184th (2nd South Midland) Brigade

The 184th (2nd South Midland) Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army raise for service in both the First and the Second World Wars.

2/1st South Midland Brigade
184th (2/1st South Midland) Brigade
184th Infantry Brigade
Active1914–1919
1939–1945
Country United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
TypeInfantry
SizeBrigade
Part of61st (2nd South Midland) Division
61st Infantry Division
EngagementsFirst World War
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Andrew Thorne

First World War

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The brigade was raised as a duplicate of the 145th (1/1st South Midland) Brigade and consisted of those men in the Territorial Force who had not volunteered for overseas service when asked at the outbreak of war. It originally acted as a reserve to the 145th Brigade, sending drafts of officers and men as battle-casualty replacements and participated in home defence duties. It was assigned to the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division and, from May 1916 onwards, served on the Western Front in the trenches.[1][2] In April 1917 Company Sergeant Major Edward Brooks of the 2/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Order of battle

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The brigade was composed as follows:[1][2]

Second World War

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The brigade was disbanded after the war in 1919, along with the rest of the Territorial Force which was reformed in the 1920s as the Territorial Army. In early 1939, war with Nazi Germany was becoming increasingly likely and, as a result, the Territorial Army was ordered to be doubled in size, in order to meet the threat. The brigade was reformed, now as the 184th Infantry Brigade, in 1939, prior to the outbreak of the Second World War and consisted of units from the South Midlands area of England. It was assigned to the 61st Infantry Division. However, despite being raised for service in war, the brigade never saw active service abroad and remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war, acting in a training role. In July 1945 the division was reorganised as a light division in preparation for a deployment to the Far East to fight the Imperial Japanese Army. However, the Japanese surrendered in August 1945 and the move cancelled.[3][4]

Order of battle

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184th Infantry Brigade was constituted as follows during the Second World War:[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Becke, pp. 33–9.
  2. ^ a b 61st (2nd South Midland) Division at Long, Long Trail.
  3. ^ a b Joslen, p. 358.
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ 61st Recce Regiment at Recce Corps website.

References

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  • 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, ISBN 1-847347-39-8.
  • 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.

External sources

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