The 222nd Infantry Brigade was a Home Service formation of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

that existed under various short-lived titles in both the First and

Second World Wars World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

First World War

Formation and Service

On the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, 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 ...

(TF) immediately mobilised for home defence. On 31 August 1914, its units were authorised to raise 2nd battalions from those men who had not volunteered for, or were not fit for, overseas service, together with new volunteers, while the 1st Line went overseas to supplement the Regulars. Early in 1915, the 2nd Line TF battalions were raised to full strength to form new divisions, and began to form Reserve (3rd Line) units to supply drafts. The remaining Home Service men were separated out in May 1915 to form brigades of Coast Defence Battalions (termed Provisional Battalions from June 1915).

Order of Battle

The 2nd Provisional Brigade formed in North East England in May 1915 with the following composition: * 21st Provisional Battalion (originally 1st North Coast Defence Battalion, formed on 26 May 1915 from Home Service details of 4th and 7th Battalions,

Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution ...

; retitled 21st Provisional Battalion on 10 June 1915)21st Provisional Battalion War Diary, The National Archives, Kew file WO 95/5458. * 22nd Provisional Battalion (originally 2nd North Coast Defence Battalion, from Home Service details of 5th and 6th Battalions, Northumberland Fusiliers) * 24th Provisional Battalion (Home Service details of 4th and 5th Battalions,

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 vario ...

) * 25th Provisional Battalion (Home Service details of 4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment and 5th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry) * 26th Provisional Battalion (Home Service details of 5th,

6th 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second ...

, 7th and 8th Bns

West Yorkshire Regiment ) , march = ''Ça Ira'' , battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine , anniversaries = Imphal (22 June) The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) wa ...

, 4th and

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

Bns

York and Lancaster Regiment The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment ...

) * 27th Provisional Battalion (Home Service details of 4th,

, 6th and 7th Bns

West Riding Regiment The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...

, 4th and

Bns

King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somerset and Cornwall ...

) * 2nd Provisional Battery

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of ...

(from 1st Northern Coast Battery) * 2nd Provisional Field Company, Royal Engineers * 2nd Provisional Field Ambulance

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

(from 4th London Field Ambulance) In March 1916 the Provisional Brigades were concentrated along the South East Coast of England. 21st Battalion, which had been guarding the Northumberland Coast, moved to

Herne Bay, Kent Herne Bay is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England. It is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local governme ...

and joined the 10th Provisional Brigade. The 26th and 27th Provisional Battalions also left the 2nd Provisional Brigade, and the 23rd (formerly

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 t ...

details) joined. The 2nd Provisional Brigade was billeted in and around Clacton and

St Osyth St Osyth is an English village and civil parish in the Tendring District of north-east Essex, about west of Clacton-on-Sea and south-east of Colchester. It lies on the B1027, Colchester–Clacton road. The village is named after Osgyth, a ...

in Essex. Here it came under the orders of Southern Army. The Military Service Act 1916 swept away the Home/Foreign service distinction, and all TF soldiers became liable for overseas service, if medically fit. The Provisional Brigades thus became anomalous, and at the end of 1916 the remaining battalions became numbered battalions of their parent units. Part of their role was physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas, alongside units of the Training Reserve. The 2nd Provisional Brigade became the 222nd Infantry Brigade, with its subunits re-designated as follows: * 36th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers (from 22nd Provisional Battalion, to 178th (2/1st Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) Brigade 59th Division May 1918) * 37th (Home Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers (raised 27 April 1918) * 18th Battalion, Green Howards (from 24th Provisional Battalion) * 26th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (from 23rd Provisional Battalion) * 27th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (from 25th Provisional Battalion) * 1204th (Northumberland) Battery, RFA (from 2nd Provisional Battery) * 641st Field Company, RE (from 2nd Provisional Field Company) * 222nd Infantry Brigade Train Army Service Corps (later 834 Horse Transport Company, ASC) * 330th (London) Field Ambulance (from 2nd Provisional Field Ambulance) 222nd Brigade had no divisional allocation and remained subordinate to Southern Army and later Eastern Command. In May 1918 each of the non-divisional home service brigades provided one Garrison Guard battalion to reconstitute the 178th (2/1st Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) Brigade of

59th (2nd North Midland) Division The 59th (2nd North Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army during World War I. It was formed in late 1914/early 1915 as a 2nd Line Territorial Force formation raised as a duplicate of the 46th (North Midland) Division. A ...

in France. 222nd Brigade supplied the 36th Northumberland Fusiliers, which was replaced in the brigade by a newly raised Home Service battalion of the regiment ( 37th Battalion). The brigade never served overseas, and was demobilised early in 1919.

Second World War

Formation and Service

On 31 October 1940, a new brigade titled the 222nd Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) was formed for service in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Joslen, p. 385. After a brief spell attached to the East Anglian 18th Infantry Division, the Brigade became part of the

Norfolk County Division The Norfolk County Division was short lived of the British Army formed during the Second World War. It was formed on 24 December 1940, and disbanded on 18 November 1941 by being redesignated as the 76th Infantry Division.Joslen p. 114 It was co ...

on 24 December 1940.Joslen, pp. 99, 114, 385. On 18 November 1941 the Norfolk County Division became the 76th Infantry Division and the Brigade (Home) was retitled as the 222nd Infantry Brigade. The 222nd Brigade was disbanded on 18 November 1943.

Order of Battle

The following units served in the brigade: *As part of 18th Division and Norfolk County Division. ** 8th Battalion,

Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regiments ...

''(31 October 1941 — 17 November 1941)'' ** 8th Battalion,

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...

''(31 October 1941 — 17 November 1941)'' ** 11th Battalion,

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Ma ...

''(31 October 1941 — 17 November 1941)'' *As part of 76th Division. ** 8th Battalion,

''(18 November 1941 — 14 December 1942, converted into 101st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery)'' ** 8th Battalion,

''(18 November 1941 — 9 December 1942, renamed as the 1st Battalion of that regiment on 27 May 1942, replacing Regular battalion captured at

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

)'' ** 11th Battalion,

''(18 November — 7 September 1942)'' ** 9th Battalion,

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the First and Second World W ...

(''7 September — 10 October 1942'') ** 4th Battalion,

East Lancashire Regiment The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59th (2nd Nottingh ...

(''from 3 October 1942 — 14 November 1943'') ** 7th (Cumberland) Battalion,

Border Regiment The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. After service i ...

(''from 9 December 1942 — 14 November 1943'') ** 16th Battalion,

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...

(''14 December 1942 — 14 November 1943, renamed as the 1st Battalion of that regiment on 1 January 1943, replacing Regular battalion captured at

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

'')

Commanders

The following officers commanded 222nd Brigade during the war: * Brigadier C.L.B. Duke * Brigadier H.St G. Schomberg (from 5 November 1940) * Brigadier J.M. Rawcliffe (from 12 August 1941)

Notes

References

* ''Army Council Instructions Issued During January 1916'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1916. * A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . *

External sources

The Long, Long Trail

David Porter's work on Provisional Brigades at Great War Forum
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Infantry brigades of the British Army Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1915 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943