottish) Division, was an infantry division of the British Army during the First World War, one of the Kitchener's Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener to serve on the Western Front during the First World War. A ...

, before being disbanded in 1919.

Component units

* 8th Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) * 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting o ...

Buffs, The

Duke of Albany Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover. History The Dukedom of Albany was first granted ...

's) * 8th Battalion, the

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 ...

* 5th Battalion,

The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Al ...

* 10th Battalion, Princess Louise's ( Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) * 1/5th

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 ...

(T.F.)

Loyal North Lancashire Regiment The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Reg ...

* 26th Machine Gun Company * 26th Trench Mortar BatteryJoined 15 June 1916

Commanders

The following officers commanded the 26th Infantry Brigade during the First World War: *Brigadier-General H. R. Kelham (21 September 1914) *Brigadier-General E. G. Grogan (16 November 1914) *Brigadier-General A. B. Ritchie (31 May 1915) *Brigadier-General J. Kennedy (5 December 1916) *Brigadier-General Hon. A. G. A. Hore-Ruthven (27 July 1918) *Brigadier-General H. G. Hyslop (5 November 1918) :*''Acting'': Lieutenant-Colonel R. Campbell (12 November 1918) *Brigadier-General Hon. A. G. A. Hore-Ruthven (22 November 1918)

Second World War

The brigade was initially formed as an organic part of the

9th (Highland) Infantry Division The 9th (Highland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army, formed just prior to the start of the Second World War. In March 1939, after the re-emergence of Germany as a significant military power and its occupation of ...

, itself a duplicate of the

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 ...

. When the 51st Highland Division was surrounded and forced to surrender during the Battle of France the 9th Division was renamed as the 51st Division. As part of these changes the 26th Infantry Brigade was redesignated as the 152nd Infantry Brigade on 7 August 1940. On 6 April 1945 the

26th Indian Infantry Brigade The 26th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in March 1941, at Secunderabad, India and assigned to the 6th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade was part of the Line of Co ...

was reformed as the 26th British Infantry Brigade, part of the 36th Infantry Division which was fighting in the Burma Campaign. This second brigade fought its way to Rangoon. After the reformation of the Territorial Army in 1947 it was active as an independent infantry brigade within Scottish Command for a period.

Component units

In 1939

* 5th Battalion,

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Al ...

* 5th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders * 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders

In 1945

* 2nd Battalion,

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 ...

* 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 ...

* 1st Battalion,

Northamptonshire Regiment The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's O ...

Commanders

Brig. 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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thou ...

I.K. Thomas (CO Original 26th Brigade) * Brigadier M.B. Jennings * Brigadier L. Gwydyr-Jones

Notes

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 of Scotland Military units and formations in Burma in World War II {{UK-mil-unit-stub