The 78th Brigade (78th Bde) was an infantry formation of the British Army during World War I. It was raised as part of 'Kitchener's Army' and was assigned to the 26th Division. It served on the Salonika Front, capturing Horseshoe Hill in 1916 and fighting in the disastrous Second Battle of Doiran in 1917. At the end of the war it spearheaded the pursuit of the defeated enemy and took part in the postwar occupation of Bulgaria before it was disbanded in 1919.
Recruitment and training
On 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. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'.War Office Instructions No 32 (6 August) and No 37 (7 August).Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8. The K2 and K3 battalions, brigades and divisions quickly followed: 26th Division, containing 77th, 78th and 79th Brigades, was authorised on 13 September as part of K3. Brigadier-General E.A.D'A. Thomas was appointed to command 78th Bde on 25 September. The brigade assembled around Codford St Mary and Sherrington on the edge of Salisbury Plain.Becke, pp. 143–9. 26th Division at Long, Long Trail.James, pp. 72–3, 85, 89–90.
As the junior division of K3, there were no khaki uniforms available for the men, who were clothed in any makeshift uniforms the clothing contractors could find. Later it became possible to issue a form of blue uniform. It took longer to obtain drill-pattern rifles and accoutrements, but barrack-square training continued until the weather worsened at the end of October, turning the drill ground and tent floors into a sea of mud. In November the division was dispersed into billets, with the battalions of 78th Bde returning to their home areas of Cheltenham, Worcester, Oxford and Reading. The men now had drill rifles for training, and khaki uniforms and equipment arrived between February and April 1915. Between 26 April and 8 May the units returned to Salisbury Plain and were concentrated in huts between Sutton Veny and Longbridge Deverill near Warminster. Brigade training could now begin, and the drill rifles were slowly replaced by Short Magazine Lee–Enfield Mk III service rifles. Divisional training started in July, followed by final battle training. The division completed its mobilisation on 10 September and was ordered to France to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. The first advanced parties left on 12 September, 7th Worcestershire Regiment landed at Le Havre on 20 September and the rest of 78th Bde's units landed at Boulogne the following day. By 23 September the division had completed its concentration around Guignemicourt, west of Amiens.
Order of battle The composition of 78th Brigade was as follows:Falls, Vol I, Appendix 2. 9th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment – to Western Front 4 July 1918 11th (Service) Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment 7th (Service) Battalion, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (OBLI) 7th (Service) Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment 78th Machine Gun (MG) Company, Machine Gun Corps – formed at Grantham, embarked at Devonport 5 July 1916; disembarked at Salonika 14 July and joined brigade 22 July 78th Trench Mortar Battery (TMB) – manned by detachments from the infantry; joined 12 November 1916 78th Small Arms Ammunition (SAA) Section – manned by the Royal Field Artillery; numbered 23 March 1916; detached from Divisional Ammunition Column (DAC) and joined brigade by 27 July 1916
Service From 28 September 1915 the brigades and battalions of 26th Division were attached to units already in the line for their introduction to Trench warfare. Then on 31 October the division was ordered to Marseille to embark for another theatre. Entrainment began at Flesselles on 9 November and embarkation two days later, with the division expecting to be sent to Egypt. However, the destination was changed to the Macedonian front, and ships carrying elements of the division. began to arrive at Salonika on 23 November. On 26 December the first units moved out of the Salonika base area to Happy Valley Camp, where the division completed its concentration on 8 February 1916.Falls, Vol I, p. 85.
Horseshoe Hill When the Allies moved out of their entrenched camp in April 26 Division. remained behind as Army Reserve and for road construction. Because of the movement difficulties in the mountainous terrain, the British Salonika Army (BSA) reorganised its transport to rely on pack mules. One result of this was that by July the reorganised brigade SAA sections were detached from the DAC and attached to the brigades they served. In August 26 Division moved up to the Lake Doiran sector of the front. On 17 August the French attacked up the west side of the lake (the First Battle of Doiran), with 78th Bde assisting.The brigade thus carried out the first British offensive operation in the campaign. The British objective was to take Horseshoe Hill and the night attack was entrusted to 7th OBLI supported by the 78th MG Company and two sections of 131st Field Company, Royal Engineers (RE). The plan was for A and B Companies of the OBLI to take the flanking trenches C1 and C3, and then to attack the central position on the hill, C2; C and D Companies would act as carrying parties. To avoid alerting the enemy there would be no preliminary artillery barrage. The assaulting parties assembled at 20.30 in a ravine about from Horseshoe Hill, but their advance to contact was delayed by trouble with the mules and the attack was postponed from 22.30 to 23.15, by which time the moon had risen. A French officer had reconnoitred C3 during the afternoon and declared that it was unoccupied, but the assaulting party went forward cautiously, and was met by heavy fire. The trenches on C1 and C3 had been almost obliterated by artillery fire over the previous week, but they were covered by fire from C2. With the support of 78th MG Company, both flanking positions were taken, but runners had to go back to request artillery support before C2 could be captured, which required all four companies of the OBLI. The Bulgarian trench on the crest of the hill proved to be untenable, so the garrison established a position some down the reverse slope, leaving only a lookout post on the crest. The hill was under artillery fire all next day, but the infantry and REs had partially dug in and wired the position before the first counter-attack arrived early on 19 August. The Bulgarians charged down from 'Pip Ridge' in front, and tried to get round the fresh wire, suffering heavy casualties from the OBLI's rapid rifle fire. A second attack was also beaten off, after which the Bulgarians conceded the hill, though subjecting it to intense shellfire. 7th OBLI was relieved by 9th Gloucesters early on 20 August, having suffered 105 casualties in the three days. After the Battle of Horseshoe Hill the British west of Lake Doiran conducted a holding operation for the rest of the year, with numerous raids to pin down the Bulgarians. 78th Brigade carried out a raid on the night of 10 February 1917 against a Bulgarian outpost on Hill 380, overlooking the Jumeaux Ravine. A party from 7th Berkshires set out but went 2 minutes too early and suffered casualties from their own artillery fire: losses (including RE and TMB personnel) were 34, and the Bulgarians had evacuated the post during the night and so no prisoners or identification could be obtained.Falls, Vol I, pp. 111–3, 125–7, 148, 154–6, 162, 251, Sketches 3–5, Appendix 4.Wakefield & Moody, pp. 56–9.
Second Battle of Doiran In March and April 1917 the BSA was repositioned in preparation for an offensive in the Doiran sector. 26th Division was now one of the more experienced in the theatre, and was given a wide front of about (although part of it was covered by the lake). It advanced without opposition on the night of 9/10 March to take over the mounds known as the Whale Back and Bowls Barrow. The main attack (the Second Battle of Doiran) was carried out at dusk on 24 April after three days of artillery fire to cut the Bulgarian barbed wire. 26th Division attacked with 78th and 79th Bdes in line. 78th Brigade on the left had 7th Berkshires and 11th Worcesters in front, directed towards positions O5 and O6 on the precipitous northern slope of Jumeaux Ravine between the Petit Couronné and Hill 380. The 7th Berkshires attacked towards O5 with three companies, the first two to capture the enemy's front line trench, the third to pass through and assault two isolated works behind the left section. The right company was stopped by the enemy's barrage, but the other two carried their objectives and began to consolidate them. 11th Worcesters on their left had hardly began its climb out of the Senelle Ravine when it came under heavy fire, causing numerous casualties and temporary disorganisation. The battalion pushed on, however, formed up, and launched its assault on time. The right company was driven back by bombs and machine gun fire from the circular Redoubt that was its objective, but the left company captured the trench west of it and drove off a determined counter-attack at 22.15. It also cleared a communication trench at right angles to the fire trench, and blocked the fire trench from the redoubt. The support companies now came up and fierce struggle followed, swaying back and forth. At 01.15 9th Gloucesters in brigade support was ordered to send a company up to reinforce 11th Worcesters. This company passed through the barrage with heavy losses, but reached the Worcesters on O6; a second company went forward at 02.05, but does not appear to have reached the trenches. After the Worcesters drove off two counter-attacks both battalions were forced to fall back between 03.45 and 04.00. Only two companies of 10th Devonshire Regiment of 79th Bde were left on the Petit Couronné, and they were recalled at 04.00, just as carrying parties (including some from 7th OBLI) finally arrived with bombs and ammunition. The whole attack of 26th Division had been a complete and costly failure. After daylight unarmed parties of the two brigades went into Jumeaux Ravine to collect wounded. Although there was some firing against them, they were generally allowed to bring in most of the wounded.Falls, Vol I, pp. 306–11, Sketch 13.Wakefield & Moody, pp. 71–9.