The 173rd (3/1st London) Brigade was a formation of the British Army's Territorial Force that was raised in 1915. It was assigned to the 58th (2/1st London) Division and served on the Western Front during the First World War. Its number was used for a deception formation during the Second World War.
Origin When the Territorial Force (TF) was created in 1908, the 1st London Brigade in 1st London Division comprised the first four battalions of the new London Regiment, each of which had previously been a Volunteer battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (the City of London Regiment). After the First World War broke out in 1914, the 1st London Brigade was the first complete TF formation to go overseas on service, relieving the Regular Army garrison of Malta. Each battalion left behind a cadre of officers and men (mainly those who were unfit or who had not volunteered for overseas service) to begin the task of raising a 2nd Line battalion from the mass of volunteers who were coming forward. These units were distinguished from the 1st line by a '2/' prefix, so that the 2/1st London Brigade was created in the 2/1st London Division, consisting of the 2/1st, 2/2nd etc battalions of the London Regiment. Initially, the 2nd Line was regarded as a reserve for the TF overseas, but its units were soon being prepared for overseas service themselves, and a 3rd Line was organised to train drafts for the first two. As early as December 1914, the 2/1st London Brigade sailed to relieve the 1/1st Brigade in Malta, and was replaced in the 2/1st London Division by the 3/1st London Brigade. Unusually, therefore, the eventual reserve units of the first four battalions of the London Regiment were numbered as the 4th Line.Becke, p. 6.Becke, pp. 9–15.Grey, pp. 2–3, 7–8, 14–6, 86–7.Grimwade, pp. 6, 14–7, 115–8.
Initial Order of Battle The 3/1st London Brigade came into existence at Tadworth in Surrey in April 1915 and its first commander, Colonel H. Cholmondeley, CB, (London Rifle Brigade) was appointed on 10 May. Cholmondeley had commanded the Mounted Infantry of the City Imperial Volunteers during the Second Boer War,Louis Creswicke, South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol 3. had commanded a Prisoner of war camp at Lancaster, Lancashire after the outbreak of war in 1914,Lonsdale District Scouts: Prisoners of War at Lancaster 1914. and had just raised the 3/5th Bn London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade).Anon, Short History of the London Rifle Brigade, Aldershot, 1916. The 3/1st London Bde's component battalions had already been raised:Grey, p. 87.Grimwade, p. 116.London Rgt at Long, Long Trail.London Rgt at Regimental Warpath.58th Div at Long, Long Trail.58th Div at Regimental Warpath. 3/1st (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – January 1915 3/2nd (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – December 1914 at Tattenham Corner, EpsomGrey, p. 86. 3/3rd (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – January 1915 3/4th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – December 1914 at HoxtonGrimwade, p. 115.
Within the division, the brigade was informally known as the 'Fusilier Brigade'.Grimwade, passim.
29th Battalion, London Regiment In June 1915, a reorganisation saw the men of the 3/1st London Brigade who were unfit for overseas service separated out into a composite battalion, the 100th Provisional Battalion. This was stationed at Aldeburgh, guarding the East Coast as part of 6th Provisional Brigade. In August, all the men of the Provisional Battalion were returned to their units except those who had not volunteered for overseas service. These Home Service men continued serving in home defence until 1916, when the Military Service Act swept away the Home/Overseas service distinction and the provisional battalions took on the dual role of home defence and physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas. The 100th Provisional Battalion officially became the 29th (City of London) Bn, London Regiment (TF) on 1 January 1917. The battalion never served overseas, and was demobilised early in 1919.Grimwade, p. 117.Army Council Instruction 221 of January 1916 (Appendix 18).Army Council Instruction 2364 of December 1916 (Appendix 204).Grey, pp. 87–8.Martin, p. 17.6th Provisional Brigade War Diary, The National Archives, Kew file WO 95/5458.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 75–82; 101–5 After the conflict it was mentioned on both the Royal Fusiliers War Memorial and London Troops Memorial, whilst its World War One casualties are listed by name in the roll of honour at the Royal Fusiliers Chapel in St Sepulchre-without-Newgate.
Training The 3/1st London Brigade moved to Bury St Edmunds at the end of May, and was soon recruited back to full strength after the departure of the Provisional Battalion. The camp at Tattenham Corner, where 3/2nd Bn had been raised, became the Brigade School of Instruction for training officers of these new units. At the end of June, the brigade moved into billets in Ipswich, where the 2/1st London Division was being concentrated. In August 1915 the division was redesignated the 58th (2/1st London) Division, and the 3/1st London Brigade became the 173rd (3/1st London) Brigade alongside the 174th (2/2nd London) and 175th (2/3rd London) Brigades.
Although the role of draft-finding for the battalions overseas was now taken over by the brigade's 4th Line battalions, training was disrupted by these frequent moves and by the men being in billets until June 1916 when they moved into Blackrock Camp outside Ipswich. The only weapons available for training were .256-in Japanese Ariska rifles. The battalions absorbed large drafts of recruits under the Derby scheme in February 1916.Grimwade, pp. 118–9.Grey, pp. 88–9.
In June 1916, the 2/1st Brigade, having seen active service at Gallipoli and against the Senussi rebels, was sent to France where it was broken up and the men drafted to the 1st Line battalions serving on the Western Front with the 56th (1/1st London) Division. As a result, the 3rd Line battalions of the 173rd Bde were renumbered as 2nd Line units.Grimwade, pp. 112–4, 148–9.
At the time of the renumbering, the 58th Division was carrying out coast defence duties in East Anglia, but on 10 July 1916 it concentrated at Sutton Veny for battle training on Salisbury Plain. The men finally received Lee Enfield service rifles in place of the Japanese weapons. On 20 January 1917, embarkation of 58th Division for France began at Southampton.Grimwade, p. 236.Grey, pp. 159–60.Martin, pp. 33–5.
Western Front Order of Battle During its service on the Western Front, the brigade had the following composition:Martin, Appendix I. 2/1st (City of London) Bn, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – disbanded 31 January 1918 2/2nd (City of London) Bn, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) 2/3rd (City of London) Bn, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – absorbed 1/3rd Bn (from 56th Division) 31 January 1918 and became 3rd Bn 2/4th (City of London) Bn, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) – amalgamated into 2/2nd Bn 12 September 1918 2/24th (County of London) Bn, London Regiment (Queen's) – joined 11 September 1918 173rd Trench Mortar Battery – formed before embarkation for France 214th Company, Machine Gun Corps (MGC) – formed at Grantham 10 December 1916; joined brigade 25 March 1917; joined No 58 Bn MGC 2 March 1918
Trench warfare After concentrating around Lucheux, the brigade went into the line for the first time, at Ransart, south of Arras. This was considered a quiet sector, and the brigade was attached to 146th (1st West Riding) Brigade of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division for an introduction to trench warfare.Grimwade, p. 239. From February to April, the 58th Division followed up the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and was then put to work to repair the roads and railways destroyed by the retreating enemy.Grey, pp. 161–9.Grimwade, pp. 241–50.Martin, pp. 36–7.
Bullecourt Under heavy shellfire during the night of 13/14 May, 173rd Bde relieved the 15th Australian Brigade, which had been attacking at the Second Battle of Bullecourt. 2/3rd and 2/4th Battalions formed the front line, with two companies of 2/2nd Bn in support. A serious counter-attack against the brigade's position on 15 May was broken up by shell and small arms fire; a lodgement in 2/3rd Bn's line was driven out with the help of A Company of the 2/2nd. After two days in the line, suffering heavy casualties under bombardment, 2/3rd and 2/4th Bns had to be withdrawn and replaced by the rest of the brigade. 173rd Brigade was relieved by 175th Bde on 21 May.Grey, pp. 200–4.Grimwade, pp. 275–9.Martin, p. 37. On 15 June the brigade carried out a carefully rehearsed attack to take the last portion of the Hindenburg Line at Bullecourt. The attackers were disposed as:Grey, pp. 206–7. Right: 1 company 2/3rd Londons Right Centre: 1 1() companies 2/1st Londons Left centre: 1 1() companies 2/2nd Londons Left: 1 company 2/4th Londons
The attack went in with an extraordinary weight of artillery support: the divisional artilleries of 58th and two other divisions, the corps artillery, and the three brigade machine-gun companies of 58th Division. Zero hour was at 02.50, and tapes and duckboard trench bridges were laid after dark on 14 June to help the troops maintain direction in the maze of trenches. When the barrage opened at 02.50 the troops followed it closely and reached their first objective with little loss but the German pillboxes ( Mebus) caused difficulties, while on the left the attackers had overrun their objective and pushed too far forwards into their standing barrage. The brigade attacked again the following night to complete the work, using more companies but the preparations were disrupted by four German counter-attacks starting at 22.30. Eventually the attack began at 03.10 on 16 June, with 2/1st on the right, 2/2nd in the centre and 2/4th on the left. The attack succeeded in establishing itself in the Hindenburg Support Line. Here they were again counter-attacked and messages sent back for artillery support failed to get through; by the end of the day the brigade was back at the Hindenburg Front Line, where it held on until relieved by 174th Bde at 02.30 on 17 June. Casualties for the two days amounted to 49 officers and 955 other ranks.Grey, pp. 207–218.Grimwade, pp. 282–288.
Ypres
After a period of further training, labouring and trench holding near Arras and then at Havrincourt the 58th Division moved to the Ypres Salient in late August 1917. 173rd Brigade took over the division's frontage on 11/12 September.Grey, pp. 219–21, 235–8.Grimwade, pp. 289–93.Martin, pp. 39–41. In preparation for the attack of 20 September (the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge), a series of trench raids was undertaken. On 14 September, A Company of 2/1st Bn raided the strongly fortified area round 'Winnipeg Crossroads': the raid was a failure, with over three quarters of the attackers posted missing, and drew a quick counter-attack from the enemy, which was also repulsed.Martin, p. 50. During the exchange of shellfire on 19 September, 173rd Bde's commander, Brig-Gen Bernard Freyberg, was wounded on his way up to his battle HQ, though he continued to command the brigade from a stretcher until evacuated after the following morning's attack, when he was temporarily replaced by Lt-Col Dann of the 2/4th Bn.Grey, p. 238.Martin, pp. 55–6.Grimwade, pp. 314–5.