The 115th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army raised for 38th (Welsh) Division during both the First and Second World Wars.

First World War Original 115th 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. The flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the army to absorb and organise them, and by the time the Fifth New Army (K5) was authorised on 10 December 1914, many of the units were being formed by groups of men from particular localities or backgrounds who wished to serve together. Starting from London and Liverpool, the phenomenon of 'Pals battalions' quickly spread across the country, as local recruiting committees offered complete units to the War Office (WO). Thus 115th Brigade of 38th Division, formed on 10 December 1914, consisted of battalions raised in Northern England:Becke, Pt 3b, Appendix 2.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 11–9.31st Division at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instruction No 56 of September 1915, Appendix IX. 'Grimsby Chums', later 10th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment (Grimsby) – raised by the Mayor and Town of Grimsby on 9 September 1914James, p. 54. 'Sheffield City Battalion', later 12th (Service) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (Sheffield) – raised by the Lord Mayor and City of Sheffield on 5 September 1914James, p. 100. '1st Barnsley Pals', later 13th (Service) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (1st Barnsley) – raised by the Mayor and Town of Barnsley on 17 September 1914 '2nd Barnsley Pals', later 14th (Service) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (2nd Barnsley) – raised by the Mayor and Town of Barnsley on 30 November 1914

The battalions underwent their initial training close to their homes. Training for active service was held up for all the K5 units by the lack of equipment and instructors. On 10 April 1915 the WO decided to convert the K4 battalions into reserve units, to provide drafts for the K1–K3 battalions after they went overseas. The K4 divisions were broken up and the first six K5 divisions (37–42) and their constituent brigades were given the numbers of the disbanded K4 formations on 27 April 1915. 115th Brigade became 94th Brigade in 31st Division. The later K5 formations then took up the vacant numbers.Becke, Pt 3b, Appendices 1 & 2.James, Appendix II, p. 127.War Office Instruction No 96 of 10 April 1915.

New 115th Brigade One of the organisations recruiting for Kitchener's Army was the 'Welsh National Executive Committee' (WNEC). On 28 September 1914 David Lloyd George addressed a meeting of representatives from all over Wales, at which the committee was formed to seek permission to form a complete Welsh Army Corps of two divisions. The WO accepted the WNEC's proposal on 10 October and enrolment began. The 3rd Welsh Brigade, soon numbered the 130th, assembled at Colwyn Bay in North Wales on 10 December 1914 as part of the 1st Division, Welsh Army Corps (later 43rd (Welsh) Division) with the following battalions recruited from South Wales:Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 81–9.38th (Welsh) Division at Long, Long Trail.Atkinson, pp. 69–71Munby, pp. xiv–xv.Munby, pp. 1–5.Renshaw, pp. 47–8. 1st Gwent Battalion, later 10th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers (1st Gwent), began recruiting on 12 November at Ebbw Vale and Cwm from among Monmouthshire coal miners and iron workers; joined 130th Bde at Colwyn Bay 30 December.James, p. 69. 2nd Gwent Battalion, later 11th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers (2nd Gwent) formed at the regimental depot of the South Wales Borderers at Brecon on 5 December, recruited from across Monmouthshire and Brecknockshire; joined 130th Bde at Colwyn Bay 9 January 1915. 3rd Gwent Battalion, later 12th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers (3rd Gwent); a Bantam battalion formed at Newport, Wales in March 1915, it never joined the brigade and formally left in July to join the Welsh Bantam BrigadeAtkinson, pp. 71–2. Cardiff City Battalion, later 16th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment (Cardiff City), recruited by Cardiff City Council in November, and formed at Porthcawl, moving to join 130th Bde at Colwyn Bay on 31 December.James, p. 83.

A political associate of Lloyd George, Ivor Philipps, MP for Southampton, was promoted to Brigadier-General to command the new brigade on 20 November. He was a retired Indian Army officer, and had been commanding officer of the Pembroke Yeomanry. On 19 January 1915 he was promoted again to Major-General to command the division.Renshaw, pp. 136–7. He was replaced by Colonel H.J. Evans, officer commanding No 4 District, Western Command, at Shrewsbury.Renshaw, p. 138.

Following the conversion of the K4 divisions into reserve units, 43rd Division was redesignated 38th (Welsh) Division and 130th Bde as 115th Brigade on 29 April 1915. On 14 July 115th Bde was completed to its establishment of four battalions when 17th (Service) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers (2nd North Wales) joined from 113th Bde in place of the 12th SWB. This battalion had been formed at Llandudno on 2 February 1915 with its recruiting depot at Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales.James, p. 67.

With units and brigades scattered across North Wales there was no opportunity for divisional training. However, in the summer the division began to concentrate around Winchester. It trained for open warfare on the Hampshire downland, leaving trench warfare to be learned when the troops reached the Western Front. It was not until November that enough rifles arrived for all the men to undertake their musketry course. 38th (W) Division was now warned for service on the Western Front. Advance parties began crossing o 21 November, and the division began leaving Winchester on 1 December and had crossed to Le Havre and travelled by train to Aire, where it concentrated on 6 December as part of XI Corps.Atkinson, pp. 175–8.Munby, pp. 13–4.

Service At the end of the year the battalions sent parties up to the front line for instruction under experienced units of the Guards and 19th (Western) Divisions. In January 1916 38th (W) Division took over the Neuve-Chappelle sector of the line from 19th (W) Division, and from then until the beginning of June it was continually in the line, holding each sector of XI Corps' front in turn. The battalions were active in Trench raiding and took a steady trickle of casualties, especially in the dangerous Givenchy sector where mining and counter-mining was constant.Atkinson, pp. 178, 228–30.Munby, pp. 15–6.

At this time 115th Bde was joined by its auxiliary units: 115th Brigade Machine Gun (MG) Company, Machine Gun Corps – disembarked at Le Havre 17 May 1916 and joined 19 May 115th Trench Mortar Battery (TMB) – formed within the brigade as 38/5 and 38/6 TMBs on 26 December 1915, redesignated as 115/A and 115/B on 24 January 1916 and as 115/1 and 115/2 on 16 March; combined into a single battery on 17 June; personnel seconded from the infantry battalions; equipped with 3-inch Stokes mortarsFarndale, Annex G.

On 10 June 38th (W) Division was ordered south to the Somme sector, where that summer's 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme) was being prepared. It first went to a training area around Tincques and Villers-Brûlin, then at the end of the month it marched south and on 3 July it arrived at Buire-sur-l'Ancre in XVII Corps' reserve.Atkinson, p. 230.Miles, 1916, Vol II, p. 17.Munby, pp. 16–7.

Mametz Wood

The Somme Offensive had begun on 1 July with a disastrous attack across a wide front. 38th (W) Division had been warned to accompany the cavalry in exploiting a breakthrough towards Bapaume. There was no breakthrough: instead the division was switched to the Mametz sector under XV Corps, where there had been some success. On 5 July it took over the front line and prepared to capture Mametz Wood. The initial attack on the south-east corner, the 'Hammerhead', was assigned to 115th Bde. Brigadier-Gen Evans reconnoitred the position and decided to avoid the ridge overlooking the ground, instead attacking on a front of one battalion up the more sheltered valley alongside Caterpillar Wood, with a second battalion following, another in support in Caterpillar Wood, and the fourth in reserve. However, he was overruled, and had to attack on a two-battalion front; the revised orders only went out at 02.00 on 7 July, for an attack that morning. The new dispositions had 11th SWB on the left starting from Caterpillar Wood and Marlborough Copse and 16th Welsh on the right from the ridge above the valley. A French artillery groupe bombarded Mametz Wood with gas shell at 05.30, followed by the main British artillery bombardment at 08.00. The infantry advanced at 08.30. It was too windy to fire a smokescreen, but the brigade machine guns and trench mortars supported the movement. However, the troops ran into machine gun fire not only from the Hammerhead in front, but also in enfilade from two small woods, Flatiron Copse and Sabot Copse, further up the valley to the right, which should have been screened by smoke. At 08.45 Evans sent forward a staff officer to report on the situation, and by 10.10 had received reports that the whole attack was held up short of the objectives. Evans called for artillery support for a renewed attack while machine guns were pushed up into Caterpillar Wood in an effort to counteract the enemy rifles and machine guns. XV Corps organised a bombardment of the eastern edge of Mametz Wood by heavy artillery from 10.45 to 11.15, but some of these shells fell short on 115th Bde's forward positions. Evans defied instructions from Corps HQ and added two companies from 10th SWB to strengthen his two leading battalions. However the renewed attack at 11.15 made slow progress in heavy rain and made no additional gains. Divisional HQ ordered Evans to make a further attack at 17.00 after a half-hour bombardment, and Evans accompanied by his staff officer Captain Wyn Griffith went down to Caterpillar Wood to reorganise his troops, MGs and TMB. However, this was only partially completed by 17.15 and Evans used an artillery observer's telephone to contact HQ for a postponement; this was finally granted at 18.45. Evans was disgusted with the pressure from Corps HQ, commenting to Griffith, 'You mark my words, they'll send me home for this: they want butchers not brigadiers'. 115th Brigade was eventually ordered to withdraw to bivouacs, the three attacking battalions having suffered over 400 casualties, while two companies of 17th RWF held the line during the night.Atkinson, pp. 242–4.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 1–4, 31–2, Sketch 8.Renshaw, pp. 44–5, 58–68, Map 9.