129th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 129th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that served during both the First and Second world wars. It was originally formed in the Territorial Force as the South Western Brigade attached to the Wessex Division, later 129th (South Western) Brigade and 43rd (Wessex) Division respectively. The division was sent overseas to India, on the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, to free up Regular Army troops for service in France. However, the division, and the brigade, never saw action and was disbanded later in the war.
The brigade was later reformed in the Territorial Army in 1920 and was again part of 43rd (Wessex) Division. The brigade served with the division throughout the Second World War and spent from 1939 until June 1944 in intensive training throughout the United Kingdom, particularly in Kent. They were training for the invasion of France and landed in Normandy in late June 1944. They fought in the Normandy Campaign, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and the Rhine Crossing.
First World War Order of Battle
- 1/4th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry
- 1/5th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry
- 1/4th Battalion, Dorset Regiment
- 1/4th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment
World War II Commanders
- Brig. G.E.M. Whittuck
- Brig. W.K.M. Leader
- Brig. G. Brunskill (11 March 1941–11th Aug.1942)
- Brig. G.H.L. Mole
- Brig. J.O.E. Vandeleur
- Brig. W.R. Cox
Component Units in World War II
- 4th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry
- 4th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment
- 5th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment
External links
- 129 Infantry Brigade at Orders of Battle.com