The 222nd Infantry Brigade was a Home Service 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 ...

that existed under various short-lived titles in both 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

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 ...

World War I

Formation and Service

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. 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.Becke, pp. 6, 65. 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.Frederick, pp. 184–5.'Provisional Brigades and Battalions' at Long, Long Trail.
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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 and ...

; retitled 21st Provisional Battalion on 10 June 1915)21st Provisional Battalion War Diary, The National Archives (TNA), Kew file WO 95/5458.Frederick, pp. 278–80.James, p. 47.Northumberland Fusiliers at Long, Long Trail, accessed 22 May 2023.
/ref> * 22nd Provisional Battalion (originally 2nd North Coast Defence 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, 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 variou ...

)Frederick, p.107.James, p. 63.Green Howards at Long, Long Trail, accessed 22 May 2023.
/ref> * 25th Provisional Battalion (Home Service details of 4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment and 5th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry)Frederick, p. 146.James, p. 101.Durham Light Infantry at Long, Long Trail, accessed 22 May 2023.
/ref> * 26th Provisional Battalion (Home Service details of 5th, 6th,

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 ...

and

8th Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...

Bns

West Yorkshire Regiment The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. In 1958 it amalgamated with the East Yorkshire Regiment (15th Foot) to form the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire which was ...

4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

and

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 of ...

) * 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, 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 Somers ...

) * 2nd Provisional Battery

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 ...

(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) 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 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 government ...

and joined the 10th Provisional Brigade. The 26th and 27th Provisional Battalions also left the 2nd Provisional Brigade, and the 23rd Provisional Battalion (formerly Durham Light Infantry details) joined. The 2nd Provisional Brigade was billeted in and around Clacton and

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

in Essex. Here it came under the orders of Southern Army. 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 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 RFA may refer to: Groups, organizations * Radio Free Asia, a private news broadcaster and publisher in East Asia, funded in part by the U.S. government * Renewable Fuels Agency, a former UK renewable fuel regulatory agency * Renewable Fuels A ...

(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) On 26 November 1917, 1204th (Northumberland) Battery transferred to 12th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, which was reforming in

67th (2nd Home Counties) Division The 2nd Home Counties 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 44th (Home Counties) Division in November 1914. As the name suggests, the division rec ...

.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 79–80. 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 (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 ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions ...

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 regim ...

''(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 ...

''(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 Regular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * "Regular" (Badfinger song) * Regular tunings of stringed instruments, tunings with equal intervals between the paired notes of successive open strings Other uses * Regular character, ...

battalion captured at

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

)'' ** 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, 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 59t ...

(''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 in ...

(''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 ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

'')

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, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X. * 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. *

External sources

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

David Porter's work on Provisional Brigades at Great War Forum
{{British infantry brigades of the Second World War 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