3rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
| 3rd Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1809-2004 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Regular Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
The 3rd Infantry Brigade was a regular British Army formation, part of the 1st Infantry Division. Originally formed in 1809, during the Peninsular War, the brigade had a long history, later seeing action in War of 1812, the Crimean War, and both the First and Second World Wars.
History
The 1st Infantry Division was formed during the Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal, part of the army commanded by Gen. Arthur Wellesley, later 1st Duke of Wellington. In 1814, the 3rd brigade took part in the Battle of New Orleans, commanded by Lt. Gen. John Keane.[1]
The brigade saw service during the First World War as part of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front.[2]
During the Second World War it served with the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of France. After the retreat from Dunkirk it remained in the United Kingdom until 1943 when it was sent to North Africa to take part in the Algerian and Tunisian Campaigns. On 11 June 1943 the 1st Infantry Division was sent to the Italian island of Pantelleria which they captured and occupied before being sent to Italy. They fought in Italy until 28 January 1945 when they were sent to Palestine as a garrison where they remained to the end of the war.[3]
As part of 1st Division the Brigade was in Egypt after the war until returning to Chiseldon, Wiltshire. During the Suez Crisis the brigade was moved to Malta, in August 1956, from where they went to Egypt on the aircraft carrier HMS Theseus, reaching Port Said just as the ceasefire was declared. It then went on to Cyprus in 1956. Following operations against EOKA, the brigade was disbanded there in 1963.[4]
From 1972, the 3rd Infantry Brigade was headquartered in the Kitchen Hill Factory in Lurgan until moving to the Mahon Road Barracks in Portadown in late 1976, under HQ Northern Ireland and was the HQ element for the security forces which controlled the South Armagh region of Ulster, including several battalions of the Ulster Defence Regiment. In February 1988 the brigade headquarters moved to Drumadd Barracks in Armagh.[5]The brigade was disbanded on 1 September 2004 and its former units divided between 8 Brigade and 39 Brigade.[6]
Component Units (WWI)
Component units were:[2]
- 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers
- 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers (until February 1918)
Also attached to the 3rd Brigade were:
- 1/6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Welsh Regiment (October 1915 to May 1916)
- 1/4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (November 1914 to September 1915)
- 1/9th Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment (November 1915 to January 1916)
Component Units (WWII)
Component units were:[7]
- 1st Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment
- 1st Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry
- 2nd Battalionn, Sherwood Foresters
Commanders
- 1936–1938: Arthur Floyer-Acland[8]
References
- ↑ "John Keane". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "1st Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "3rd Infantry Brigade". Orders of Battle. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "British units serving in Cyprus 1955-1959". Britain's Small Wars. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ Potter, John (2001). Testimony to Courage: The History of the Ulster Defence Regiment 1969-1992. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-0850528190.
- ↑ Tanner, p. 14
- ↑ "Order of Battle". Orders of Battle. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives - ACLAND, Arthur Nugent Floyer". Retrieved 11 December 2009.
Sources
- Tanner, James (2014). The British Army since 2000. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1782005933.
External links
- 3 Infantry Brigade at Orders of Battle.com