59th Brigade (59th Bde) was an infantry formation of the British Army during World War I. It was formed in September 1914 as part of the new army also known as Kitchener's Army and was assigned to the 20th (Light) Division, serving on the Western Front.[1][2] It was popularly known as the 'Greenjacket Brigade'[a] because it was composed of battalions of the King's Royal Rifle Corps and the Rifle Brigade, whose full dress uniforms were Rifle green.[3]
| 59th Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 14 September 1914–28 May 1919 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  New Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 20th (Light) Division |
| Nickname(s) | Greenjacket Brigade |
Origin
editOn 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army. The newly-appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. Men flooded into the recruiting offices and the 'first hundred thousand' were enlisted within days. This group of six infantry divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'.[4][5] Recruits continued to arrive in large numbers, and Army Order No 382 of 11 September authorised a further six divisions (15th–20th), which became the Second New Army (K2). 20th (Light) Division began forming at Aldershot with the 59th, 60th and 61st Brigades.[1][2]
Order of Battle
editThe brigade was composed as follows:[1][2]
- 10th (Service) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps – disbanded 5 February 1918
- 11th (Service) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
- 10th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade – disbanded 4–14 February 1918
- 11th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade
- 59th Company, Machine Gun Corps – joined 3 March 1916; joined 20th Divisional MG Battalion 15 March 1918
- 59th Trench Mortar Battery – 59/1 Bty formed by 16 April 1916, 52/2 Bty by 25 April, and combined to form 59th Bty by 16 July
- 2nd Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) – joined from 23rd Brigade, 8th Division, 3 February 1918
Service
edit20th (Light) Division crossed to France in July 1915 and completed its concentration in the area west of Saint-Omer by 26 July. Thereafter it served on the Western Front in the following operations:[1][2]
1915
- Attack towards Fromelles 25 September
1916
- Battle of Mont Sorrel 2–13 June
- Battle of the Somme
- Battle of Delville Wood 21 August–3 September
- Battle of Guillemont 3–5 September
- Battle of Flers–Courcelette 16–20 September
- Battle of Morval 27 September
- Battle of the Transloy Ridges 1–8 October
1917
- German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line 14 March–5 April
- Actions on the Hindenburg Line 26 May–16 June
- Third Battle of Ypres
- Battle of Langemarck 16–18 August
- Battle of the Menin Road Ridge 20–25 September
- Battle of Polygon Wood 26–28 September
- Battle of Cambrai
- The Tank Attack 20–21 November
- Capture of Bourlon Wood 23–28 November
- German Counter-Attacks 30 November–2 December
1918
- German spring offensive
- Battle of St Quentin 22–23 March
- Actions at the Somme Crossings 24–25 March
- Battle of Rosières 26–27 March
- Final Advance in Artois 2–6 October
Following the Armistice with Germany demobilisation of 20th (L) Division began in January 1919 and the division and its formations ceased to exist on 28 May 1919.[1]
59th Brigade was not reactivated in World War II.[6]
Commanders
editThe following officers commanded the brigade:[1]
- Brigadier-General G.F. Leslie from 14 September 1914
- Brig-Gen C.D. Shute from 6 July 1915
- Brig-Gen R.C. Browne-Clayton from 14 October 1916
- Brig-Gen H.H.G. Hyslop from 26 August 1918
- Brig-Gen R.M. Ovens from 3 April 1918
- Brig-Gen A.C. Baylay from 8 June 1918
Insignia
edit
The formation sign of 20th (L) Division was a white circle bearing a black cross with a red bull's-eye at the centre.[7] In the summer of 1917 the division adopted a comprehensive scheme for battalion identification signs worn on both sleeves. These were black geometric shapes, with 59th Bde using circles. Underneath, one, two, three or four bars indicated the battalion's seniority. 11th KRRC (the former 60th Foot) also wore a Rifle green diamond with '11' over '60th' in red on its helmet coverings.[8]
Footnote
edit- ^ Not to be confused with the Green Jackets Brigade, an official administrative brigade of the British Army 1946–66.
Notes
editReferences
edit- Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3a: New Army Divisions (9–26), London: HM Stationery Office, 1938/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-41-X.
- Capt Reginald Berkeley, The History of the Rifle Brigade in the War of 1914–1918, Vol I, August 1914–December 1916, London: The Rifle Brigade Club, 1927/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 978-1-847346-98-8.
- Clive Elderton & Gary Gibbs, World War One British Army Corps and Divisional Signs, Wokingham: Military History Society, 2018.
- Mike Hibberd, Infantry Divisions, Identification Schemes 1917, Wokingham: Military History Society, 2016.
- 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.
- Instructions Issued by The War Office During August, 1914, London: HM Stationery Office, 1916.