19th Light Brigade (United Kingdom)

The 19th Light Brigade was a Regular Army infantry brigade of the British Army. As the 19th Infantry Brigade fought in the First and Second world wars.

19th Brigade
19th Infantry Brigade
19th Light Brigade
Insignia of 19 Light Brigade
Active1892–1901
1914–1919
1938–1939
1950–2013
CountryUnited Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry
RoleLight infantry
SizeBrigade
Part of3rd Division
Garrison/HQCatterick Garrison
EngagementsFirst World War
Second World War
War in Afghanistan
Operation TELIC
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Horace Smith-Dorrien

The brigade became 19 Light Brigade in 2005, and moved to Northern Ireland following the end of Operation Banner and "normalisation" of British military operations in the province. Following the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), the Brigade entered suspended animation in March 2013.

History

First World War

The 19th Infantry Brigade was formed in France as an independent brigade[1] It saw action on the Western Front including the Battle of Mons in August 1914.[2] It then joined the 2nd Division on 19 August 1915, but left to join the 33rd Division on 25 November 1915.[3]

Order of battle

Its components included:[3]

Second World War

The 19th Infantry Brigade was a regular British Army formation at the beginning of the Second World War. It had been raised in 1938 for Internal Security in Palestine, and appears to have joined the 7th Infantry Division on its reformation in September–October 1938. On 3 September 1939, it was converted to HQ Jerusalem Area.[4]

Post-1945

In the 1980s, the 19th Brigade was based at Colchester as part of the 3rd Armoured Division.[5]

Structure in 1989:[6]

It would have had to cross the Channel to join the rest of the division, stationed with the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. Following the disbandment of the 3rd Armoured Division following the end of the Cold War, the brigade joined the new 3rd Mechanised Division, and moved to Catterick Garrison in Yorkshire in April 1993.[7]

As part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World review in 2003, it was announced that the brigade was to become a 'Light' formation. The Brigade deployed on Operation Telic 2 between May and November 2003 taking over from 7 Armoured Brigade.[8] The brigade became 19 Light Brigade as of 1 January 2005, and deployed to Iraq on Operation Telic 9 (November 2006 – May 2007) for an unusually long 7-month tour before handing over to 1 Mechanised Brigade and returning to Catterick. It then began moving to Northern Ireland following the end of Operation Banner and "normalisation" of British military operations in the province.[9]

The Brigade deployed on Operation Herrick 10 in April 2009, replacing 3 Commando Brigade, where it planned and executed Operation Panther's Claw – named after Bagheera, the panther forming the Brigade insignia. The Bde returned to the UK in October 2009 having taken significantly more casualties than seen in previous operational tours of Afghanistan.[11]

Secretary of Defence Liam Fox announced on 18 July 2011 that it was to be disbanded as part of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR)[12] in March 2013.[13]

Structure

Component units in 2007:[14]

Brigade Commanders

Recent commanders have included:[15]

  • 1967–1969 Brigadier WNR Scotter, Late KORBR
  • 1969–1971 Brigadier GLC Cooper, Late RE
  • 1973–1975 Brigadier JM Glover, Late RGJ
  • 1975–1977 Brigadier RF Vincent, Late RA
  • 1985–1987 Brigadier TP Toyne Sewell, Late KOSB
  • 1989–1991 Brigadier CD Farrar-Hockley, Late PARA
  • 1991–1993 Brigadier EJ Webb-Carter, Late GREN GDS
  • 1994–1995 Brigadier RDS Gordon, Late 17/21L
  • 1995–1997 Brigadier ADA Duncan, Late PWO
  • 1997–2000 Brigadier PTC Pearson, Late RGR
  • 2000–2001 Brigadier NH Rollo, Late RE
  • 2001–2003 Brigadier WH Moore, Late RA
  • 2003–2005 Brigadier C Chapman, Late PARA
  • 2005–2007 Brigadier TP Evans, Late RIFLES
  • 2007–2010 Brigadier TB Radford, Late RIFLES
  • 2010–2012 Brigadier SR Skeates, Late RA
  • 2012–2013 Brigadier EJR Chamberlain, Late RIFLES

References
  1. Becke 1935, p. 75
  2. "The Battle of Mons". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  3. "The 2nd Division in 1914–1918". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  4. Joslen (1960), p. 261
  5. Black, Harvey. "The Cold War Years. A Hot War in reality. Part 6".
  6. "BOAR 1989" (PDF).
  7. 19th Light Brigade Global Security
  8. Carney, Stephen A. (30 September 2011). "Allied Participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom" (PDF). Center of Military History, United States Army. p. 120.
  9. Northern Ireland-based 19 Light Brigade disbanded BBC, 19 July 2011
  10. "19th Mechanized Brigade". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  11. MOD press release
  12. Hansard 18 July 2011, Column 637
  13. 'Farewell to 19 Light Brigade,' Soldier, September 2011, p.12
  14. "19 Light Brigade". 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  15. Army Commands Archived July 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography
  • Becke, Major A.F. (1935). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 1. The Regular British Divisions. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-09-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Joslen, Lt-Col. H.F. (2003) Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, ISBN 1-84342-474-6
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