The 164th (North Lancashire) Brigade was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

that saw active service in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as part of the

55th (West Lancashire) Division The 55th (West Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Force (TF) that saw extensive combat during the First World War. It was raised initially in 1908 as the West Lancashire Division. Following the ou ...

. As the 164th Infantry Brigade, it remained in the United Kingdom throughout the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, as part of the

55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division The 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Army (TA) that was formed in 1920 and existed through the Second World War, although it did not see combat. The division had originally ...

Formation

The brigade was raised in 1908 when the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

was created and was originally formed as the North Lancashire Brigade, attached to the West Lancashire Division. The brigade was composed of two

Volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

battalions of the

King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the ...

and two of the

Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire R ...

First World War

The division was mobilised on 5 August 1914, the day after Britain declared war on Germany, thus beginning the

. From late 1914 to early 1915 units of the brigade began to be sent independently overseas, mainly to France and Belgium, and were replaced by the 2nd Line units being formed, the 170th (2/1st North Lancashire) Brigade of

57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division The 57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division was an infantry formation of the Territorial Force created in 1914 as part of the massive expansion of the British Army during the First World War. It served on the Western Front during 1917 and 1918. The ...

. To differentiate the 1st Line battalions from the 2nd Line, the prefix '1/' was adopted by all 1st Line battalions (1/4th King's Own) and '2/' for all 2nd Line. In April 1915 the 164th Brigade was redesignated 154th Brigade and joined the

51st (Highland) Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the World War I, First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was ra ...

. In June 1916 the brigade, now again redesignated 164th (1st North Lancashire) Brigade, returned to the West Lancashire Division, now the

, and served with it for the rest of the war on the Western Front in battles at Passchendaele,

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...

and

Estaires Estaires (; ) is a commune in the Nord department of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. The town gives its name to a type of chicken bred in the area: the Estaires chicken. Geography Estaires is located in French Flanders, in th ...

in 1918.

Order of Battle

* 1/4th Battalion,

King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the ...

* 1/5th Battalion, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) ''(left 15 February 1915)'' * 1/4th Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment * 1/5th Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment ''(left 13 February 1915)'' * 2/5th Battalion,

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, and the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. It had many diffe ...

''(from February 1915)'' * 1/8th (Irish) Battalion,

King's (Liverpool Regiment) The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 when a single battalion was raised as The Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot. The original uniform consist ...

''(from January 1916, left January 1918)'' * 164th Machine Gun Company,

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a Regiment, corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in the World War I, First World War. Th ...

''(formed 19 February 1916, moved to 55th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 7 March 1918)'' * 164th Trench Mortar Battery ''(formed March 1916)''

Interwar years

Both the brigade and division were disbanded after the war in 1919 but later reformed in 1920 in the Territorial Army as the 164th (North Lancashire) Infantry Brigade and continued to serve with the 55th Division. The brigade was reconstituted with the same four battalions as it had before the First World War. However, in the late 1930s the brigade saw all of its battalions posted away or converted to other roles: in 1938 the 4th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was transferred to the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

and converted into the

56th (King's Own) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery The 56th (King's Own) Anti-Tank Regiment was a Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery (RA), which converted from the 4th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster). During the World War II, ...

, the 5th Battalion, King's Own was transferred to the 126th (East Lancashire) Infantry Brigade,

. They were both replaced in the brigade by the 4th and 5th battalions of the

South Lancashire Regiment The South Lancashire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment, which recruited, as its title suggests, primarily from the South Lancashire area, was created as part of the Childers Ref ...

, from the 166th (South Lancashire) Infantry Brigade. The 4th Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) was transferred to the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

and became the 62nd (Loyals) Searchlight Regiment and the 5th Battalion was converted into a reconnaissance motorcycle battalion when the 55th Division was reorganised as a

motorised infantry Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, which c ...

division and the 164th Brigade was disbanded. It was, however, reformed in mid-1939, now as the 164th Infantry Brigade, when the 55th Division was ordered to form a duplicate division, the

59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division The 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was formed during the Second World War and fought in the Battle of Normandy. In March 1939, after Germany re-emerged as a significant military power ...

. The 164th Brigade again came under command of the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division.

Second World War

The brigade again served in the

with the division throughout the war and, in October 1941, no longer was an operational formation to be sent overseas. In January 1942 it was reduced to a Lower Establishment yet it was not reduced to a training division as most others were. In December 1943, with the division, it was sent to Northern Ireland and was raised to a Higher Establishment in May 1944, before returning to the United Kingdom in July. It served there until the war finally ended in 1945 and the division was disbanded in 1946 and was not reformed.

Order of Battle

* 9th Battalion,

King's Regiment (Liverpool) The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 when a single battalion was raised as The Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot. ...

''(until 17 September 1942)'' * 1/4th Battalion,

''(until 23 July 1944)'' * 2/4th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment ''(until 8 September 1942, later became 13th Battalion, Parachute Regiment)'' * 164th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company ''(formed 14 September 1940, disbanded 8 July 1941)'' * 17th Battalion,

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and ...

''(from 10 September 1942 until 25 September 1943)'' * 10th Battalion,

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under variou ...

''(from 20 September 1943 until 16 May 1943)'' * 9th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment ''(from 13 August 1943 until 12 July 1944)'' * 9th Battalion,

Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

''(from 29 September 1943 until 25 July 1944)'' *

4th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment The Exeter & South Devon Volunteers was the premier unit of Britain's Volunteer Force. Formed in 1852 it went on to become a battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. Both its active service battalions went to garrison India on the outbreak of the Fi ...

''(from 1 August 1944 until July 1945)'' * 5th Battalion,

Somerset Light Infantry The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Som ...

''(from 1 August 1944 until July 1945)'' * 1st Battalion,

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd ( ...

''(from 1 August 1944 until July 1945)''

Recipients of the Victoria Cross

Lance Sergeant Lance sergeant (LSgt or L/Sgt) is a military appointment in the armies of the Commonwealth and formerly also a rank in the United States Army. Commonwealth Lance-sergeant in the armies of the Commonwealth was an appointment given to a corporal ...

Tom Fletcher Mayson Tom Fletcher Mayson VC (3 November 1893 – 21 February 1958) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forc ...

, 1/4th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), Great War * 2nd Lieutenant Joseph Henry Collin, 1/4th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), Great War *

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal. Etymology The presumed origin of the rank of lance corp ...

James Hewitson, 1/4th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), Great War * 2nd Lieutenant Edward Felix Baxter, 1/8th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool), Great War *

Fusilier ''Fusilier'' is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While ''fusilier'' is derived from the 17th-century French word – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has been used in cont ...

James Hutchinson, 2/5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, Great War * Lieutenant Colonel Bertram Best-Dunkley, 2/5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, Great War * 2nd Lieutenant

John Schofield John McAllister Schofield (; September 29, 1831 – March 4, 1906) was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He was appointed U.S. Secretary of War (1868–1869) under President Andrew Johnson and later serve ...

, 2/5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, Great War

References

{{British infantry brigades of the Second World War Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II B164 Military units and formations established in 1908