199th (Manchester) Brigade

The 199th (2/1st Manchester) Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army, raised during the Great War. It was raised as a second line brigade of the 127th (1/1st Manchester) Brigade, being part of the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division, from those men in the Territorial Force who originally had not agreed to serve overseas at the outbreak of war. However, due to conscription being introduced and the Military Service Act of 1916, the brigade eventually ended up serving with the 66th Division, and the majority of the British Army, on the Western Front. The brigade fought in the Third Battle of Ypres in late 1917. The brigade also saw service during Operation Michael in March 1918, part of the German Army's Spring Offensive, and, as with the rest of the division, suffered extremely heavy casualties. The brigade and division were later reformed and saw service during the final Hundred Days Offensive, which ended with the Armistice of 11 November 1918.

The brigade was disbanded after the war along with the whole of the Territorial Force which was reformed in 1920 as the Territorial Army. The brigade was also reformed in 1939 just before World War II as the war clouds with Nazi Germany were fast approaching and war was becoming increasingly likely. The brigade was reformed as the 199th Infantry Brigade and was again assigned to the 66th (East Lancashire) Division. However, after the British Expeditionary Force was evacuated from France, the 66th Division was disbanded in June 1940. The brigade was later assigned to the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division, serving with it for the rest of the war, and in 1944, was redesignated the 166th Infantry Brigade. The brigade saw many changes in its infantry battalions throughout the war and never saw active service outside the United Kingdom.

World War I formation

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

Source:^[1]

• 2/5th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
• 2/6th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
• 2/7th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
• 2/8th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
• 6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
• 2/9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
• 5th Battalion, Connaught Rangers
• 18th Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment)
• 204th Machine Gun Company
• 199th Trench Mortar Battery

World War II formation

• 2/8th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
• 6th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
• 7th Battalion, Manchester Regiment

Formation in World War II as 166th Infantry Brigade

• 2nd Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)
• 9th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
• 1/4th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment
• 1st Battalion, Liverpool Scottish, (Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders)
• 8th Battalion, Manchester Regiment

References