55th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

The 55th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service in both World War I and World War II.

55th Brigade
55th Infantry Brigade
18th Division insignia, World War I.
Active1914–1919
1939–1942
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry
SizeBrigade
Part of18th (Eastern) Division
18th Infantry Division
EngagementsWorld War I
World War II

History

First World War

The brigade was originally raised in 1914, as the 55th Brigade, in the First World War as part of Kitchener's New Armies and joined the 18th (Eastern) Division, serving with it throughout the war mainly on the Western Front from 1915 to 1918.

First World War order of battle
  • 7th (Service) Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
  • 7th (Service) Battalion, Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
  • 8th (Service) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment
  • 7th (Service) Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) (left February 1918)
  • 55th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (formed 13 February 1916, moved to 18th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 16 February 1918)
  • 55th Trench Mortar Battery (formed 17 June 1916)[1]

Second World War

The brigade was disbanded after the war in 1919. However, it was reformed as the 55th Infantry Brigade in 1939 in the Territorial Army shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and joined the 18th Infantry Division. It remained in the United Kingdom on home defence and training duties, preparing for a possible German invasion which, fortunately, never arrived. The 55th Infantry Brigade, along with the rest of the 18th Division, was sent to Singapore in 1942 where it surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army in the short but violent Battle of Singapore. The men of the brigade would spend the next three years as Japanese prisoners in harsh and degrading imprisonment.

Second World War order of battle

Commanders
  • Brig. W.M. Ozanne
  • Brig. T.H. Massey-Beresford
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References
  1. "18th (Eastern) Division". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Bibliography
  • Bellis, Malcolm A. (1994). Regiments of the British Army 1939–1945 (Armour & Infantry). London: Military Press International. ISBN 0-85420-999-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Bellis, Malcolm A. (1995). Regiments of the British Army 1939–1945 (Artillery). London: Military Press International. ISBN 0-85420-110-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Joslen, Lt-Col H.F. (1990) [1st. Pub. HMSO:1960]. Orders of Battle, Second World War, 1939–1945. London: London Stamp Exchange. ISBN 0-948130-03-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Westlake, Ray (1986). The Territorial Battalions, A Pictorial History, 1859–1985. Tunbridge Wells: Spellmount.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)


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