Disbanded after the war, the brigade was reformed in the Territorial Army as the 162nd Infantry Brigade and continued to be part of the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division. In the Second World War, the brigade remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war and did not see service and was disbanded in August 1944.
The brigade was reformed in 1947 as 162nd Independent Infantry Brigade before being finally disbanded in 1961.
In peacetime, the brigade headquarters was in Bedford.[2] The battalions were organized on an 8-company basis, but shortly after the outbreak of the First World War they were reorganized on the regular army standard of four companies in January 1915.[3]
First World War
The brigade was on its annual fortnight's training camp when the First World War broke out on 4 August 1914. It immediately mobilized and concentrated at Bury St Edmunds;[4] it was employed on coastal defence duties in East Anglia until May 1915.[3]
In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. 2nd Line units performed the home defence role, although in fact most of these were also posted abroad in due course.[5] The East Midland Brigade formed the 2nd East Midland Brigade in this manner with an identical structure.[6]
In May 1915, the brigade concentrated with its division in the St Albans area to prepare for overseas service. In mid-May, the East Anglian Division was numbered as 54th (East Anglian) Division and the brigade became 162nd (East Midland) Brigade.[13] On 8 July it was warned for service at Gallipoli and between 28 and 30 July it departed Devonport (Beds[14] and Northants[15] battalions) and Liverpool (London[16] battalions) for the Mediterranean.[3] On the night of 10/11 August 1915 the brigade landed at Suvla with its division as part of IX Corps.[17]
The brigade's first attack was against Kiretch Tepe Ridge and Kidney Hill in support of the 10th (Irish) Division on 15 August which cost a high price: the 1/5th Bedfords suffered casualties of 14 officers and 300 other ranks, the 1/10th Londons 6 and 260 and the 1/11th Londons 9 and 350 (the 1/4th Northants had not yet landed).[18] After the failure of the Battle of Scimitar Hill (21 August), the Suvla front subsided into trench warfare. The brigade spent September, October and November serving turns in frontline trenches with names like Finsbury Vale and New Bedford Road,[14] battalions normally spending about a week at a time in the frontline[16] with the enemy lines being as little as 15–50 yards away.[15] Sniping and artillery attacks were a constant problem, as was the heat, flies, and lack of sanitation.[16]
The brigade was withdrawn from Suvla in early December, departing for Mudros and from there to Egypt.[17]
Sinai and Palestine
The brigade arrived at Mena Camp, Cairo on 19 December 1915. It would spend the rest of the war in Egypt, Palestine and Syria.[17]
On 2 April 1916, the brigade joined No. 1 (Southern) Section of the Suez Canal Defences.[17]
Still with XXI Corps, in 1918 the brigade took part in the Fight at Ras el'Ain (12 March) and Berukin (9 and 10 April).[17] It then took part in the Final Offensive in Palestine in the Battle of Sharon (19–23 September). The brigade reached Haifa by 4 October, and advanced on Beirut via Acre, Tyre and Sidon concentrating at Beirut by 5 November. However, the Armistice of Mudros had ended the war with the Ottoman Empire on 31 October.[17]
The division and brigade were withdrawn to Egypt in late November and December, concentrating at Helmie by 7 December. On 6 January 1919, the 162nd Brigade Trench Mortar Battery was disbanded marking the start of the demobilization process. By 30 September 1919 the division had disappeared in Egypt.[17]
By 1939, it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out, and as a direct result of the German invasion of Czechoslovakia on 15 March,[23] the doubling of the Territorial Army was authorised, with each unit and formation forming a duplicate.[27] The 162nd Brigade formed the 55th Infantry Brigade which became part of a new 18th Infantry Division.[28]
At the outbreak of Second World War on 3 September 1939, the 162nd Infantry Brigade was part of 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division in Eastern Command.[31] Apart from a period (5 December 1942 – 15 August 1943) when it served under London District, as 162nd Independent Infantry Brigade from 10 November 1942 to 5 September 1943, the brigade remained with the 54th Division until the division was disbanded in December 1943. Thereafter, the brigade formed part of the Line of communication (LoC) for 21st Army Group, the last two months of its existence under 12th LoC Area.[29]
The brigade headquarters disbanded on 31 August 1944, having never left the United Kingdom.[29]
2nd Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment (left 17 September 1942)
162nd Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (from 1 February 1940 to 14 July 1941)
70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters(from 8 to 27 September 1942 when renumbered as 16th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, left 5 December 1942)
The Territorial Army was formally disbanded at the end of the war. TA units were reactivated on 1 January 1947, though no personnel were assigned until commanding officers and permanent staff had been appointed in March and April 1947.[33] The brigade was reformed in 1947 as the 162nd Independent Infantry Brigade and commanded:[34]
On 1 May 1961, the ten existing TA divisions were merged with the districts, and the number of infantry brigades were reduced from 31 to 23.[35] On 1 April 1961, the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment[36] was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment[37] to form the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment.[36][l] On 1 May 1961, the 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment[39] amalgamated with R (The Northamptonshire Regiment) Battery, 438th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA (formerly 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment)[40] to form 4th/5th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment.[41]
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Two soldiers won the award while serving with the brigade:
Becke, A.F. (1936). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2A. The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56). London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN1-871167-12-4.
Becke, A.F. (1937). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2B. The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th) with The Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN1-871167-00-0.
Beckett, Ian F.W. (2008). Territorials: A Century of Service. Plymouth: DRA Publishing. ISBN978-0-9557813-1-5.
Bellis, Malcolm A. (1994). Regiments of the British Army 1939–1945 (Armour & Infantry). London: Military Press International. ISBN0-85420-999-9.
Bellis, Malcolm A. (1995). Regiments of the British Army 1939–1945 (Artillery). London: Military Press International. ISBN0-85420-110-6.