198th (East Lancashire) Brigade

The 198th (2/1st East Lancashire) Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army during the Great War. The brigade was raised as a duplicate of the 126th (1/1st East Lancashire) Brigade. It was part of the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division, from those men in the Territorial Force who originally had not agreed to serve overseas. However, the brigade ended up serving in the trenches of the Western Front, suffering horrendous casualties in March 1918 during Operation Michael, the opening phase of the German Army's Spring Offensive. As with the rest of the division, the brigade suffered horrendous casualties and had to be completely reformed. The brigade saw service during the Hundred Days Offensive and the war ended on 11 November 1918, Armistice Day.

Both the brigade and division were disbanded in 1919, shortly after the end of the Great War. However, the brigade was reformed, now as the 198th Infantry Brigade, in the Territorial Army shortly before the outbreak of World War II in 1939, as part of the expansion of the Territorial Army when war with Nazi Germany seemed inevitable. It was again assigned to the 66th (East Lancashire) Division. However, the 66th Division was disbanded in June 1940 shortly after the British Expeditionary Force was evacuated from Dunkirk. After the disbandment of the 66th Division, the brigade was independent for six months before joining the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division until it was disbanded near the end of 1943. The 8th King's Regiment (Liverpool) and the 6th Border Regiment were retrained as Beach groups for the upcoming invasion of France and the 7th Borders were transferred to the 222nd Brigade (later 213th Brigade) and the 198th Infantry Brigade ceased to exist and was not reformed in the Territorial Army after the war.

World War I formation

Not all the infantry battalions served in the brigade at the same time.

• 2/4th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment
• 2/5th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment
• 2/9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
• 2/10th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
• 203rd Machine Gun Company
• 198th Trench Mortar Battery
• 5th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
• 6th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers
• 6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers

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World War II formation

• 8th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool)
• 6th Battalion, Border Regiment
• 7th Battalion, Border Regiment

References