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British army unit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 19th Brigade is an Army Reserve formation of the British Army. As the 19th Infantry Brigade, it fought in the First and Second World War.
19th Brigade 19th Infantry Brigade 19th Light Brigade | |
---|---|
Active | 1892–1901 1914–1919 1938–1939 1950–2013 2022– |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Infantry |
Role | Reserve Light Infantry |
Size | Brigade |
Part of | 1st (UK) Division |
Garrison/HQ | Imphal Barracks |
Engagements | First World War Second World War War in Afghanistan Operation Telic |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Brigadier Owen Lyttle |
Notable commanders | Horace Smith-Dorrien General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith |
The formation became 19th Light Brigade in 2005, and moved to Northern Ireland following the end of Operation Banner and "normalisation" of British military operations in the province. Following the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), the brigade entered suspended animation in March 2013. As part of the Future Soldier reform, the brigade was reactivated in 2022.
19th Infantry Brigade was not part of the original British Expeditionary Force (BEF) but was formed in France between 19 and 22 August 1914 from line of communication defence battalions as an independent brigade. It immediately went into action at the Battle of Mons on 23 August, then participated in the Retreat from Mons and subsequent battles under various corps headquarters.[1][2][3][4]
From 12 October 1914 the brigade was attached to 6th Division at the time of the Battle of Armentières,[1][5] transferring to 27 Division on 31 May 1915.[6][7] On 19 August 1915, 19th Bde formally joined 2nd Division (replacing 4th (Guards) Bde, which had left to join the new Guards Division). It served with 2nd Division at the Battle of Loos.[8][9]
These attachments had all been to formations of the Regular Army, but on 25 November 1915, 2nd Division exchanged 19th Bde with a brigade from 33rd Division, a newly-arrived 'New Army' ('Kitchener's Army') formation. The intention was to share experience, and as soon as it joined 33rd Division, the brigade exchanged one of its veteran battalions with one of the newcomers. It remained with 33rd Division on the Western Front until the Armistice with Germany. Like the rest of the BEF, it was reduced from a four-battalion to a three-battalion establishment in February 1918.[8][9][10][11]
The independent brigade's initial composition was as follows:[3][1][5]
Subsequent additions:[1][5][10][11]
The following officers commanded the brigade:[1][3][6][10]
The 19th Infantry Brigade was a regular British Army formation at the beginning of the Second World War. It had been raised in 1938 for Internal Security in Palestine, and appears to have joined the 7th Infantry Division on its reformation in September–October 1938. On 3 September 1939, it was converted to HQ Jerusalem Area.[12]
In the late 1970s, as 19 Airportable Brigade, throughout the 1980s, as 19 Infantry Brigade the 19th Brigade was based at Colchester as part of the 3rd Armoured Division.[13]
Component units in 1989:[14]
It would have had to cross the English Channel to join the rest of the division, stationed with the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. Following the disbandment of the 3rd Armoured Division following the end of the Cold War, the brigade joined the new 3rd Mechanised Division, and moved to Catterick Garrison in Yorkshire in April 1993.[15] The brigade signal squadron was based at Gaza Barracks, Catterick Garrison. The brigade deployed as part of Operation Grapple 5, the UK contribution to the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in the former Yugoslavia, between November 1994 and May 1995. They were replaced by 20 Armoured Brigade HQ and Signal Sqn.
In September 1995, the HQ and Signal Sqn deployed on Exercise SUMAN WARRIOR at Canberra Lines, Terendak Camp, Malaysia. Members of the Signal Sqn also deployed on EX Med Man 5 in 1996 as part of the 1KORBR battle group at British Army Training Unit Suffield, Canada. The HQ and Signal Sqn then deployed to Operation Lodestar in the Former Yugoslavia between November 1997 and May 1998. This was as part of the NATO SFOR deployment. The brigade HQ and Signal Squadron were part of MND SW HQ AND SIGNAL SQN based at the Banja Luka metal factory and other locations.
As part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World review in 2003, it was announced that the brigade was to become a 'light' formation. The brigade deployed on Operation Telic 2 between May and November 2003 taking over from 7 Armoured Brigade.[16] The brigade became 19 Light Brigade as of 1 January 2005, and deployed to Iraq on Operation Telic 9 (November 2006 – May 2007) for an unusually long 7-month tour before handing over to 1 Mechanised Brigade and returning to Catterick. It then began moving to Northern Ireland following the end of Operation Banner and "normalisation" of British military operations in the province.[17]
The brigade deployed on Operation Herrick 10 in April 2009, replacing 3 Commando Brigade, where it planned and executed Operation Panther's Claw – named after Bagheera, the panther forming the brigade insignia. The brigade returned to the UK in October 2009 having taken over 70 fatalities --- significantly more than seen in previous operational tours of Afghanistan.[18]
Secretary of Defence Liam Fox announced on 18 July 2011 that the 19th Brigade was to be disbanded as part of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR)[19] in March 2013.[20]
Recent commanders have included:[21]
In 2021, as part of the Future Soldier initiative, it was announced that the 19th Brigade would be reformed with its headquarters in York. The brigade, tasked with home defence and resilience duties,[22] officially re-formed on 23 July 2022 [23][24] under the command of the 1st (United Kingdom) Division.[25]
The brigade's current structure is:[24]
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