33rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 33rd Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service in World War I and home service in World War II.
First World War
The 33rd Brigade was formed in the Great War in August 1914 as part of Kitchener's Army, initially made up of volunteer service battalions from a variety of different infantry regiments. For the duration of the war, the brigade was in the 11th (Northern) Division. Between February and September 1917 it was under the command of Brigadier-General Arthur Daly.[1] From September 1917 to the end of the war it was commanded by Brigadier-General Frederick Spring.[2] The brigade served in the Gallipoli Campaign, in Egypt and on the Western Front, and comprised the following units:[3]
- 6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
- 6th Battalion, Border Regiment (disbanded 9 February 1918)
- 7th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment
- 9th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters
- 33rd Brigade Machine Gun Company (formed March 1916, moved into 11th MG Battalion 28 February 1918)
- 33rd Trench Mortar Battery (joined July 1917)
Second World War
The brigade was re-formed on 24 October 1941 during the Second World War as the 33rd Independent Infantry Brigade (Guards), under the command of Brigadier J. Jefferson.[4] It was part of London District.[5] The brigade was intended for home defence in the event of a German invasion and never left the United Kingdom. It was disbanded on 6 October 1943. It was made up of the following units:
- 6th Battalion, Coldstream Guards
- 3rd Battalion, Welsh Guards
- 3rd Battalion, Irish Guards
- 11th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment (joined 5 December 1942, became 1st Battalion 1 January 1943)
References
- ↑ A. Turner, Messines 1917: The Zenith of Siege Warfare (Osprey Publishing, 2010), 34.
- ↑ F. G. Spring, The History of the 6th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment (Poacher Books, 2008), 53.
- ↑ F. G. Spring, The History of the 6th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment (Poacher Books, 2008), 108.
- ↑ Imperial War Museum, '33rd Independent Infantry Brigade (Guards)' http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30071880
- ↑ 11th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment - 1940-1942 (The Worcestershire Regiment online) http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/bat_11_1940_1942.php