The 223rd Brigade was a Home Defence formation 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 ...

in the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and the

Second World Wars 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 ...

. It existed under several variations of the 223 Brigade title, and was eventually converted into an airborne formation.

World War I

On the outbreak of

World War I 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 ...

, 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 ...

(TF) immediately mobilised for home defence, but shortly afterwards (31 August 1914), its units were authorised to raise 2nd line battalions formed 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).Army Council Instructions, January 1916, Appendix 18.'Provisional Brigades and Battalions' at Long, Long Trail.
/ref>

3rd Provisional Brigade

3rd Provisional Brigade was formed mainly from details of regiments from Eastern England, with the following composition: * 3rd Provisional Yeomanry Squadron (from the

Fife and Forfar Yeomanry The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (FFY) was an Armoured Yeomanry Regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. It saw action in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. It amalgamated with the Scottish Horse to form the Fif ...

and the

Lovat Scouts The Lovat Scouts was a British Army unit first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit, and were renowned for their elite reconnaissance capabili ...

) * 3rd Provisional Cyclist Company * 3rd Provisional Battery and Ammunition Column

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

* 43rd Provisional Battalion (from home service details of

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 Avenue * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a cont ...

and 6th Battalions,

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. ...

) * 62nd Provisional Battalion (from home service details of 2/4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment and 2/1st Battalion,

Cambridgeshire Regiment The Cambridgeshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, and was part of the Territorial Army. Originating in units of rifle volunteers formed in 1860, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First and Seco ...

)''Northamptons 1914–1918'', p. 341. * 64th Provisional Battalion (from home service details of 4th and 5th Battalions,

Suffolk Regiment The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment Line infantry, of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, participating in many wars and conflicts, including the World War I, First and ...

)Murphy, pp. 342–3. * 65th Provisional Battalion (from home service details of 4th Battalion

Essex Regiment The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

)Burrows, p. 357. * 66th Provisional Battalion (from home service details of 5th (part) and 6th Battalions, Essex Regiment) * 67th Provisional Battalion (from home service details of 5th (part) and

7th Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season ep ...

Battalions, Essex Regiment ) * 3rd Provisional Brigade Train Army Service Corps * 3rd Provisional Field Ambulance

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

(from 2nd Welsh Field Ambulance) Under the command of Brigadier-General H.J. Archdale, the brigade was attached to the

69th (2nd East Anglian) Division The 2nd East Anglian Division was a 2nd Line Territorial Force division of the British Army in World War I. The division was formed as a duplicate of the 54th (East Anglian) Division in November 1914. As the name suggests, the division recrui ...

in the area around

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road (England), A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, coverin ...

, Newmarket and

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

under the control of First Army of

Central Force In classical mechanics, a central force on an object is a force that is directed towards or away from a point called center of force. \mathbf(\mathbf) = F( \mathbf ) where F is a force vector, ''F'' is a scalar valued force function (whose abso ...

(18 September – 16 October 1915).Becke, pp. 91–8. When the 3rd Provisional Brigade left the 69th Division, it also had the following units attached to it: * 117th Heavy Battery

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse ...

* Half of 1/1st Devon Heavy Battery RGA * No 2 Armoured Train * 1/6th (Cyclist) Battalion

Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

* 2/25th (Cyclist) Battalion London Regiment In March 1916 the Provisional Brigades were concentrated along the South and East Coast of England. 3rd Provisional Brigade came under the orders of Northern Army, with its battalions billeted across

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

as follows: * Brigade Headquarters: Holt * 43rd Provisional Battalion Weybourne * 62nd Provisional Battalion

Sheringham Sheringham (; population 7,367) is a seaside town and civil parish in the county of Norfolk, England.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District ...

* 64th Provisional Battalion

Salthouse Salthouse is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the salt marshes of North Norfolk. It is north of Holt, west of Sheringham and north of Norwich. The village is on the A149 coast road between K ...

* 66th Provisional Battalion

Cley next the Sea Cley next the Sea (, ) is a village and civil parish on the River Glaven in the England, English county of Norfolk, England, Norfolk. Cley next the Sea is located north-west of Holt, Norfolk, Holt and north-west of Norwich. History The vil ...

* 67th Provisional Battalion

Darsham Darsham is a village in Suffolk, England. It is located approximately north-east of Saxmundham. The village is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Darsham railway station, which is approximately one mile away from the village centre, on the ...

* 2/1st Highland (Fifeshire) Heavy Battery, RGA, Sheringham – ''joined September 1916 from

64th (2nd Highland) Division The 64th (2nd Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised during the Great War. The division was formed in late 1914 as a second-line Territorial Force formation which served on home defence duties throughout the war ...

223rd Mixed Brigade

The

Military Service Act 1916 The Military Service Act 1916 (5 & 6 Geo. 5. c. 104) was an Act of Parliament, act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom during the First World War to impose conscription in Great Britain, but not in Ireland or any other British jurisdi ...

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 their units became numbered battalions of their parent units. Part of their role was physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas. The 3rd Provisional Brigade became the 223rd Mixed Brigade in December 1916, with its units re-designated as follows on 1 January 1917: * 43rd Provisional Battalion became 25th Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment)Frederick, pp. 184–5.Frederick, p. 128.James, p. 52.King's (Liverpool) Regiment at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> * 62nd Provisional Battalion became 9th Battalion,

Northamptonshire Regiment The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's O ...

* 64th Provisional Battalion became 14th Battalion,

Frederick, p. 223.James, p. 56.Suffolk Regiment at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> * 66th Provisional Battalion became

16th Battalion, Essex Regiment The 6th Battalion, Essex Regiment was a volunteer unit of Britain's Territorial Army. First formed in the docks of East London in 1860, it served as infantry at Gallipoli and in Palestine during the First World War. It later formed searchlight u ...

, and transferred to the 71st DivisionFrederick, p. 234.James, p. 86.Essex Regiment at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> * 67th Provisional Battalion became 17th Battalion, Essex Regiment * 2/1st Highland (Fifeshire) Heavy Battery, RGA (unchanged) * 3rd Provisional Field Company became 642nd (London) Field Company

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 ...

* 3rd Provisional Battery and Ammunition Column became 1205th (West Lancashire) Battery RFA * 3rd Provisional Brigade Train became 835th Company ASC * 3rd Provisional Field Ambulance became 331st Field Ambulance RAMC The brigade was attached to the 64th (2nd Highland) Division. In May 1918 each of the Mixed Brigades was called upon to provide a battalion (re-designated a Garrison Guard battalion) to reconstitute the

59th (2nd North Midland) Division The 59th (2nd North Midland) Division was an infantry Division (military), 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 ...

, which had been virtually destroyed during the

German spring offensive The German spring offensive, also known as ''Kaiserschlacht'' ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German Empire, German attacks along the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First Wor ...

. The 223rd Mixed Brigade supplied 25th King's (Liverpool Regiment) to the 176th (2/1st Staffordshire) Brigade and immediately raised a new 27th (Home Service) Battalion, King's to take over its coast defence duties. The brigade remained with this composition until the end of the war, after which it was demobilised.

World War II

World War II 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 ...

, the brigade number was reactivated as the 223rd Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in Eastern Command. The brigade was attached to the

15th (Scottish) Infantry Division The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army that served during the World War II, Second World War. It was raised on 2 September 1939, the day before war was declared, as part of the Ar ...

(31 October 1940 – 26 February 1941) and then the

Essex County Division The Essex County Division was a short-lived formation of the British Army formed in 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 coal ...

(26 February – 22 July 1941) before coming under the command of

XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to: * 11th Army Corps (France) * XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

. While in this formation it was re-designated as the 223rd Independent Infantry Brigade.Joslen, p. 386.

Order of Battle

For its entire career as the 223rd Brigade it was commanded by Brigadier Sir Alexander Stanier, Bart and was initially composed of newly raised infantry battalions. *As part of the 15th Infantry Division and the Essex County Division. ** 6th Battalion,

''(18 October 1940 — 22 July 1941)'' ** 8th Battalion,

''(24 October 1940 — 22 July 1941)'' ** 10th Battalion,

''(31 October — 22 July 1941)'' ** 10th Battalion,

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 of ...

''(17 November 1940 21 February 1941)'' *As part of the 223rd Independent Infantry Brigade ** 6th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment ''(22 July 1941 — 13 September 1942)'' ** 8th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment ''(22 July 1941 — 4 September 1942)'' ** 10th Battalion, Essex Regiment ''(22 July 1941 — 6 November 1942)'' ** 10th 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 ...

''(4 September 1942 — 6 November 1942)'' ** 13th Battalion,

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

''(13 September 1942 — 6 November 1942)'' **223rd Field Ambulance ''(from 22 July 1941)''

3rd Parachute Brigade

The 223rd Independent Infantry Brigade was converted into the 3rd Parachute Brigade on 7 November 1942, and its battalions were converted as follows:Joslen, p. 411. * 10th Battalion, Essex Regiment became 9th Battalion, Parachute Regiment * 10th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry became 7th Battalion, Parachute Regiment * 13th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment became 8th Battalion, Parachute Regiment The 223rd Brigade number has never been reactivated.

Notes

References

* Maj 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, . * John Wm. Burrows, ''Essex Units in the War 1914–1919'', Vol 5, ''Essex Territorial Infantry Brigade (4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions), Also 8th (Cyclist) Battalion The Essex Regiment'', Southend: John H. Burrows & Sons, 1932. * * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3. * Brig E.A. James, ''British Regiments 1914–18'', London: Samson Books, 1978, ISBN 0-906304-03-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-84342-197-9. * Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, ''Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/London: London Stamp Exchange, 1990, ISBN 0-948130-03-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6. * Lt-Col C.C.R. Murphy, ''The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914–1927'', London: Hutchinson, 1928/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2002, ISBN 978-1-84342-245-7. * Regimental History Committee, ''The Northamptonshire Regiment, 1914–1918'', Aldershot: Gale & Polden, 1932/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2005, . * War Office, ''Army Council Instructions Issued During January 1916'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1916.

External sources

Chris Baker, ''The Long, Long Trail''

David Porter's work on Provisional Brigades at Great War Forum
\ {{DEFAULTSORT:223 Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) 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 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942