214-646: The 102nd Brigade was an infantry formation of the British Army during World War I . It was raised as part of ' Kitchener's Army ' and assigned to the 34th Division . After the original formation was converted into a reserve brigade, the number was transferred to a brigade of ' Tyneside Scottish ', four ' Pals battalions ' of the Northumberland Fusiliers recruited from men of (mainly) Scottish birth or heritage working on Tyneside . The brigade landed in France at
428-502: A combat support company . With all these components, a battalion is the smallest military unit capable of "limited independent operations". The battalion must have a source of resupply to enable it to sustain operations for more than a few days. This is because a battalion's complement of ammunition, expendable weapons (e.g., hand grenades and disposable rocket launchers ), water, rations, fuel, lubricants, replacement parts, batteries, and medical supplies normally consists of only what
642-469: A creeping barrage . Each battalion was to advance in four waves, with special parties detailed to 'mop up' the captured trenches, and others to carry up supplies. This first line would be followed by the 22nd NF to the south and 23rd NF to the north. 103rd Brigade, starting from behind the British front line, would then pass through to capture the third objective. The infantry commanders had been dissatisfied with
856-456: A lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several companies , each typically commanded by a major or a captain . The typical battalion is built from three operational companies, one weapons company and one headquarters company. In some countries, battalions are exclusively infantry , while in others battalions are unit-level organizations. The word "battalion" came into the English language in
1070-779: A 21-year engagement, following which (should he survive so long) he was discharged as a Pensioner. Pensioners were sometimes still employed on garrison duties, as were younger soldiers no longer deemed fit for expeditionary service who were generally organised in invalid units or returned to the regimental depot for home service. The cost of paying pensioners, and the obligation the government was under to continue to employ invalids as well as soldiers deemed by their commanding officers as detriments to their units were motivations to change this system. The long period of engagement also discouraged many potential recruits. The long service enlistments were consequently replaced with short service enlistments, with undesirable soldiers not permitted to re-engage on
1284-525: A 500-strong composite battalion under the command of Maj H.S. Neaves, holding the line between the other two brigades. Brigadier-Gen Thomson established 102nd Bde HQ in the Sensée valley behind St Léger . The following morning also dawned with mist, covering the German advance, which after a whoile succeeded in penetrating between 101st and 102nd Bdes, the 25th NF losing a few men surrounded and captured. 101st Brigade
1498-562: A Catholic) during his brief controversial reign, off the throne and into exile. England then involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance on the Continent, primarily to prevent a possible French Catholic monarch organizing invasion restoring the exiled James II (Queen Mary's father and still a Roman Catholic ). Later in 1689, William III to solidify his and Mary's hold on the monarchy, expanded
1712-499: A battalion headquarters mounted in a command tank and a headquarters and service platoon, for a total of 165 personnel and 40 tanks; battalions using the older T-54 , T-55 or T-62s tanks had 31 or 40 additional enlisted personnel. However, forces in Eastern Europe began to standardise to a smaller formation with 135 personnel and 31 tanks total, with each tank company consisting of 10 tanks total. A Soviet artillery battalion in
1926-419: A combat logistics element (a Marine combat logistics regiment, which includes naval construction forces [Seabees] and naval medical elements). In the U.S. Marine Corps, an infantry or "rifle" battalion typically consists of a headquarters and service company, three rifle or "line" companies (designated alphabetically A through M depending upon which battalion of the parent regiment to which they are attached) and
2140-679: A deployment in Afghanistan as part of Operation Toral . Following an announcement by the US Government of the end of their operations in the Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence announced in April 2021 that British forces would withdraw from the country by 11 September 2021. It was later reported that all UK troops would be out by early July. Following the collapse of the Afghan Army, and the completion of
2354-518: A farm that had been overlooked by 18th (E) Division. The division was withdrawn on 24 October. 34th Division spent three months in a quieter sector to the south, then went into reserve in February 1918. By the beginning of 1918 the BEF was suffering a manpower crisis. Brigades were reduced from four to three battalions each, and the remainder were broken up to provide reinforcements for the others. In 34th Division
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#17330861330952568-424: A further stand would result in unnecessary casualties: 102nd and 88th Bdes were almost surrounded. They received permission to continue their preparations for withdrawal, and got away without interference. By now 102nd Bde was so reduced in numbers that it was taken out of the line and reorganised as a composite battalion under Lt-Col H.S. Neaves with a strength of 462 all ranks, 34th MG Bn with 10 guns, and 90 men from
2782-585: A headquarters company, support company and three rifle companies (usually, but not always, A, B and C companies). Each company is commanded by a major , the officer commanding (OC), with a captain or senior lieutenant as second-in-command (2IC). The HQ company contains signals , quartermaster , catering, intelligence , administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. The support company usually contains anti-tank , machine gun , mortar , pioneer and reconnaissance platoons. Mechanised units usually have an attached light aid detachment (LAD) of
2996-420: A headquarters company, two mechanized infantry companies, two tank companies and a forward support company attached from the battalion's parent brigade support battalion. This new structure eliminated the need to task-organize companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. At a higher level, each armored brigade (formerly designated 'heavy brigade')
3210-422: A heavy weapons company. That is, rifle companies A, B, C along with heavy weapons Company D were part of the 1st battalion, rifle companies E, F, G and heavy weapons Company H constituted the 2nd battalion, and rifle companies I, K, L and heavy weapons Company M were in the 3rd. There was no J Company: the letter J was traditionally not used because in 18th- and 19th-century old-style type,
3424-486: A hell of a lot of battles before we get our kilts'. The casualties among 102nd and 103rd Bdes were so severe that on 6 July they were exchanged for two fresh brigades from 37th Division so that 34th Division could continue the offensive. 102nd and 103rd Brigades were temporarily amalgamated under the command of Brig-Gen Ternan and held the quiet line opposite Monchy-au-Bois and then the more active Vimy Ridge sector while being reinforced. On 15 August 34th Division left
3638-529: A large number of TCs from other divisions that were being reduced. Over the following weeks the division assisted in training the 28th , 78th and 80th US Divisions , each US brigade HQ being affiliated to a brigade of 34th Division, and each US battalion to a British battalion TC. Meanwhile reinforcements were being urgently shipped to the Western Front from the Palestine campaign , and on 13 June 34th Division
3852-585: A large reserve of recently discharged soldiers, ready to be recalled on the outbreak of war to immediately bring the small peacetime regular army up to strength), the Regular Reserve of the British Army was originally created in 1859 by Secretary of State for War Sidney Herbert , and re-organised under the Reserve Force Act 1867 . Prior to this, a soldier was generally enlisted into the British Army for
4066-412: A limited capability to plan and conduct independent operations and are normally organic components of brigades, groups, or regiments. A U.S. Army battalion includes the battalion commander ( lieutenant colonel ), executive officer ( major ), command sergeant major (CSM), headquarters staff and usually three to five companies, with a total of 300 to 1,000 (but typically 500 to 600) soldiers. During
4280-646: A major), the sergeant major and the executive staff (S-1 through S-4 and S-6). The battalion headquarters is supported by a headquarters and service company (battery). A battalion usually contains two to five organic companies (batteries in the artillery), with a total of 500 to 1,200 Marines in the battalion. A regiment consists of a regimental headquarters, a headquarters company (or battery) and two to five organic battalions (Marine infantry regiments – three battalions of infantry; Marine artillery regiments – three to five battalions of artillery; Marine combat logistics regiments – one to three combat logistics battalions). In
4494-509: A mechanised infantry battalion usually consists of one command- and medical company, three mechanised infantry companies and one support company, which has three platoons with heavy mortars and three platoons with anti-tank missiles ( TOW ). With the Dutch artillery units, the equivalent of a battalion is called an afdeling (which translates to "section"). Combat companies consist of (usually mechanised) infantry, combat engineers , or tanks . In
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#17330861330954708-565: A multinational armoured battlegroup in Estonia under Operation Cabrit and contributes troops to another military battle group in Poland . As part of the NATO plans, Britain has committed a full mechanized infantry brigade to be on a high state of readiness to defend Estonia. Between 2015 and 2022, the British Army deployed Short Term Training Teams (STTTs) to Ukraine under Operation Orbital to help train
4922-641: A number of combat support units: a mortar battery consisting of eight 120 mm 120-PM-43 mortars or automatic 82 mm 2B9 Vasileks , an air defence platoon with nine MANPADs , either the SA-7 Grail , SA-14 Gremlin or SA-16 Gimlet and an automatic grenade launcher platoon with six 30 mm AGS-17 launchers. The BTR battalion also featured an anti-tank platoon with four AT-3 Sagger or AT-4 Spigot launchers and two 73 mm SPG-9 recoilless guns ; BTR units on high-readiness status sometimes had six missile launchers and three recoilless guns. Both featured
5136-479: A protective barrage while the remaining pillboxes and outposts were mopped up. Machine gun fire prevented patrols from entering Menin during the night while the enemy destroyed their stores there, but early on 15 October 1/4th Cheshires pushed through the town. Menin was quickly occupied by 102nd Bde, which established posts along the River Lys at the sites of 'Mongrel' and 'Marathon' bridges. 1/1st Herefords crossed over
5350-832: A safe distance by aiding the Ottoman Empire ). Like the English Army , the British Army fought the kingdoms of Spain, France (including the First French Empire ) and the Netherlands ( Dutch Republic ) for supremacy in North America and the West Indies . With native and provincial and colonial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the French and Indian War (North American theatre) of
5564-552: A series of support vehicles, including six-, nine- and fifteen-tonne MAN trucks, Oshkosh heavy-equipment transporters (HET), close-support tankers, quad bikes and ambulances. Tactical communication uses the Bowman radio system, and operational or strategic communication is controlled by the Royal Corps of Signals . Battalion A battalion is a military unit , typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. Commanded by
5778-456: A small attack assisted by 20th and 23rd NF from 102nd Bde and two mortars of 102nd TMB. It was a minor operation planned in great detail, one of a number of such attacks being carried out as diversions from that summer's main Ypres Offensive . The objectives were 'Malakoff Farm' and the adjoining trench system on Cologne Ridge in front of Hargicourt, about 2,000 yards (1,800 m) in front of
5992-473: A smoke barrage fired to mask the village of Geluwe , the visibility was no more than 5 m, and attacking infantry were led by compass, many of them holding the belt of the man at front. Casualties were caused by enemy outposts too far forward to be included in the barrage (the trench mortars had tried to deal with them), but thereafter progress to the first objective, the Black Line 1,500 yards (1,400 m) ahead,
6206-505: A target strength of 82,000, and just over 30,000 Army Reservists , with a target strength of 30,000. All former Regular Army personnel may also be recalled to duty in exceptional circumstances during the 6-year period following completion of their Regular service, which creates an additional force known as the Regular Reserve . The table below illustrates British Army personnel figures from 1710 to 2024. The British Army's basic weapon
6420-441: A total of 255 personnel. A Swedish battalion during the mid 17th century up to the mid 18th century was the smallest tactical unit in combat. The 600 man unit was formed, temporarily, at the inception of a battle by joining four foot companies from a foot regiment of eight companies. The commander of the regiment, an överste ( colonel ), led the first battalion and his deputy, an överstelöjtnant ( lieutenant colonel ),
6634-432: A trench block in the support line at 'Queen's Lane'. This held up the advance for some time with rifle and Lewis gun fire, then about 15.30 they were pushed back until they joined up with the defensive flank formed by 101st Bde along 'Factory Avenue', where the companies of 25th NF had gathered. That night the survivors of 102nd Bde, together with a company of the 18th BF (Pioneers) and J Special Company, RE, were formed into
102nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade - Misplaced Pages Continue
6848-591: A volunteer army and threatened to emulate the American colonists if their conditions were not met. Learning from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution. The British Army fought Irish rebels—Protestant and Catholic—primarily in Ulster and Leinster ( Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen ) in the 1798 rebellion . In addition to battling the armies of other European empires (and its former colonies,
7062-793: A war against the Prussian -led German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire ). When the First World War broke out in August 1914 the British Army sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), consisting mainly of regular army troops, to France and Belgium . The fighting bogged down into static trench warfare for the remainder of the war. In 1915 the army created the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force to invade
7276-437: A weapons company. Weapons companies do not receive a letter designation. Marine infantry regiments use battalion and company designations as described above under World War II, with company letters D, H and M not normally used but rather held in reserve for use in augmenting a fourth rifle company into each battalion as needed. United States Marine Corps infantry battalions are task organised into Battalion Landing Teams (BLTs) as
7490-575: Is based on that of the earlier English army. Although technically the Scots Royal Regiment of Foot was raised in 1633 and is the oldest Regiment of the Line, Scottish and Irish regiments were only allowed to take a rank in the English army on the date of their arrival in England (or the date when they were first placed on the English establishment). In 1694, a board of general officers was convened to decide
7704-427: Is composed of two or more primary mission companies, which are often of a common type (e.g., infantry, tank, or maintenance), although there are exceptions, such as combined arms battalions in the U.S. Army. In addition to the primary mission companies, a battalion typically includes a headquarters staff and combat service support , which may be combined into a headquarters and service company . A battalion may contain
7918-496: Is for command elements. According to some observers, the average manpower of the battalions has substantially declined: from 670 plus in 1988, 350 plus in 1998, and 250 plus in 2008. A leaked document reported in the international media revealed that in late 2006, the Tatmadaw had 284 battalions with fewer than 200 personnel, and 220 battalions with between 200 and 300 personnel. As of January 2024 , most battalions/regiments of
8132-435: Is now composed of three CABs (versus the two CABs of a former heavy brigade), one reconnaissance squadron, one artillery battalion, one brigade engineer battalion (BEB) and one brigade support battalion (BSB). A United States Marine Corps battalion includes the battalion headquarters, consisting of the commanding officer (usually a lieutenant colonel, sometimes a colonel), an executive officer (the second-in-command, usually
8346-692: Is provided by L16 81mm mortars . Sniper rifles include the L118A1 7.62 mm, L115A3 and the AW50F , all manufactured by Accuracy International . The British Army utilises the Glock 17 as its side arm. Anti tank guided weapons include the Javelin , the medium range anti-tank guided weapon replacement for Milan , with overfly and direct attack modes of operation, and the NLAW . The Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon ( NLAW )
8560-505: Is the 5.56 mm L85A2 or L85A3 assault rifle, with some specialist personnel using the L22A2 carbine variant (pilots and some tank crew). The weapon was traditionally equipped with either iron sights or an optical SUSAT , although other optical sights have been subsequently purchased to supplement these. The weapon can be enhanced further utilising the Picatinny rail with attachments such as
8774-576: Is the first, non-expert, short-range, anti-tank missile that rapidly knocks out any main battle tank in just one shot by striking it from above. The army's main battle tank is the Challenger 2 , which is being upgraded to Challenger 3 . It is supported by the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle as the primary infantry fighting vehicle , (which will soon be replaced by the Boxer 8x8 armoured fighting vehicle ) and
102nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade - Misplaced Pages Continue
8988-643: Is the official list of which bodies of the British Military (not to be confused with naval ) Forces were to be considered Corps of the British Army for the purposes of the Army Act , the Reserve Forces Act, 1882, and the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act, 1907, had not been updated since 1926 (Army Order 49 of 1926), although amendments had been made up to and including Army Order 67 of 1950. A new Corps Warrant
9202-688: Is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom , British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies , a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Naval Service and the Royal Air Force . As of 1 July 2024, the British Army comprises 74,296 regular full-time personnel, 4,244 Gurkhas , 25,934 volunteer reserve personnel and 4,612 "other personnel", for a total of 109,086. The British Army traces back to 1707 and
9416-703: Is used in the British Army Infantry and some corps including the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Intelligence Corps . It was formerly used in the Royal Engineers (before they switched to regiments), and was also used in the now defunct Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Royal Pioneer Corps . Other corps usually use the term "regiment" instead. An infantry battalion is numbered ordinarily within its regiment (e.g., 1st Battalion, The Rifles , usually referred to as 1 Rifles). It normally has
9630-798: The American Civil War , an infantry or cavalry battalion was an ad hoc grouping of companies from the parent regiment (which had ten companies, A through K, minus J as described below), except for certain regular infantry regiments, which were formally organized into three battalions of six companies each (numbered 1–6 per battalion vice sequential letter designations). After 1882, cavalry battalions were renamed squadrons and cavalry companies were renamed troops. Artillery battalions typically comprised four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably. During World War II, most infantry regiments consisted of three battalions (1st, 2nd and 3rd) with each battalion consisting of three rifle companies and
9844-698: The Americas , Africa , Asia , India and Australasia . British soldiers captured strategically important sites and territories, with the army involved in wars to secure the empire's borders, internal safety and support friendly governments and princes. Among these actions were the French and Indian War / Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War , the Napoleonic Wars , the First and Second Opium Wars ,
10058-656: The Anglo-Irish War . The increasing demands of imperial expansion and the inadequacy and inefficiency of the underfunded British Army, Militia , Ordnance Military Corps, Yeomanry and Volunteer Force after the Napoleonic Wars led to series of reforms following the failures of the Crimean War . Inspired by the successes of the Prussian Army (which relied on short-term conscription of all eligible young men to maintain
10272-668: The Armed Forces of Ukraine against further Russian aggression. This operation was succeeded by Operation Interflex in July 2022. The British Army has been a volunteer force since national service ended during the 1960s. Since the creation of the part-time, reserve Territorial Force in 1908 (renamed the Army Reserve in 2014), the full-time British Army has been known as the Regular Army. In July 2020 there were just over 78,800 Regulars, with
10486-604: The Armistice with Germany came into force on 11 November 1918. 34th Division was selected to form part of the occupation forces in Germany (the British Army of the Rhine , but first it moved to the Lessines area on 17 November to continue training. 'Pivotal' men needed at home such as miners began to be demobilised . It spent 19 December to 17 January 1919 around Namur and then entrained for
10700-513: The Bailleul road towards Steenwerck . The brigadiers agreed to begin at 19.30, and by 01.00 on 12 April 102nd Bde and 88th Bde of 29th Division were holding a W-shaped front from Steenwerck station to Pont d'Achelles, with RE companies filling the gaps. 34th Division HQ now had six brigades under its command, and with good artillery support they mainly managed to maintain their positions throughout 12–13 April despite heavy onslaughts. 23rd NF held up
10914-951: The Boxer Rebellion , the New Zealand Wars , the Australian frontier wars , the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 , the first and second Boer Wars , the Fenian raids , the Irish War of Independence , interventions in Afghanistan (intended to maintain a buffer state between British India and the Russian Empire ) and the Crimean War (to keep the Russian Empire to the north on the Black Sea at
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#173308613309511128-416: The Bulldog armoured personnel carrier . Light armoured units often utilise the Supacat "Jackal" MWMIK and Coyote tactical support vehicle for reconnaissance and fire support. The army has three main artillery systems: the M270 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), the AS-90 and the L118 light gun . The MLRS, first used in Operation Granby , has an 85-kilometre (53 mi) standard range, or with
11342-442: The Durham Light Infantry , later affiliated to the Black Watch . The following officers commanded 102nd Bde during its existence: A memorial was dedicated to the fallen of the Tyneside Scottish Brigade at La Boisselle. It was unveiled by Marshal Ferdinand Foch . There are memorials to 34th Division at La Boisselle and at Mont Noir (Zwarteberg) where it fought during the Battle of the Lys. British Army The British Army
11556-477: The Far East , the British Army rallied against the Japanese in the Burma Campaign and regained the British Far Eastern colonial possessions. After the Second World War the British Army was significantly reduced in size, although National Service continued until 1960. This period saw decolonisation begin with the partition and independence of India and Pakistan, followed by the independence of British colonies in Africa and Asia. The Corps Warrant , which
11770-442: The Islamic State (ISIL). The British Army maintains a standing liability to support the civil authorities in certain circumstances, usually in either niche capabilities (e.g. explosive ordnance removal) or in general support of the civil authorities when their capacity is exceeded. In recent years this has been seen as army personnel supporting the civil authorities in the face of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak ,
11984-445: The L17A2 under-barrel grenade launcher. In 2023, the Army Special Operations Brigade , which includes the Ranger Regiment , began using the L403A1 , an AR-pattern rifle also used by the Royal Marines . Some soldiers are equipped with the 7.62mm L129A1 sharpshooter rifle , which in 2018 formally replaced the L86A2 Light Support Weapon. Support fire is provided by the L7 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG), and indirect fire
12198-437: The Netherlands for the War of the Spanish Succession . Although all the regiments were now part of the new British military establishment, they remained under the old operational-command structure and retained much of the institutional ethos, customs and traditions of the standing armies created shortly after the Restoration of the Monarchy 47 years earlier. The order of seniority of the most-senior British Army line regiments
12412-460: The Netherlands Marine Corps all have a battalion structure. Each battalion usually consists of the following: In the Soviet Armed Forces , a motorised rifle battalion could be mounted in either BTR armoured personnel carriers or BMP infantry fighting vehicles , with the former being more numerous into the late 1980s. Both consisted of a battalion headquarters of 12 personnel and three motorised rifle companies of 110 personnel each, along with
12626-424: The Ottoman Empire via Gallipoli , an unsuccessful attempt to capture Constantinople and secure a sea route to Russia . The First World War was the most devastating in British military history , with nearly 800,000 men killed and over two million wounded. Early in the war, the BEF was virtually destroyed and was replaced first by volunteers and then by a conscript force. Major battles included those at
12840-441: The PrSM , up to 500 km. The AS-90 is a 155 mm self-propelled armoured gun with a 24-kilometre (15 mi) range. The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed gun, which is typically towed by a Pinzgauer all-terrain vehicle. To identify artillery targets, the army operates the TAIPAN artillery detection radar and utilises artillery sound ranging . For air defence it uses the new Sky Sabre system, which in 2021 replaced
13054-418: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement , there was a gradual reduction in the number of soldiers deployed. In 2005, after the PIRA declared a ceasefire, the British Army dismantled posts, withdrew many troops and restored troop levels to those of a peacetime garrison. Operation Banner ended at midnight on 31 July 2007 after about 38 years of continuous deployment,
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#173308613309513268-422: The Rapier . It also deploys the Very Short-Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) Starstreak HVM (high-velocity missile) launched by a single soldier or from a Stormer HVM vehicle-mounted launcher. Where armour is not required or mobility and speed are favoured the British Army utilises protected patrol vehicles, such as the Panther variant of the Iveco LMV , the Foxhound , and variants of the Cougar family (such as
13482-399: The Rhine , completing its takeover of the right sector of the Cologne bridgehead on 29 January. In March 34th Division was reconstituted as Eastern Division and 102nd Bde had the following organisation: Eastern Division and its brigades were disbanded in July 1919. 102nd Brigade was not reformed during World War II , although a new Tyneside Scottish was formed in 1939 as a battalion of
13696-409: The River Schelde , liberating Belgian civilians. In this final successful action the brigade's losses were only 87 (including 25 captured at Lock 4) and it took an equal number of prisoners. It was relieved on 27 October and did not take part in the Action at Tiegem on 31 October. On 3 November 34th Division marched back to the Courtrai area where it was refitting and training in corps reserve when
13910-406: The Royal Anglian Regiment ). Important figures in a battalion headquarters include: Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g., 101 Battalion REME). A battle group consists of an infantry battalion or armoured regiment with sub-units detached from other military units acting under the command of the battalion commander. In the Canadian Army ,
14124-437: The Territorial Force as the army's volunteer reserve component, merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia and Yeomanry. Great Britain was challenged by other powers, primarily the German Empire and Nazi Germany , during the 20th century. A century earlier it vied with Napoleonic France for global pre-eminence, and Hanoverian Britain's natural allies were the kingdoms and principalities of northern Germany . By
14338-527: The War Office (WO) ordered each SR battalion to use the surplus to form a service battalion of the 4th New Army ('K4'). In November K4 battalions were organised into 18 brigades numbered from 89 to 106 and formed into the 30th–35th Divisions. Initially, the K4 units remained in the coast defences alongside their parent SR battalions. On 5 November 1914 four K4 battalions in the Portland Harbour Garrison were ordered to be formed into 102nd Brigade in 34th Division: On 2 November Brigadier-General R.B. Fell
14552-405: The Ypres – Comines Canal. Successful turning movements by neighbouring divisions meant that 34th Division was now squeezed out of the line. A few days later the division took over holding a section of the line until the Battle of Courtrai on 14 October. 102nd Brigade formed the right of 34th Division's attack, with 1/4th Cheshires on the left, 1/7th Cheshires on the right, and 1/1st Herefords in
14766-439: The formation of the united Kingdom of Great Britain which joined the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into a single state and, with that, united the English Army and the Scots Army as the British Army . Members of the British Army swear allegiance to the monarch as their commander-in-chief , since both the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and Scottish Claim of Right Act 1689 require parliamentary consent for
14980-405: The 16th century from the French bataillon , meaning "battle squadron" (similar to the Italian battaglione meaning the same thing) and the Spanish batallón , derived from the Vulgar Latin noun battalia ("battle") and ultimately from the Classical Latin verb battuere ("to beat" or "to strike"). The first use of the word in English is attested in the 1580s. A battalion
15194-497: The 1960s through the early 1980s, a typical maneuver (infantry or tank) battalion had five companies: headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) and A, B and C Companies, plus a combat support company (CSC), with a scout platoon, 107 mm (4.2 inch) heavy mortar platoon, along with other elements that varied between organisations. These included heavy anti-tank TOW missile platoons, ground surveillance radar sections and man-portable air-defense system sections. Beginning in
15408-688: The 2002 firefighters strike, widespread flooding in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2014, Operation Temperer following the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 and, most recently, Operation Rescript during the COVID-19 pandemic . Since 2016, the British Army has maintained a presence in the Baltic States in support of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence strategy which responded to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea . The British Army leads
15622-829: The 2014 West African Ebola virus epidemic . In November 2001, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom with the United States, the United Kingdom deployed forces in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban in Operation Herrick . The 3rd Division were sent to Kabul to assist in the liberation of the capital and defeat Taliban forces in the mountains. In 2006 the British Army began concentrating on fighting Taliban forces and bringing security to Helmand Province , with about 9,500 British troops (including marines, airmen and sailors) deployed at its peak —the second-largest force after that of
15836-484: The American colonial rebels early in the war). Halifax, Nova Scotia and Bermuda were to become Imperial fortresses (although Bermuda, being safer from attack over water and impervious to attack overland, quickly became the most important in British North America), along with Malta and Gibraltar , providing bases in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea for Royal Navy squadrons to control
16050-544: The Arras area were quite well known. The offensive began at 04.15 on 21 March with a massive bombardment, mainly on 102nd Bde on the division's right and the adjacent 59th (2nd North Midland) Division . The shelling cut telephone lines to the front line battalions and mist shrouded the enemy advance. About 10.00 the enemy broke through 59th (2nd NM) Division's left brigade, forcing back the adjacent company of 22nd NF, which had practised this manoeuvre and sent up signal rockets to inform
16264-636: The British Army was deployed as a peacekeeping force from 1969 to 2007 in Operation Banner . Initially, this was (in the wake of unionist attacks on nationalist communities in Derry and Belfast ) to prevent further loyalist attacks on Catholic communities; it developed into support of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and its successor, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) against
16478-582: The British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world; at its peak in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian armies under the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal von Blücher finally defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. The English were involved politically and militarily in Ireland. The campaign of English republican Protector Oliver Cromwell involved uncompromising treatment of
16692-439: The British military, mostly civilians. An estimated 100 soldiers committed suicide during Operation Banner or soon afterwards and a similar number died in accidents. A total of 6,116 were wounded. Sierra Leone The British Army deployed to Sierra Leone for Operation Palliser in 1999, under United Nations resolutions, to aid the government in quelling violent uprisings by militiamen. British troops also provided support during
16906-454: The Canadian battalion forms the core of the infantry battle group, which also includes various supporting elements such as armour, artillery , combat engineers and combat service support . An infantry battle group will typically be commanded by the commander of the core infantry battalion around which it is formed and can range in size from 300 to 1,500 or more soldiers, depending on the nature of
17120-696: The Crown to maintain a peacetime standing army . The army is administered by the Ministry of Defence and commanded by the Chief of the General Staff . At its inception, being composed primarily of cavalry and infantry, the British Army was one of two Regular Forces (there were also separate Reserve Forces ) within the British military (those parts of the British Armed Forces tasked with land warfare, as opposed to
17334-660: The English Long Parliament realised that the use of county militia organised into regional associations (such as the Eastern Association ), often commanded by local members of Parliament (both from the House of Commons and the House of Lords), while more than able to hold their own in the regions which Parliamentarians ('Roundheads") controlled, were unlikely to win the war. So Parliament initiated two actions. The Self-denying Ordinance forbade members of Parliament (with
17548-415: The German trenches. Each battalion had two companies in the front line, each in four waves, the first to cross the first trench ('Farm' trench) and form a screen the other side, the second to mop up, and the third and fourth to consolidate. The other two companies were to carry up barbed wire and string it across the whole front, even if fighting was still going on in the trench. The guns opened up at 00.15 and
17762-659: The Germans and Italians at the Second Battle of El Alamein in North Africa in 1942–1943 and helped drive them from Africa. It then fought through Italy and, with the help of American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Indian and Free French forces, was the principal organiser and participant in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944; nearly half the Allied soldiers were British. In
17976-550: The Germans before they retreated to the Hindenburg Line earlier in the year, and much labour was required to repair roads and erect huts to replace the destroyed buildings. The front line consisted of a chain of posts rather than continuous trenches, and No man's land was unusually wide. At first the TMBs could not reach across No man's land, but they used some captured German 7.7 cm guns instead. Earl on 26 August, 101st Bde carried out
18190-428: The Germans counter-attacked at the same time, and a confused fight ensued under bombardment by both sides. 102nd Brigade completed the capture of the last lengths of trench on 11 September, then handed a secure position over to 101st Bde and went back into divisional reserve. The brigades total casualties were 290 officers and 374 ORs, mostly caused by shellfire after the assault. 34th Division remained in this sector until
18404-467: The Hindenburg Line proper. The capture of these positions would reduce German observation over British positions. The attack was carefully rehearsed behind the lines where turf had been cut to represent the enemy trenches. 101st Brigade put all its battalions into the line, with 20th NF in reserve behind a railway embankment, while 23rd NF would send a company bombing up 'Rifle Pit Trench' to link up with
18618-653: The Irish towns (most notably Drogheda and Wexford ) which supported the Royalists during the English Civil War . The English Army (and the subsequent British Army) remained in Ireland primarily to suppress Irish revolts or disorder. In addition to its conflict with Irish nationalists, it was faced with the prospect of battling Anglo-Irish and Ulster Scots in Ireland who were angered by unfavourable taxation of Irish produce imported into Britain. With other Irish groups, they raised
18832-503: The Lochnagar mine. Next day, 2 July, 19th (W) Division continued the attack on La Boisselle while Acklom held the crater with his party and some machine guns from 102nd MG Co later joined by some trench mortars. He reported his position secure at the end of 2 July, but his strength was down to five officers and 150 ORs. On 3 July he was able to extend his line rightwards with a mixed party from various battalions while 19th (W) Division completed
19046-483: The Motor Machine Gun Company. 102nd Composite Bn remained in support during the bitter fighting of 14–15 April. Although Bailleul fell, and 34th Division's weak brigades were once again in the front line on 16 April, in shallow trenches without any wire, the German attack out of the town was crushed by massed artillery and small-arms fire. The fighting then died down on 34th Division's front, and on 21 April it
19260-823: The Ridgeback, Husky and Mastiff). For day-to-day utility work the army commonly uses the Land Rover Wolf , which is based on the Land Rover Defender . Specialist engineering vehicles include bomb-disposal robots such as the T7 Multi-Mission Robotic System and the modern variants of the Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers , including the Titan bridge-layer, Trojan armoured engineer vehicle, Terrier armoured digger . Day-to-day utility work uses
19474-492: The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) to perform field repairs on vehicles and equipment. A British battalion in theatre during World War II had around 845 men; as of 2012, a British battalion had around 650 soldiers. With successive rounds of cutbacks after the war, many infantry regiments were reduced to a single battalion (others were amalgamated to form large regiments that maintained multiple battalions, e.g.,
19688-461: The Schwabenhöhe and attempted to pass between La Boisselle and the Lochnagar crater, crossing two more trench lines. However, their right flank was exposed by the failure of 101st Bde's column attempting to advance up 'Sausage Valley'. In addition, the bombing parties made no progress into La Boisselle despite the trench mortar bombardment that had continued for 12 minutes beyond Zero. The defenders of
19902-470: The Scots Greys was reassessed and based on their June 1685 entry into England. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, and the Scots Greys eventually received the British Army rank of 2nd Dragoons. After 1700, British continental policy was to contain expansion by competing powers such as France and Spain. Although Spain was the dominant global power during the previous two centuries and
20116-694: The Somme and Passchendaele . Advances in technology saw the advent of the tank (and the creation of the Royal Tank Regiment ) and advances in aircraft design (and the creation of the Royal Flying Corps ) which would be decisive in future battles. Trench warfare dominated Western Front strategy for most of the war, and the use of chemical weapons (disabling and poison gases) added to the devastation. The Second World War broke out in September 1939 with
20330-469: The Somme and marched north to the Armentières sector, where it was rejoined on 22 August by 102nd Bde. It spent the rest of the year routinely holding the line at Bois-Grenier , with regular trench raids . On 26 January 1917 the division was suddenly rushed from Armentières to go into reserve at Méteren in case the Germans attacked over the now-frozen marshes north of Boezinge . This did not happen, but
20544-667: The Soviet and German Army 's invasion of Poland . British assurances to the Poles led the British Empire to declare war on Germany . As in the First World War, a relatively small BEF was sent to France but then hastily evacuated from Dunkirk as the German forces swept through the Low Countries and across France in May 1940. After the British Army recovered from its earlier defeats, it defeated
20758-556: The Troubles . Following the 1994–1996 IRA ceasefires and since 1997, demilitarisation has been part of the peace process and the military presence has been reduced. On 25 June 2007 the 2nd Battalion of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment left the army complex in Bessbrook , County Armagh , ending the longest operation in British Army history. The British Army contributed 50,000 troops to
20972-595: The Tyneside Scottish and Tyneside Irish battalions were amalgamated to form a single 102nd Bde. The 1st and 2nd Tyneside Scottish were disbanded on 3 February and replaced by the 2nd Tyneside Irish from 103rd Bde. At the same time the brigade MG companies were concentrated into a divisional MG battalion. The composition of 102nd Bde therefore was: 34th Division returned to the Arras sector in March 1918. The Germans were soon to launch their Spring offensive , and their plans in
21186-468: The U.S. Marine Corps, the brigade designation is used only in " Marine Expeditionary Brigade " (MEB). An MEB is one of the standard Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF), is commanded by a brigadier general or major general , and consists of command element, a ground combat element (usually one reinforced Marine infantry regiment), an aviation combat element (a reinforced Marine aircraft group including rotary wing, fixed wing and tiltrotor aircraft) and
21400-579: The US. In December 2012 Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the combat mission would end in 2014, and troop numbers gradually fell as the Afghan National Army took over the brunt of the fighting. Between 2001 and 26 April 2014 a total of 453 British military personnel died in Afghan operations. Operation Herrick ended with the handover of Camp Bastion on 26 October 2014, but the British Army maintained
21614-752: The United States, in the American War of 1812 ), the British Army fought the Chinese in the First and Second Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion , Māori tribes in the first of the New Zealand Wars, Nawab Shiraj-ud-Daula's forces and British East India Company mutineers in the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 , the Boers in the first and second Boer Wars, Irish Fenians in Canada during the Fenian raids and Irish separatists in
21828-559: The army saw the introduction of new weapons systems. Despite the decline of the British Empire, the army was engaged in Aden , Indonesia , Cyprus , Kenya and Malaya . In 1982, the British Army and the Royal Marines helped liberate the Falkland Islands during the conflict with Argentina after that country's invasion of the British territory. In the three decades following 1969,
22042-541: The army was heavily deployed in Northern Ireland 's Operation Banner to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (later the Police Service of Northern Ireland ) in their conflict with republican paramilitary groups. The locally recruited Ulster Defence Regiment was formed, becoming home-service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992 before it was disbanded in 2006. Over 700 soldiers were killed during
22256-472: The artillery began their final bombardment. The plan was for 34th Division to attack with 102nd Bde on the left, 101st on the right, each brigade forming two columns. 102nd Brigade's columns were led by the 21st NF south and 20th NF north of the La Boisselle salient ; a special force of ' bombers ' from each battalion would turn inwards to clear the village itself. The attacking battalions were to be preceded by
22470-433: The artillery that this had been done. A company of 25th NF was sent down from brigade reserve to help form a defensive flank, but the enemy advance was too fast. By noon the whole of 25th NF was trying to form a line facing south; about 14.00 A and B Companies and stragglers from other battalions were lining the railway embankment. However, the rest of the brigade was still in the front line, and Germans moving north were behind
22684-468: The assaulting waves followed the creeping barrage. The right company of 21st NF lost direction in the mist, but the rest of the attack went well, the enemy fleeing. Brigadier-Gen Thomson then ordered 21st NF to bomb their way forward to join up with the new position, which was consolidated by 22nd NF, 20th Fd Co and the pioneers of 18th NF. German retaliatory fire was heavy, but the position was held. 21st NF attempted to expand their position that afternoon, but
22898-758: The battalion is the standard unit organisation for infantry and combat service support and each battalion is divided into one or more sub-units referred to as companies. In the Canadian Forces , most battalions are reserve units of between 100 and 200 soldiers that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece. The nine regular force infantry battalions each contain three or four rifle companies and one or two support companies. Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels , though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors . Those regiments consisting of more than one battalion are: Tactically,
23112-500: The battalion still had to call down artillery fire to break up an enemy counter-attack that evening. After 55 hours' combat, 102nd Bde was relieved on 8 June. 34th Division spent the rest of June refitting and training the replacements it received, but these were not enough to replace all the losses. Then between 8 and 10 July the division moved to Péronne , with 102nd Bde moving into the Hargicourt sector. The area had been devastated by
23326-533: The battalion' HQs in a railway cutting in the support line ('Bunhill Row'). A signal party trying to restore communications to the HQs was briefly captured, but got away to warn them. The battalion HQs burned their papers and prepared for all-round defence with C Company of 34th MG Bn. At 17.00 Lt-Col Acklom was killed trying to break out with the HQ party of 22nd NF. The position being hopeless, and surrounded by wounded and gassed men,
23540-413: The battalion's soldiers and the battalion's vehicles can carry. The commander's staff coordinates and plans operations. A battalion's subordinate companies and their platoons are dependent upon the battalion headquarters for command, control, communications and intelligence, and the battalion's service and support structure. The battalion is usually part of a regiment , group , or brigade , depending on
23754-411: The battalion, to coordinate naval gunfire support . The United States Navy has construction battalions and navy cargo handling battalions . They are structured roughly analogous to an Army or Marine Corps battalion with staff and commanding officers of similar grade and experience. In Myanmar (Army, People's Defence Force and various EAOs), battalions (or Regiments), called Tat Yinn (တပ်ရင်း), are
23968-508: The battalions had all been formed at the depots of their parent regiments, but recruits had also been flooding in to the Special Reserve (SR) battalions (the former Militia ). These were deployed at their war stations in coastal defence where they were training and equipping reservists to provide reinforcement drafts to the Regular Army fighting overseas. The SR battalions were soon well above their establishment strength and on 8 October 1914
24182-550: The battle, the division entrained to return to the British front. The division then returned to British command to participate in the final advance of the Hundred Days Offensive . From 7 to 16 August it was refitting and training. It then went into the line in the Ypres sector on 21 August, with 102nd Bde in reserve. The Allied offensive had begun further south on 8 August, and the enemy had begun to give ground south of Ypres. It
24396-412: The bombardment or the mines, and came up from their deep dugouts as soon as the barrage moved off them. Their machine guns and rifles opened up before the British had got half way across the 200–800 yards (180–730 m) of No man's land . Within 10 minutes of Zero, 80 per cent of the leading British battalions were casualties. With the shortest distance to cross, 21st NF managed to overrun the trenches of
24610-442: The branch of service. NATO defines a battalion as being "larger than a company, but smaller than a regiment" while "consisting of two or more company-, battery-, or troop-sized units along with a headquarters." The standard NATO symbol for a battalion represented by a pair of vertical lines above a framed unit icon. Member nations have specified the various names they will use for organisations of this size. The term battalion
24824-463: The brigade was reinforced by two companies from 15th Royal Scots with 101st Bde in reserve. The bombardment began at 04.00 on 9 April, but the attack did not at first affected 34th Division's front, being concentrated against its neighbours to the south, where it broke through 40th Division . Once again, the division was forced to form a defensive flank to the south, while 102nd Bde remained defending Armentières, with Brigade HQ in an old jute factory by
25038-465: The brigade were among the dead. The 4th Tyneside Scottish had suffered the third-heaviest casualties of any battalion engaged on 1 July. When the Tyneside Scottish were first raised a request to wear kilts had been refused, though they did wear a Glengarry bonnet in place of the normal Peaked cap . After La Boisselle they were granted the right to wear a 3-inch tartan patch as a backing to their cap badge. One Geordie remarked, 'Man, we'll have to fight
25252-741: The capital letters I and J looked alike and were therefore easily confused with one another. It was common for a battalion to become temporarily attached to a different regiment. For example, during the confusion and high casualty rates of both the Normandy Landings and the Battle of the Bulge , in order to bolster the strength of a depleted infantry regiment, companies and even battalions were moved around as necessary. The U.S. Army also created independent tank battalions to attach to infantry divisions during World War II in order to give them fire support. From
25466-559: The capture of La Boisselle. 34th Division was relieved from the line by 23rd Division during the night of 3/4 July. The 34th Division suffered more infantry casualties than any other division on 1 July 1916, with the Tyneside Scottish Brigade suffering the worst losses of any brigade (the Tyneside Irish Brigade had the next worst): Lieutenant-Col Elphinstone and all the battalion commanders (or acting commanders) of
25680-609: The capture of the high ground of Cologne Ridge in front Fire directed from this position made the Hargicourt valley dangerous, so 102nd Bde carried out another small formal attack to complete its capture on 9–11 September. It had been taken out of the line to rehearse for this attack, returning on 7 September. Preparations on 8 September were hampered by enemy artillery fire but promptly at 23.45 21st and 23rd NF were formed up on their jumping off tapes in No man's land, about 350 yards (320 m) from
25894-498: The chemical works at Rœux. 22nd NF would jump off from 103rd Bde's positions in Cawdor Trench and 23rd NF from 101st Bde's Corona Trench. No reconnaissance was possible, and 23rd NF could not get through the crowded communication trenches into position until an hour after the planned Zero hour, Unfortunately, orders to 22nd NF to delay the attack did not reach the battalion in time, and it jumped off as planned at 03.00, quickly ejecting
26108-642: The chief threat to England's early trans-Atlantic colonial ambitions, its influence was now waning. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the later Napoleonic Wars . Although the Royal Navy is widely regarded as vital to the rise of the British Empire , the British Army played an important role in the formation of colonies, protectorates and dominions in
26322-745: The coalition which fought Iraq in the Persian Gulf War , and British forces controlled Kuwait after its liberation. Forty-seven British military personnel died during the war. The army was deployed to former Yugoslavia in 1992. Initially part of the United Nations Protection Force , in 1995 its command was transferred to the Implementation Force (IFOR) and then to the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR);
26536-417: The colours and the remainder in the Regular Reserve, remaining liable for recall to the colours if required. Among the other benefits, this thereby enabled the British Army to have a ready pool of recently trained men to draw upon in an emergency. The name of the Regular Reserve (which for a time was divided into a First Class and a Second Class ) has resulted in confusion with the Reserve Forces , which were
26750-403: The commitment rose to over 10,000 troops. In 1999, British forces under SFOR command were sent to Kosovo and the contingent increased to 19,000 troops. Between early 1993 and June 2010, 72 British military personnel died during operations in the former Yugoslavian countries of Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia. Although there have been permanent garrisons in Northern Ireland throughout its history,
26964-438: The completion of their first engagement. The size of the army also fluctuated greatly, increasing in war time, and drastically shrinking with peace. Battalions posted on garrison duty overseas were allowed an increase on their normal peacetime establishment, which resulted in their having surplus men on their return to a Home station. Consequently, soldiers engaging on short term enlistments were enabled to serve several years with
27178-458: The core of the battalion structure remains roughly the same with Battalion/Regimental HQ housing command elements (OC, 2IC, Adjutant, Quartermaster, RSM, RQMS, R.P Sergeant and etc.), HQ Company (Support Platoons like Engineer, Signal, Medical and etc.) and 4 Rifle Companies. 4 Rifle Companies (No. (1) Rifle Company, No. (2) Rifle Company, No. (3) Rifle Company and No. (4) Rifle Company) and HQ Company are combat troops whereas Battalion/Regimental HQ
27392-426: The crossings of the Bossuit–Courtrai Canal . It was supported by a barrage by all three field brigades of 34th Divisional Artillery and 34th MG Bn. The three companies sent forwards could not cross the canal because of machine gun fire, but A and C cleared Bossuit ; B Company at Lock 4 was counter-attacked, losing heavily, but was able to cross at 15.00 when the main attack came abreast of it. The division's main attack
27606-492: The day 1/7th Cheshires and 1/1st Herefords had reached 'Peckham Farm' and 'Ulster Road' on the slopes of Messines Ridge. The division was then relieved and rested for two weeks. 34th Division attacked on the first day of the Fifth Battle of Ypres on 28 September. The morning attack by 101st and 103rd Bdes consisted of pushing forward strong patrols protected by smoke barrages. The advance continued that night, and by 08.30 next day 1/7th Cheshires were able to pass through and reach
27820-450: The disbanded New Model Army , were formed between November 1660 and January 1661 and became a standing military force for England (financed by Parliament ). The Royal Scots and Irish Armies were financed by the parliaments of Scotland and Ireland . Parliamentary control was established by the Bill of Rights 1689 and Claim of Right Act 1689 , although the monarch continued to influence aspects of army administration until at least
28034-425: The division trained in North Yorkshire , but 102nd Bde remained at Alnwick until the end of August when the division concentrated on the Salisbury Plain Training Area for final battle training. Although many of the elderly 'dugout' officers were replaced by younger men, Boer War veteran Lt-Col Arthur Elphinstone (a former pupil of Monkton Combe School ) continued to command the 3rd Tyneside Scottish. On 13 December
28248-400: The division underwent three weeks' training there for the forthcoming offensive before moving to the Arras sector to continue preparations. The First Battle of the Scarpe launched the Arras Offensive at 05.30 on 9 April. 34th Division was to assault three successive lines of German trenches, designated the Black, Blue and Brown lines, the Black being 80–150 yards (73–137 m) in front of
28462-474: The division was ordered to mobilise for service in Egypt , but these orders were rescinded on 26 December and instead the division embarked for France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fighting on the Western Front . Entrainment for the embarkation ports began on 7 January 1916 and on 15 January it completed its concentration round La Crosse, near Saint-Omer . 34th Division went into reserve behind III Corps . Parties of all arms were then sent into
28676-412: The early 1980s, some elements of the combat support companies (the mortar and scout platoons) were merged into the headquarters company with the staff and support elements, others were moved to their parent type organisation (ground surveillance radar and air defence), and in infantry battalions the heavy anti-tank missile platoon was organized as a separate company (E Company). In the late 1980s, there
28890-403: The end of 1915 and then served on the Western Front for the rest of the war. The brigade suffered appalling casualties on the First day of the Battle of the Somme . It recovered to participate in the Battle of Arras in 1917, but was virtually destroyed during the German spring offensive of 1918. It was reconstituted with different units in time to take part in the final battles of the war and
29104-451: The end of the 19th century. After the Restoration, King Charles II pulled together four regiments of infantry and cavalry, calling them his guards, at a cost of £122,000 from his general budget. This became the foundation of the permanent English Army. By 1685, it had grown to number 7,500 soldiers in marching regiments, and 1,400 men permanently stationed in garrisons. A Monmouth Rebellion in 1685 allowed successor King James II to raise
29318-454: The end of the month but there were only patrol actions and raids. Many of the reinforcements received at the end of September had minimal training, and it was claimed that some of them had never fired their rifles. 34th Division was now transferred north to the Ypres Salient where the offensive was continuing. After arriving on 9 October the division was employed to repair roads so that the advance could continue. 103rd Brigade took over part of
29532-416: The end of the war. As soon as this reorganisation was complete 34th Division was sent to reinforce the French sector of the front. When the Germans launched the last effort of their Spring Offensive on 15 July (the Second Battle of the Marne ), the division was diverted and by the evening of 18 July was concentrated round Senlis . The infantry were then moved up by lorry and by 03.00 on 23 July had completed
29746-595: The enemy from Calabar Trench. However, the battalion could make no further progress because the ground ahead was under machine gun fire from three side. 23rd NF, fatigued from its march, attacked at 04.00 up Corona trench, but was also stopped by machine gun fire. 34th Division was now so exhausted that it had to be relieved on 30 April/1 May. 34th Division spent the rest of May resting and training, with 102nd Bde round Fienvillers . Reinforcements were scarce: consequently battalions of 34th Division were temporarily reduced from four to three companies. 34th Division went back into
29960-412: The enemy on the De Seule–Neuve Eglise road, and 25th BF came up from reserve to help form a line facing north, but the whole battalion HQ staff of 22nd NF became casualties when it was hit by a single enemy shell.Late on 13 April 34th Division ordered them to continue in these positions, but the brigadiers on the spot disagreed, arguing that the pressure of four full German divisions was proving too much and
30174-442: The first objective ('Curly' and 'Charlie' trenches), the third and fourth to pass through and take the second objective ('Cod' and 'Cuthbert' trenches). 10th Lincolnshire Regiment from 101st Bde would provide carrying parties, and 103rd Bde would dig a new trench to link up the second objective with the existing front line. Zero was at 20.00, and the barrage crashed down on Curly and Charlie trenches for four minutes and when it lifted
30388-411: The flanks of the salient, so this attack was probably only intended to pin 34th Division in its vulnerable position. A party penetrated into the houses at Pont-de-Nieppe, and when they began expanding outwards 102nd Bde fell back to the Nieppe Switch line, almost all of the rearguard, C Company, 22nd NF, and several MG teams being killed or captured. At 16.30 orders arrived for 34th Division to fall back up
30602-410: The forces to 20,000 men. There were 37,000 in 1678, when England played a role in the closing stage of the cross-channel Franco-Dutch War . After Protestant dual Monarchs William III , formerly William of the Dutch House of Orange , and his wife Mary II's joint accession to the throne after a short constitutional crisis with Parliament sending Mary's father, predecessor King James II, (who remained
30816-533: The ground combat element (GCE) of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). A standard U.S. Marine infantry battalion is typically supported by an artillery battery and a platoon each of tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, light armoured reconnaissance vehicles, reconnaissance Marines and combat engineers. The battalion structure is designed to readily expand to include a fourth rifle company, if required, as described above under battalion organisation. Often Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) officers are assigned to
31030-441: The infantry battalions. On 7 April 34th Division was relieved in the line and went to the Second Army training area behind St Omer. Early in May it proceeded by route march and train to Albert in the Somme sector, where it rejoined III Corps, which had moved south to prepare for the forthcoming 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme ). The First day on the Somme was the first offensive operation for 34th Division. Attacking on
31244-473: The late 1980s consisted of a battalion headquarters, a headquarters platoon, a maintenance and supply platoon and three firing batteries, each with six artillery pieces, whether the self-propelled 2S1 Gvozdikas or the towed D-30 howitzers , and numbering 260 personnel or 240 personnel respectively. Rocket launcher artillery battalions consisted of a headquarters and headquarters platoon, a service battery and three firing batteries equipped with BM-21 Grads for
31458-443: The latter case, the unit is called an eskadron , which translates roughly to "squadron". There are also support battalions in the Dutch Army, which specialise on a specific task: for example, supplies and transport or communications. The Netherlands have four battalions that are permanently reserved for the United Nations , for the purpose of peacekeeping duties. An infantry battalion, logistical battalion, combat battalion and
31672-493: The left flank of the projected main attack. A company of 20th NF held the line on the right of 101st Bde, standing fast and keeping the enemy under fire. To its right 102nd Bde attacked with 24th/27th NF borrowed from 103rd Bde. Two companies of 24th/27th NF stood fast, the other two pivoted, to keep touch with 18th (Eastern) Division 's attack further right. Unlike, 101st Bde, which suffered badly, 102nd Bde's small operation went well, 24th/27th NF taking all its objectives, including
31886-435: The line across the Broembeek valley on 12 October, and was relieved by 102nd Bde on the night of 16/17 October. The troops were now existing in wrecked farms and captured pillboxes linked by duckboard tracks amidst a sea of flooded shellholes. On 19 October 101st Bde relieved the battalions of 102nd Bde in the front line and carried out a preliminary advance (the ' Action of 22 October 1917 ') north of Poelcapelle to protect
32100-545: The line on 30 May, with 102nd Bde in divisional reserve. 102nd Brigade relieved 101st on 4/5 June and carried out an attack to capture some trenches on the slope of Greenland Hill. Although small-scale, this attack was supported by 164 field guns, numerous heavy guns, all three of the division's MG companies and all three TMBs. The assault was made with 20th NF, 21st NF and 22nd NF in line, with 23rd NF in support. Each assaulting battalion had all three companies in line, each in four waves. The first two waves were to capture and mop up
32314-465: The line with 8th and 23rd Divisions to learn the routines of Trench warfare . On 24 February the division took over its own sector of the front line. 208th (Norfolk) Field Company, Royal Engineers (RE), was attached to 102nd Bde, but the REs remained in their places in the line while the infantry brigades were rotated between line holding and reserve. The brigade was joined by its support troops in early 1916: The TMBs were manned by troops drawn from
32528-442: The longest in British Army history. According to an internal document released in 2007, the British Army had failed to defeat the IRA but made it impossible for them to win by violence. Operation Helvetic replaced Operation Banner in 2007, maintaining fewer service personnel in a more-benign environment. Of the 300,000 troops who served in Northern Ireland since 1969, there were 763 British military personnel killed and 306 killed by
32742-406: The main maneuver units. As for structure, an Infantry Battalion was structured with 27 Officers and 750 other ranks back in 1966 under a structure organisation named of ကဖ/၇၀(၈)/၆၆ . This was revised in 1988 to 814 men and then revised again in 2001 as 31 Officers and 826 other ranks under a structure organisation named ကဖ/၇၀-ဆ/၂၀၀၁ . Even though authorised strength of the structure changed,
32956-410: The middle of the 19th century, Britain and France were allies in preventing Russia's appropriation of the Ottoman Empire , although the fear of French invasion led shortly afterwards to the creation of the Volunteer Force. By the first decade of the 20th century, the United Kingdom was allied with France (by the Entente Cordiale ) and Russia (which had a secret agreement with France for mutual support in
33170-404: The mission assigned. A battalion in the Indian Army consists of four rifle companies. In turn each rifle company consists three platoons . A battalion in the Indian Army is commanded by a colonel . Normally a battalion is attached to a regiment of infantry, which is organised, as a general rule, of a number of battalions and the regimental centre battalion. In the Royal Netherlands Army ,
33384-399: The naval forces), with the other having been the Ordnance Military Corps (made up of the Royal Artillery , Royal Engineers , and the Royal Sappers and Miners ) of the Board of Ordnance , which along with the originally civilian Commissariat Department , stores and supply departments, as well as barracks and other departments, were absorbed into the British Army when the Board of Ordnance
33598-406: The neglected defences. Unfortunately, this was the sector chosen for the next phase of the German spring offensive (the Battle of the Lys ). It began with heavy mustard gas shelling of Armentières on 7/8 April, the gas drifting across the rear areas of the defences; 34th Division had over 900 gas casualties, mainly among 102nd Bde, the pioneers of 18th NF and sappers of 207th Fd Co, RE. On 8 April
33812-440: The new English army to 74,000, and then a few years later to 94,000 in 1694. Parliament was very nervous and reduced the cadre to 70,000 in 1697. Scotland and Ireland had theoretically separate military establishments, but they were unofficially merged with the English Crown force. By the time of the 1707 Acts of Union , many regiments of the English and Scottish armies were combined under one operational command and stationed in
34026-423: The night. Next day 103rd Bde was still held up but 102nd Bde occupied the Green Line without difficulty. As the brigade secured its position over the following days amidst snowstorms it was subjected to heavy shelling. Large numbers of men also had to be evacuated sick because of the bad weather. 102nd Brigade moved back to billets on the night of 14/15 April. Brigadier-Gen Ternan gave up the command of 102nd Bde and
34240-409: The nobility, or on hired mercenaries from Europe. From the later Middle Ages until the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, when a foreign expeditionary force was needed, such as the one that Henry V of England took to France and that fought at the Battle of Agincourt (1415), the army, a professional one, was raised for the duration of the expedition. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the members of
34454-437: The north bank of the river with B Company 34th MG Bn, linking up with Second Army to the north. However, 34th Division was still in a narrow salient around Nieppe , packed with troops from First and Second Armies, and no rations arrived that night. 102nd Brigade's position, supported by several companies of 34th MG Bn, formed the apex of the salient and came under attack at 05.30 on 11 April. The Germans made no attempt to attack
34668-454: The north of La Boisselle, along the side of 'Mash Valley', No man's land was much wider, and even less progress was made. Fired upon from La Boisselle and from Ovillers in the other side of the valley, 21st and 23rd NF were practically wiped out, their casualties strewn across No man's land. Apart from a few individuals, this column fell back to its starting line. During the rest of the day Acklom's party held off six counter-attacks, and by 15.00
34882-427: The north. These mines were fired 2 minutes before Zero, at 07.28, obliterating sections of the German defences and creating very large craters. At 07.30 the whole infantry of the division went 'over the top', the pipers of the Tyneside Scottish playing their men into action. The leading waves rose from their assembly trenches, the rear waves came down the Tara–Usna ridge behind. The However, the Germans were unsubdued by
35096-424: The notable exception of Oliver Cromwell , then a member of parliament and future Lord Protector) from serving as officers in the Parliamentary armies. This created a distinction between the civilians in Parliament, who tended to be Presbyterian and conciliatory to the Royalists ("Cavaliers") in nature, and a corps of professional officers, who tended to be Independent ( Congregational ) in theology. The second action
35310-461: The numbers of the disbanded K4 formations on 27 April 1915. Thus 123rd Brigade of 41st Division became the new 102nd Brigade in 34th Division . This brigade had been raised on Tyneside largely from Scots working in the mines and industry of the area, though many native ' Geordies ' also joined. The request to the WO to form the brigade was originally turned down, but after a visit to Newcastle upon Tyne by Lord Haldane on 10 October 1915, permission
35524-458: The oceans and trade routes, and heavily garrisoned by the British Army both for defence of the bases and to provide mobile military forces to work with the Navy in amphibious operations throughout their regions. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars , participating in a number of campaigns in Europe (including continuous deployment in the Peninsular War ), the Caribbean , North Africa and North America . The war between
35738-581: The old regimental system and adopted a combat team approach centred on battalions as the building blocks of mission-oriented task forces. Battalion sizes vary between branches. In the United States Army , a battalion is a unit composed of a headquarters and two to six batteries, companies, or troops. They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.) and normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (Battery A, Company A, Troop A, etc.). Battalions are tactical and administrative organizations with
35952-419: The operations of his regiment and first battalion, command of his company was delegated to a kaptenlöjtnant . During battle, each officer, except the fänrikar , was in charge of a portion of his company. Underofficer (NCO) ranks consisted of furir , förare , fältväbel , sergeant and rustmästare . With the major reform of its armed forces in 2004, the Swiss Army abandoned
36166-418: The other two battalion. commanders surrendered at 17.30, having prevented the Germans from rolling up the support line for hours. The companies in the front trench had fallen back slowly, using each communication trench in turn as a defence line (as 34th Division had planned). Finally a frontal attack on the original front line turned these positions, driving them back until the remnants of 22nd and 23rd NF formed
36380-432: The outer flank. Each of 101st Bde's four battalions was also loaned a company from 102nd Bde as a carrying party. The barrage came down at 04.30 on 26 August and lifted after four minutes then began to creep towards the enemy front line, followed by the infantry. 101st Brigade pushed through Malakoff Farm and the bombers of 23rd NF had no difficulty linking up with them. However, the following night 103rd Bde failed to complete
36594-436: The parallel Seven Years' War and suppressed a Native / Indian North Americans uprising in Pontiac's War around the Great Lakes . The British Army was defeated in the American Revolutionary War , losing the Thirteen Colonies but retaining The Canadas and The Maritimes as in British North America , including Bermuda (originally part of the Colony of Virginia , and which had been originally strongly sympathetic to
36808-585: The post-war occupation of the Rhineland . On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army . The newly-appointed Secretary of State for War , Earl Kitchener of Khartoum , issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. The K2 and K3 battalions, brigades and divisions followed soon afterwards. So far,
37022-481: The pre-existing part-time, local-service home-defence forces that were auxiliary to the British Army (or Regular Force ), but not originally part of it: the Yeomanry , Militia (or Constitutional Force ) and Volunteer Force . These were consequently also referred to as Auxiliary Forces or Local Forces . The late-19th-century Cardwell and Childers Reforms gave the army its modern shape and redefined its regimental system . The 1907 Haldane Reforms created
37236-436: The railway line. That night Houplines was heavily bombarded, but 102nd Bde was not attacked. However, the following afternoon it had to evacuate the town, which was now in a dangerous salient following the breakthrough to the south. The orders arrived at 11.45 and 102nd Bde got away without difficulty, crossing the River Lys by 18.30. After the bridges had been destroyed behind them, the troops of 102nd Bde took up position along
37450-410: The rank of English, Irish and Scots regiments serving in the Netherlands; the regiment which became known as the Scots Greys were designated the 4th Dragoons because there were three English regiments raised prior to 1688 when the Scots Greys were first placed in the English establishment. In 1713, when a new board of general officers was convened to decide the rank of several regiments, the seniority of
37664-420: The rear. The jumping-off line had to be carefully adjusted to conform to the barrage line, but all troops were in position by 04.25. The enemy was active with his artillery from 04.15, particularly gas shelling, and 1/4th Cheshires' battalion HQ was hit twice, with many casualties. The barrage came down at 05.32, then began creeping forwards when the attack began three minutes later. With morning fog, enemy gas, and
37878-419: The relief of a French division in the front line. The 34th Division immediately joined in the French counter-attack (the Battle of the Soissonnais and the Ourcq ) on 23 July. Two French corps attacked, and 34th Division's role was to link the two. At 07.15 the division was ordered to attack at 07.40. 102nd Brigade on the right received the order and attacked on time, but due to communication problems, 101st Bde on
38092-403: The results of the preliminary bombardment, so a special bombardment of La Boisselle village by Stokes mortars had been laid on, and other mortars laid a smoke screen on the village. Over preceding weeks 179th Tunnelling Company , RE, had placed huge mines under the flanking defences of La Boiselle, the Schwabenhöhe or Schwaben redoubt to the south (the Lochnagar mine ), and the 'Y Sap' mine to
38306-491: The return of a king. The militia acts of 1661 and 1662 prevented local authorities from calling up militia and oppressing their own local opponents. Calling up the militia was possible only if the king and local elites agreed to do so. King Charles II and his " Cavalier " / Royalist supporters favoured a new army under royal control, and immediately after the Restoration of 1660 to 1661 began working on its establishment. The first English Army regiments, including elements of
38520-485: The right of III Corps , its objectives (recognised as being ambitious) were the Capture of La Boisselle situated on a spur, and then an advance of 3,500 yards (3,200 m) almost to Contalmaison , crossing six successive trench lines. The bombardment began on 25 June but bad weather hindered artillery observation so the bombardment was extended by two days and the attack was postponed until 1 July. The battalions moved into their assembly trenches between 05.00 and 07.00 as
38734-429: The right was late setting off (08.00) and was stopped in its tracks, while the French brigade on the left did not advance at all. 102nd Brigade advanced alone through high standing corn behind its creeping barrage, with 1/7th Cheshires on the right and 1/1st Herefords left (each with 8 Vickers guns from 34th MG Bn), and made about 1,200 yards (1,100 m) before being stopped by machine gun fire from three directions. It
38948-432: The ruins of Marathon Bridge and patrolled beyond the river on 15/16 June. The following night the brigade was relieved. From now on, 34th Division operated as brigade groups, each infantry brigade accompanied by a field artillery brigade, an RE company and a company of 34th MG Bn. On 25 October 102nd took the lead for the Action at Ooteghem . Before the main attack, 1/7th Cheshires made a subsidiary attack at 03.00 to secure
39162-492: The same support units as well, with a signal platoon, supply platoon, repair workshop and medical aid station. The addition of the antitank platoon meant that a BTR battalion at full strength was 525 personnel and 60 BTRs, including three command variants, while a BMP battalion consisted of 497 personnel and 45 BMPs, including three command variants. Prior to the late 1980s, Soviet tank battalions consisted of three tank companies of 13 T-64 , T-72 or T-80 tanks each, along with
39376-429: The same way that the SR was doing for the Regular battalions. The K4 divisions were broken up and the brigades were renumbered: 102nd Brigade became 14th Reserve Brigade . Meanwhile, the K5 units had been forming since late 1914. These were largely raised by local initiative rather than at regimental depots, and were known as ' Pals battalions '. The first six K5 divisions (37–42) and their constituent brigades were given
39590-424: The second battalion. Battalion commanders and all other officers marched in front of the formation. Non-commissioned officers ( underofficers ) marched beside and behind to prevent desertion , and to replace officers who were killed. In addition to his principal duties, senior officers, such as majorer , the överstelöjtnant and överste , also commanded a company. So that the överste could focus on
39804-413: The signallers had established a telephone line back to 102nd Bde HQ, by which time Acklom had gathered seven officers and about 200 other ranks (ORs). After dark Acklom established communications with the Lochnagar crater party, and together they improved their position. During the night the remnants of 102nd Bde were joined by 19th (Western) Division , some of them making their way up the tunnel used to dig
40018-433: The start line, the Brown about 500–600 yards (460–550 m) away. The attack by 102nd Bde went well: the defenders were shattered by the barrage (including an overhead machine gun barrage) and most of the survivors wee eager to surrender. 21st and 22nd NF captured the Blue Line on schedule and the advance was continued by 20th NF on the right and 23rd NF on the left. However, the failure of 103rd Bde meant that 24th NF's flank
40232-422: The stormers were immediately into the trenches. There was stubborn close-quarters fighting in a few places, but the first objective was cleared with the exception of a small part of 20th NF's area. The third and fourth waves quickly disengaged from the fighting and went on to the second objective close behind the barrage, and established themselves by midnight. At 22.00 the 18th NF (the divisional pioneer battalion )
40446-486: The three RE companies. The other battalions of 102nd Bde had special tasks on either flank of the division. 1/1st Herefords were intended to capture some high ground to the south of 101st Bde, but could make no progress. 1/4th Cheshires reinforced the north flank of 103rd Bde; this move was successful and the battalion was able to hand over to French troops by 11.00. The enemy slipped away that night, and French troops passed through 34th Division on 2 August to pursue them. After
40660-510: The village were able to fire into the left flank of the column. Very heavy casualties were suffered here by 21st NF, by 22nd NF following, and then by the battalion of 103rd Bde. With the bombing party eliminated, and German reinforcements arriving, the group in the third line trench under Major Spencer Acklom of 21st NF were forced to withdraw to the second line and consolidated a position there by 08.00, with another party of men from 101st, 102nd and 103rd Bdes holding onto Lochnagar crater nearby. To
40874-611: The withdrawal of civilians, all British troops had left by the end of August 2021. In 2003, the United Kingdom was a major contributor to the invasion of Iraq , sending a force of over 46,000 military personnel. The British Army controlled southern Iraq, and maintained a peace-keeping presence in Basra . All British troops were withdrawn from Iraq by 30 April 2009, after the Iraqi government refused to extend their mandate. One hundred and seventy-nine British military personnel died in Iraqi operations. The British Armed Forces returned to Iraq in 2014 as part of Operation Shader to counter
41088-519: The world's leading military and economic powers. Since the end of the Cold War , the British Army has been deployed to a number of conflict zones, often as part of an expeditionary force , a coalition force or part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation. Until the Wars of the Three Kingdoms , neither England or Scotland had had a standing army with professional officers and career corporals and sergeants. England relied on militia organised by local officials or private forces mobilised by
41302-413: Was 'in the air', and the battalion was delayed cutting through barbed wire and lost the protection of the creeping barrage. It had a stiff fight for the German support line, taking it by short rushes and losing 165 men in the process. Both 20th and 23rd NF had to dig in a little short of the final objective (the Green Line). Conditions on the bare uplands were bad, and there were deaths from exposure during
41516-556: Was a fourth "line" company added (D Company) in most infantry and tank battalions. In this older structure, U.S. Army mechanised infantry battalions and tank battalions, for tactical purposes, task-organised companies to each other, forming a battalion-sized task force (TF). Starting in 2005–2006, the U.S. Army's mechanised and tank battalions were reorganised into combined arms battalions (CABs). Tank battalions and mechanised infantry battalions no longer exist. These new combined arms battalions are modular units, each consisting of
41730-464: Was abolished in 1855. Various other civilian departments of the board were absorbed into the War Office . The British Army has seen action in major wars between the world's great powers , including the Seven Years' War , the American Revolutionary War , the Napoleonic Wars , the Crimean War and the First and Second World Wars . Britain's victories in most of these decisive wars allowed it to influence world events and establish itself as one of
41944-438: Was already digging a communication trench across the old No man's land while the Lincolns carried up supplies and 208th Field Co, RE, helped to form strongpoints in the new front line. The enemy kept up a heavy barrage all night and made several bombing attacks but these were driven off by rifle grenades and rifle fire. The last German outpost in Curly trench was captured by 20th NF at 14.00 next day, supported by trench mortars, but
42158-416: Was appointed to command the brigade. The units began training for active service, but the lack of uniforms, weapons, equipment and instructors that had been experienced by the K1–K3 units was even greater for those of K4, and by April 1915 their training was still at an elementary stage. On 10 April 1915 the WO decided to convert the K4 battalions into reserve units, to provide drafts for the K1–K3 battalions in
42372-399: Was called forward to renew the attack. This coincided with a heavy German counter-attack against the French to the left, and the whole Allied line fell back; all three brigades of 34th Division were in line to hold this position. The division renewed its attack on 1 August; 102nd Bde HQ commanded the divisional reserve consisting of 1/7th Cheshires, 2/4th SLI, 34th MG Bn (less two companies) and
42586-420: Was declared in 1951. Although the British Army was a major participant in Korea in the early 1950s and Suez in 1956, during this period Britain's role in world events was reduced and the army was downsized. The British Army of the Rhine , consisting of I (BR) Corps , remained in Germany as a bulwark against Soviet invasion. The Cold War continued, with significant technological advances in warfare, and
42800-495: Was finally relieved by French troops. Until mid-May 34th Division was engaged in digging new defence lines in the rear (though the men were twice called on to 'stand to' and prepare to defend these positions during the Second Battle of Kemmel and Battle of the Scherpenberg when German breakthroughs of the French line looked possible). After the disasters of the German offensive, the BEF did not have sufficient reinforcements to return all its formations to full strength. The decision
43014-439: Was forced back by heavy artillery fire, opening a wide gap that the 102nd Bde battalion was too small to fill, even with reinforcement from the pioneers of 18th NF and 207th and 209th Field Companies, RE. The enemy kept probing behind its flank, but at 13.30 three companies of 1st East Lancashire Regiment arrived from 103rd Bde. Together they held their own front in the 'Third System' trenches behind Henin Hill, but their left flank
43228-511: Was forced further and further back as the enemy pushed through towards St Léger. Another group of men from 22nd and 23rd NF assisted 101st Bde on the other side of this salient. Late in the day 31st Division arrived to relieve 34th Division, which withdrew to the rear areas. 34th Division was moved north to a quieter area to recuperate, occupying a line in the Houplines sector, in front of Armentières under First Army . The exhausted battalions had to absorb inexperienced reinforcements and improve
43442-474: Was formed in July 1915 from the depot companies of the brigade to train reinforcements, and was expanded to form 33rd (Reserve) Bn (Tyneside Scottish) in addition in June 1916.) The brigade was concentrated in hutments at Alnwick by March 1915 under the command of retired Brig-Gen Trevor Ternan brought back from the reserve. Training was hampered by the same lack of equipment as the other Kitchener formations, but 34th Division began to form in June 1915. Most of
43656-475: Was granted. The complete Tyneside Scottish Brigade of four battalions was raised by 16 November 1915 by Johnstone Wallace, Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne and a committee of Scotsmen. Reports of bodies of men and groups of miners marching 10 miles into the city to enlist are common. It was numbered as 123rd Bde on 10 December and the battalions were assigned to the local regiment, the Northumberland Fusiliers (NF): (The 29th (Reserve) Bn (Tyneside Scottish)
43870-466: Was in divisional reserve, but loaned 20th NF to 101st Bde, which was tasked with attacking the village of Rœux . The assault was delivered at 04.25, and 20th NF took over the British front line once 101st Bde had gone forward. THe attack went badly and by nightfall 101st Bde – including 20th NF – had only 25 officers and 790 men left in the line. XVII Corps and 34th Division decided to make a surprise attack that night with 102nd Bde in an attempt to capture
44084-542: Was informed that it would be reconstituted using these units. On 30 June–1 July three Territorial Force battalions from 53rd (Welsh) Division arrived at Proven to reform 102nd Bde: Of the original battalions of the brigade converted to TCs, 22nd NF joined 16th Division , was reconstituted in England, and later returned to the Western Front for the last weeks of the war; the 23rd and 25th NF remained as TCs with 39th Division and later 197th Bde of 66th Division , preparing US and British troops for frontline service until
44298-409: Was legislation for the creation of a Parliamentary-funded army, commanded by Lord General Thomas Fairfax , which became known as the New Model Army (originally phrased "new-modelled Army"). While this proved to be a war-winning formula, the New Model Army, being organised and politically active, went on to dominate the politics of the Interregnum and by 1660 was widely disliked. The New Model Army
44512-491: Was made at 09.05 by 1/4th Cheshires supported by 1/1st Herefords. The barrage was provided by 34th and 41st Divisional Artillery, with smoke barrages to cover the bridging operations and heavy batteries shelling the road and selected targets. Opposition was slight and the canal tunnel was cleared by 09.30 and the village of Moen by 15.00. 1/4th Cheshires then went forward, with 1/1st Herefords protecting its open flank, and as darkness fell it reached its objective at Autryve, close to
44726-440: Was made to reduce some divisions to Training Cadres (TC) to train US troops, with the hope that they could be rebuilt later. 34th Division was one of those selected, its battalions reduced to 10 officers and 45 ORs each, the remainder being posted to other units. On 21 May Brig-Gen E. Hilliam from 15th (Scottish) Division changed places with Brig-Gen Thomson and took command of 102nd Bde. The division also took temporary command of
44940-446: Was ordered to consolidate the line it had gained, and remained there until relieved on 28 July. The division immediately moved during the night of 28/29 July to the Bois de la Baillette to attack Beugneux Ridge. For this attack 1/4th Cheshires was in corps reserve, the rest of 102nd Bde in divisional reserve. However, the attack got held up, and the divisional reserve (102nd Bde with an MG company and 2.4th Somerset Light Infantry (SLI))
45154-432: Was paid off and disbanded at the later Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 with the accession of King Charles II . For many decades the alleged excesses of the New Model Army under the Protectorate / Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell were used as propaganda (and still feature in Irish folklore) and the Whig Party element recoiled from allowing a standing army to continue with the agreed-upon rights and privileges under
45368-400: Was planned that 102nd Bde would be attached to 41st Division to attack and recapture Kemmel Hill, but patrols from 34th Division were able to seize the feature without a formal attack. 102nd Brigade took over from 101st and 103rd Bdes on 2/3 September and 1/7th Cheshires were able to advance the line during the day. Next morning the battalion advanced behind a creeping barrage and by the end of
45582-461: Was replaced on 22 April 1917 by the younger Brig-Gen N.H.T. Thomson from the Seaforth Highlanders . The brigade returned to the line while the Second Battle of the Scarpe was being fought. The battalions were still weak after the recent fighting, and many of the replacements were poorly trained. On 25 April 34th Division relieved 51st (Highland) Division in the line, with orders to attack on 28 April ( Battle of Arleux ). For this operation 102nd Bfde
45796-457: Was straightforward, and prisoners were taken. After a pause at the Black Line, the attack was resumed at 06.18, with A and B Companies of 1/4th Cheshires making a rapid advance to Coucou and then probing ahead to the Menin Depot and the outskirts of Menin itself. The battalion took numerous prisoners, a field gun, and several machine guns. 1/7th Cheshires also reached the outskirts of Menin. 102nd Brigade consolidated this line (the Blue Line) behind
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