British Army First World War reserve brigades

The article lists British Army reserve brigades in the First World War. At the start of the war, British Army volunteers in the vast majority of cases joined their local infantry regiments reserve battalion.

In 1916 when conscription was first introduced for the British Army, the existing regimental system could not cope with the large influx of recruits. By January 1916, when conscription was introduced, 2.6 million men had already volunteered for service, a further 2.3 million were conscripted before the end of the war; by the end of 1918, the army had reached its peak strength of four million men. To train the recruits from 1916 onwards twenty-six reserve brigades were raised, with an official complement of over 208,500 soldiers.

Background

In August 1914, 300,000 men had signed up to fight, and another 450,000 had joined-up by the end of September.[1] Recruitment remained fairly steady through 1914 and early 1915, but it fell dramatically during the later years, especially after the Somme campaign, which resulted in 360,000 casualties.[2] A prominent feature of the early months of volunteering was the formation of Pals battalions.[3] Many of these pals who had lived and worked together, joined up and trained together and were allocated to the same units. The policy of drawing recruits from amongst the local population ensured that, when the Pals battalions suffered casualties, whole towns, villages, neighbourhoods and communities back in Britain were to suffer disproportionate losses. With the introduction of conscription in January 1916, no further Pals battalions were raised.[4] Conscription for single men was introduced in January 1916. Four months later, in May 1916, it was extended to all men aged 18 to 41.[5] The Military Service Act March 1916 specified that men from the ages of 18 to 41 were liable to be called up for service in the army, unless they were married (or widowed with children), or served in one of a number of reserved occupations, which were usually industrial but which also included clergymen and teachers. This legislation did not apply to Ireland, despite its then status as part of the United Kingdom (but see Conscription Crisis of 1918).[6] By January 1916, when conscription was introduced, 2.6 million men had volunteered for service, a further 2.3 million were conscripted before the end of the war; by the end of 1918, the army had reached its peak strength of four million men.[4]

Reserve brigades

At the start of the First World War, most British Army infantry regiments had their own reserve battalions. After conscription was introduced from 1 September 1916 onwards, the reserve infantry battalions were reorganised. The previous regimental system simply could not cope with the influx of recruits and a centralised training and reserve system was introduced.[7]

The reserve battalions still kept their regimental affiliations, cap badges and accoutrements, until 1 September 1916, when the regimental distinctions disappeared and the battalions were re-designated as the 1st to 116th reserve battalion in one of 26 reserve brigades. The Training Reserve had an official complement of 208,500 soldiers.[7]

A development of the scheme was designating of 14 of the battalions as "Young Soldier Battalions". When a recruit had finished training in the Young Soldier Battalion he was sent to one of two associated "Graduated Battalions", in which the four companies were organised by age, 3 monthly steps between 18 and 19 years. As a result, every 3 months, 28 companies of newly trained soldiers were ready for drafting to France. In October 1917 some of the Graduated Battalions were found suitable for Home Service and re-designated with battalion numbers from the 201st upwards.[8]

Another consequence of the centralised training system was that when recruits were posted to a battalion on active service, they would be sent to where there was a vacancy and not their local regiment. This system lasted until May 1917, when the reserve battalions were once again affiliated with a particular regiment and became known as graduated or young soldier battalions of their regiment.[7]

List of brigades

Reserve
brigade
number
Original regiment[7][9][10][11] Reserve
battalion
number
1st Reserve Brigade16th (Reserve) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry1st
17th (Reserve) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry2nd
10th (Reserve) Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment3rd
11th (Reserve) Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment4th
10th (Reserve) Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment5th
2nd Reserve Brigade13th (Reserve) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment6th
9th (Reserve) Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment7th
11th (Reserve) Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry8th
11th (Reserve) Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment9th
15th (Reserve) Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment10th
3rd Reserve Brigade9th (Reserve) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment11th
13th (Reserve) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters12th
4th (Reserve) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters13th
14th (Reserve) Battalion, Manchester Regiment14th
13th (Reserve) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers15th
4th Reserve Brigade11th (Reserve) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment16th
11th (Reserve) Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment17th
15th (Reserve) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps18th
14th (Reserve) Battalion, Rifle Brigade19th
15th (Reserve) Battalion, Rifle Brigade20th
5th Reserve Brigade11th (Reserve) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment21st
16th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers22nd
10th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment23rd
14th (Reserve) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment24th
6th Reserve Brigade10th (Reserve) Battalion, Norfolk Regiment25th
10th (Reserve) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment26th
10th (Reserve) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment27th
8th (Reserve) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment28th
7th Reserve Brigade9th (Reserve) Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)29th
10th (Reserve) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment30th
14th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers31st
15th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers32nd
8th Reserve Brigade13th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment33rd
13th (Reserve) Battalion, Hampshire Regiment34th
7th (Reserve) Battalion, Dorset Regiment35th
9th (Reserve) Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry36th
9th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment37th
9th Reserve Brigade11th (Reserve) Battalion, Black Watch 38th
10th (Reserve) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders39th
8th (Reserve) Battalion, Cameron Highlanders40th
13th (Reserve) Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders41st
11th (Reserve) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders42nd
10th Reserve Brigade10th (Reserve) Battalion, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)43rd
11th (Reserve) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment44th
9th (Reserve) Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry45th
13th (Reserve) Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment46th
10th (Reserve) Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment47th
11th Reserve Brigade9th (Reserve) Battalion, Shropshire Light Infantry48th
15th (Reserve) Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment49th
14th (Reserve) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment50th
10th (Reserve) Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment51st
12th Reserve Brigade13th (Reserve) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry52nd
9th (Reserve) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers53rd
18th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Scots54th
9th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers55th
12th (Reserve) Battalion, Scottish Rifles56th
13th Reserve Brigade9th (Reserve) Battalion, South Wales Borderers57th
12th (Reserve) Battalion, Welsh Regiment58th
13th (Reserve) Battalion, South Wales Borderers59th
20th (Reserve) Battalion (3rd Rhondda), Welsh Regiment60th
21st (Reserve) Battalion, Welsh Regiment61st
14th Reserve Brigade12th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers62nd
18th and 20th (Reserve) Battalions, Royal Welsh Fusiliers63rd
21st and 22nd (Reserve) Battalions, Royal Welsh Fusiliers64th
14th (Reserve) Battalion, South Wales Borderers65th
22nd (Reserve) Battalion, the Welsh Regiment66th
15th Reserve Brigade3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
5th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers
4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers
16th Reserve Brigade21st (Reserve) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment)67th
22nd (Reserve) Battalion, the King's (Liverpool Regiment)68th
25th (Reserve) Battalion, Manchester Regiment69th
26th (Reserve) Battalion, Manchester Regiment70th
27th (Reserve) Battalion, the Manchester Regiment71st
17th Reserve Brigade21st (Reserve) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers72nd
22nd (Reserve) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers73rd
17th (Reserve) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment74th
12th (Reserve) Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment75th
12th (Reserve) Battalion, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)76th
18th Reserve Brigade18th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Scots77th
19th (Reserve) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry78th
20th (Reserve) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry79th
19th Reserve Brigade32nd (Reserve) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers80th
14th (Reserve) Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment81st
11th (Reserve) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment82nd
12th (Reserve) Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment83rd
20th Reserve Brigade29th (Reserve) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers re-designated "A" Battalion, MGC84th
30th (Reserve) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers re-designated "B" Battalion, MGC85th
31st (Reserve) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers re-designated "C" Battalion, MGC86th
21st (Reserve) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry re-designated "D" Battalion, MGC87th
21st Reserve Brigade19th (Reserve) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment88th
20th (Reserve) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment89th
14th (Reserve) Battalion (Hull), East Yorkshire Regiment90th
15th (Reserve) Battalions, York & Lancaster Regiment and East Yorkshire Regiment91st
22nd Reserve Brigade17th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment92nd
15th (Reserve) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment93rd
16th (Reserve) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment94th
11th (Reserve) Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry95th
16th (Reserve) Battalion, (Portsmouth), Hampshire Regiment96th
23rd Reserve Brigade12th (Reserve) Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)97th
14th (Reserve) Battalion, Essex Regiment98th
12th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal West Kents99th
24th (Reserve) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment100th
27th (Reserve) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment101st
28th (Reserve) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment102nd
24th Reserve Brigade27th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers103rd
28th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers104th
29th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers105th
30th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers106th
31st (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers107th
26th Reserve Brigade13th (Reserve) Battalion (Cambridgeshire), Suffolk Regiment108th
19th (Reserve) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps109th
22nd (Reserve) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps110th
23rd (Reserve) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps111th
17th (Reserve) Battalion, Rifle Brigade112th
28th Reserve Brigade"E" Battalion, MGC113th
"F" Battalion, MGC114th
"G" Battalion, MGC115th
"H" Battalion, MGC116th

See also

References

  1. Chandler, (2001) p. 11
  2. "Battle of the Somme". New Zealand History online. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  3. "The Pals Battalions in World War One". BBC History. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  4. Tucker & Roberts (2005), p. 504
  5. Strachen, Hugh Professor. "Britain and World War One, 1901–1918". BBC History. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  6. Simkin, John. "Pacifism". Spartacus Educational. Archived from the original on 22 April 1999. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  7. Baker, Chris. "Training Reserve Battalions". The Long Long Trail. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  8. Ward p331-2
  9. Baker, Chris. "Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  10. Baker, Chris. "Royal Irish Rifles". The Long Long Trail. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  11. Baker, Chris. "Royal Irish Fusiliers". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 27 January 2012.

Bibliography

  • Chandler, Malcolm (2001). The Home Front, 1914–18. Heinemann. ISBN 0-435-32729-1.
  • Tucker, Spencer; Roberts, Priscilla Mary (2005). World War I: encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-420-2.
  • Ward, S G P (1962) Faithful: The Storey of the Durham Light Infantry. Naval and Military Press. ISBN 9781845741471
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