The 36th Infantry 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 ...

formation of

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 fought 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

12th (Eastern) Division The 12th (Eastern) Division was an infantry Division (military), division raised by the British Army during the World War I, First World War from men volunteering for Kitchener's Army, Kitchener's New Armies. The division saw service in the Tre ...

, on the Western Front. The brigade also fought 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 coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, with the

12th (Eastern) Infantry Division The 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army, which fought briefly in the Battle of France during the World War II, Second World War. In March 1939, after the re-emergence of Nazi Germa ...

, in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and later with 78th Infantry Division in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

First World War

The 36th Brigade fought throughout the First World War with the

on the Western Front. During the First World War the brigade was part of the ''New Army'', also known as '' Kitchener's New Armies'', and disbanded after the war ended.

Order of battle

* 8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) ''(disbanded February 1918)'' * 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) * 7th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foo ...

* 11th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) ''(disbanded February 1918)'' * 36th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps ''(formed 1 February 1916, moved to 12th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 1 March 1918)'' * 36th Trench Mortar Battery ''(formed 15 June 1916)'' * 5th (Service) Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment) ''(from February 1918)''

Second World War

Reformed during the

as the 36th Infantry Brigade on 7 October 1939, this time as part of the Territorial Army, and attached to the

, duplicate of the 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division. The brigade was formed as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 132nd (Kent) Infantry Brigade. It fought in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

in May 1940 where it was overrun by the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

and dispersed and suffered very heavy casualties, due mainly to the division having none of its support units and the infantrymen having had little training. Reformed in the United Kingdom, it was redesignated 36th Independent Infantry Brigade from 22 June 1940, when the 12th Division was disbanded, until 22 June 1942 when it was assigned to the 78th ''Battleaxe'' Infantry Division and served in the

North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

, in

Operation Husky Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

and the Italian Campaign, in particular the

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies of World War II, Allies against Nazi Germany, German forces in Kingdom of Italy, Italy during the Italian Campaign (World War ...

and later Gothic Line, followed by the

Spring 1945 offensive in Italy The Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the final Allies of World War II, Allied attack during the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. The attack in the Lom ...

Order of battle

The 36th Infantry Brigade was constituted as follows during the war: * 2/6th Battalion,

East Surrey Regiment The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ( ...

''(left 26 October 1939)'' * 6th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment * 7th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment ''(until 20 August 1942)'' * 5th 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 26 October 1939)'' * 36th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company ''(formed 18 August 1940, disbanded 20 June 1941)'' * 8th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders ''(from 21 August 1942)'' * 181st 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 10 December 1941 until 22 June 1942)''

Commanders

The following officers commanded the brigade during the war:Joslen, p. 284. *

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

G.R.P. Roupell ''(until 20 May 1940, MIA)'' * Brigadier A.L. Kent-Lemon ''(from 1 July 1940 until 17 December 1942)'' * Brigadier B. Howlett ''(from 17 December 1942, KIA 29 November 1943)'' * Lieutenant Colonel P.E.O. Bryan ''(

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

, from 30 November to 3 December 1943)'' * Brigadier J.L. Spencer ''(from 3 December 1943 until 2 May 1944)'' * Brigadier J.G. James ''(from 2 May 1944, KIA 16 June 1944)'' * Brigadier C.D. Packard ''(from 27 June until 20 December 1944)'' * Brigadier G.R.D. Musson ''(from 20 December 1944 until 7 June 1945)'' * Lieutenant Colonel A.J. Odling-Smee ''(Acting, from 7 June until 11 July 1945)'' * Brigadier G.R.D. Musson ''(from 11 July 1945)''

Recipients of the Victoria Cross

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

George Jarratt, 8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, Great War * Lieutenant Colonel Neville Elliott-Cooper, 8th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, Great War

References

Bibliography

* {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II