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37th Brigade (United Kingdom)

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37th Brigade
37th Infantry Brigade
37th Independent Infantry Brigade
Active1914–1919
1939–1941
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry
SizeBrigade
EngagementsFirst World War
Second World War
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Charles Astley Fowler
Walter Oxley
Daniel Beak

The 37th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that served in both the First and the Second World Wars.

First World War

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Men of the 6th (Service) Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) eating dinner in the trenches, Arras, France, March 1917.

The 37th Brigade was one of the New Army or Kitchener's Army brigades, and was assigned to the 12th (Eastern) Division and served on the Western Front during the First World War. The brigade was raised in August 1914 from the thousands of men volunteering for Kitchener's New Armies.

Order of battle

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The 37th Brigade was constituted as follows during the war:[1]

Second World War

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The 37th Infantry Brigade was reformed on 7 October 1939 as a 2nd Line Territorial Army infantry brigade as a duplicate of 133rd Infantry Brigade.[2] The 37th Infantry Brigade was with the 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division when they were sent in 1940 to France to join the British Expeditionary Force. The division suffered very heavy casualties during the Battle of France and was disbanded in July 1940 after having been evacuated to England from Dunkirk. In November 1941 the brigade joined the 3rd Infantry Division and was redesignated the 7th Infantry Brigade.

Order of battle

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37th Brigade was constituted as follows during the war:

Commanders

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The following officers commanded 37th Brigade during the war:

  • Brigadier R.J.P. Wyatt (until 20 May 1940)
  • Lieutenant-Colonel E.K.B. Warnop (Acting, from 27 May until 11 June 1940)
  • Brigadier R.J.P. Wyatt (from 11 June 1940 until 14 February 1942)
  • Brigadier W.H. Oxley (from 14 February until 1 June 1942)
  • Brigadier B.B. Rackham (from 1 June until 10 August 1944)
  • Colonel D.M.W. Beak (Acting, from 10 August until 10 September 1944)
  • Brigadier D.H. Haugh (from 10 September 1944)

Recipients of the Victoria Cross

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  • Baker, Chris. "The 12th (Eastern) Division in 1914-1918". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  • Chappell, PB. "12th (Eastern) Division". The Regimental Warpath 1914 - 1918. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2014.

References

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  1. ^ "12th (Eastern) Division". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  2. ^ Joslen 2003, p. 286

Bibliography

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  • Joslen, H. F. (2003) [1960]. Orders of Battle: Second World War, 1939–1945. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-474-1.