184th (2nd South Midland) Brigade

The 184th (2nd South Midland) Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army raised during the Great War of 1914-1918. The brigade was raised as a duplicate of the 145th (1/1st South Midland) Brigade and consisted of those men in the Territorial Force who had not volunteered for overseas service when asked at the outbreak of war. It originally acted as a reserve to the 145th Brigade, sending drafts of officers and men as battle-casualty replacements and participated in home defence duties. It was assigned to the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division and, from May 1916 onwards, served on the Western Front in the trenches. In April 1917 Company Sergeant Major Edward Brooks of the 2/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was awarded the Victoria Cross.

The brigade was disbanded after the war in 1919, along with the rest of the Territorial Force which was reformed in the 1920s as the Territorial Army. In early 1939, war with Nazi Germany was becoming increasingly likely and, as a result, the Territorial Army was ordered to be doubled in size, in order to meet the threat. The brigade was reformed, now as the 184th Infantry Brigade, in 1939, prior to the outbreak of World War II and consisted of units from the South Midlands area of England. It was assigned to the 61st (South Midland) Infantry Division. However, despite being raised for service in war, the brigade never saw active service overseas (apart from briefly serving in Northern Ireland) and remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war, acting in a training role. In July 1945 the division was reorganised as a light division in preparation for a deployment to the Far East to fight the Imperial Japanese Army. However, the Japanese surrendered in August 1945 and the move cancelled.

Formation in World War I

The infantry battalions did not all serve at once, but all were assigned to the brigade during the war.

• 2/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
• 2/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
• 2/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
• 2/4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment
• 184th Machine Gun Company
• 184th Trench Mortar Battery

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Formation in World War II

• 5th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
• 2nd Buckinghamshire Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
• 6th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment
• 1st Battalion, Sherwood Foresters
• 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment

References