The 110th Brigade (110th 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 37th Division. After the original formations were renumbered, the numbers were transferred to a new brigade and division formed from unallocated 'Army Troops'. The new 110th Brigade was formed from the Kitchener battalions of the Leicestershire Regiment, known as 'The Tigers' from its regimental badge: consequently the brigade was also known by this nickname. The brigade went to the Western Front with 37th Division, but shortly after the start of the Battle of the Somme it was transferred to the 21st Division and fought with that formation for the rest of the war, distinguishing itself in its first offensive action, the Battle of Bazentin Ridge and later at the Capture of Gueudecourt. It also fought at Arras, Ypres, against the German spring offensives when it was virtually destroyed, and in the final victorious Hundred Days Offensive.

Original 110th Brigade

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, K3 and K4 battalions, brigades and divisions followed soon afterwards. But the flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the Army to absorb them, and the K5 units were largely raised by local initiative rather than at regimental depots, often from men from particular localities or backgrounds who wished to serve together: these were known as 'Pals battalions'. The 'Pals' phenomenon quickly spread across the country, as local recruiting committees offered complete units to the War Office (WO). The 37th Division was authorised on 10 December 1914, having been raised largely by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby from the cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Its 110th Brigade consisted of four battalions of 'Liverpool Pals' (17th–21st Battalions, King's (Liverpool Regiment)), which had been recruited by the Earl of Derby after a meeting at the Old Watch Factory in Prescot on 29 August 1914, the first 'local' battalions to be formed and thus the senior units of K5.Becke, Pt 3b Appendices 1 & 2.James, Appendices II & III.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 1–9. 30th Division at Long, Long Trail.James, p. 52.King's (Liverpool Regiment) at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instruction No 56 of September 1915, Appendix IX.

On 27 April 1915 it was renumbered 89th Brigade in 30th Division, the original 89th Bde of 30th Division (K4 battalions) having been converted into 1st Reserve Brigade and the original 30th Division disbanded. At the same time the 44th Division, formed in March 1915 for the Sixth New Army (K6), took up the vacant position as 37th Division, and its 131st Brigade was renumbered 110th Brigade.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 71–9.37th Division at Long, Long Trail.

New 110th Brigade

As authorised in March 1915, 44th (later 37th) Division consisted of 'spare' Kitchener battalions that had originally been assigned as 'Army Troops' for the New Armies (ie they were not assigned to a specific formation). Its 131st (later 110th) Brigade was composed of battalions of the Leicestershire Regiment:Frederick, p. 236.James, pp. 60–1.Leicestershire Regiment at Long, Long Trail.Kelly, pp. 15–6. 6th (Service) Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment – raised on 24 August 1914 (K1), attached to 9th (Scottish) Division at Aldershot 7th (Service) Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment – raised on 21 September 1914 (K2), attached to 15th (Scottish) Division at Aldershot 8th (Service) Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment – raised on 25 September 1914 (K3), attached to 23rd Division at Aldershot 9th (Service) Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment – raised on 28 September 1914 (K3), attached to 23rd Division at Aldershot

The Leicestershire Regiment was known as 'The Tigers' from its Royal Tiger badge, and the nickname was also applied to 110th Bde. The brigade was commanded by Brigadier-General Guy Bainbridge, appointed on 8 April 1915. By the time the division was formed all its units had been training for some months, and it was quickly assembled on Salisbury Plain for final battle training. In July it was ordered to France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). 110th Brigade arrived by train at Folkestone on the night of 29 July and landed at dawn next day at Boulogne. On 2 August the division completed its concentration around Tilques, near Saint-Omer.

Service On arrival the units of 37th Division were attached to those of 12th (Eastern) Division for instruction in trench warfare in the quiet sector near Armentières. At the end of August 37th Division entrained for Doullens and then marched to the sector south of Arras, where the BEF was taking over more of the line from French troops. 110th Brigade took over a line of trenches running east of the villages of Berles-au-Bois and Bienvillers-au-Bois in front of Monchy-au-Bois held by the Germans. The battalions took turns in the front line, but there was little shelling or Trench raiding and only a trickle of casualties. From 23 to 27 September during the Battle of Loos the division was stationed at La Cauchie to act as reserve for the French Tenth Army's attack, but then returned to Arras and the routine of trench holding through the autumn and winter. In the spring of 1916 the division was relieved from the line for a few weeks, then returned, 110th Bde taking up a new sector at Hannescamps.Kelly, pp. 16–22.

At this time 110th Bde was joined by its auxiliary units:Kelly, p. 22. 110th Brigade Machine Gun (MG) Company, Machine Gun Corps – formed at Grantham disembarked at Le Havre 2 March and joined 4 March 110th Trench Mortar Battery (TMB) – formed as 110/1 TMB on 23 March and 110/2 TMB by 13 May, and combined into single battery on 13 June; personnel seconded from the infantry battalions; equipped with 3-inch Stokes mortarsFarndale, Annex G.

Brigadier-Gen Bainbridge was promoted to command 25th Division on 1 June and was succeeded on 9 June by Brig-Gen William Hessey, Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Challenor of 6th Leicesters officiating until he arrived.Kelly, pp. 25–7.

Somme By June 1916 37th Division had been in France almost a year and had still not participated in any major action, but the BEF was now preparing for that summer's 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme). The artillery bombardment began on 23 June and the assault was launched on 1 July. Initially, 37th Division was not involved, being stationed by Third Army at Humbercamps behind 46th (North Midland) and 56th (1/1st London) Divisions, ready to exploit in case they broke through in their Attack on the Gommecourt Salient. The attack was a disaster and there was no possibility of a breakthrough. Instead, 37th Division's brigades were temporarily transferred to other divisions to replace brigades that had been shattered on the First day on the Somme. 110th Brigade went to 21st Division in Fourth Army on 7 July in exchange for 63rd Bde. What began as a temporary expedient became permanent, and 110th Bde fought under 21st Division for the remainder of the war, alongside 62nd and 64th Bdes.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 103-9.21st Division at Long, Long Trail.

The brigade marched to the southern end of the Somme battlefield, where Fricourt had been captured on 1 July, and established Brigade HQ (BHQ) in a huge German dugout beneath the site of the chateau. The battalions took over some captured trenches north-east of Fricourt Wood, between Contalmaison and Mametz. The brigade was ordered to move on the night of 13/14 July to a position in front of Mametz Wood to attack Bazentin Wood. Unlike the opening attack of the offensive, the assault on the German Second Position (Braune Stellung) was to be launched at dawn after only five minutes of bombardment to achieve surprise, though this entailed a difficult assembly at night. 21st Division used the fresh 110th Bde for its attack, reinforced by the 1st East Yorkshire Regiment. 6th and 7th Leicesters were to lead, each with a Stokes mortar and one company of 8th Leicesters attached to it. The rest of 8th Leicesters was in support, and 9th Leicesters and 1st East Yorks were in reserve; 110th MG Company was to cover the left flank of the advance. 6th Leicesters moved into position via the eastern edge of Mametz Wood, while 7th and 8th went up by the light railway, where Lt-Col W. Drysdale of the 7th was wounded. The jumping-off tapes had been laid by 98th Field Company, Royal Engineers (RE), outside the northern edge of Mametz Wood and about from the enemy positions. Despite some shellfire aimed at Mametz Wood, the leading battalions were deployed in four lines on these tapes by 02.35. The rear wave of 6th Leicesters, and the rear three waves of 7th Leicesters were hidden in the wood. No enemy flares had been fired and the outposts out in front had not sighted a single hostile patrol: the surprise was complete.Kelly, pp. 27–9.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 62–8, 73–4.Farrar-Hockley, pp. 178–82.