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122nd Brigade
Brigade sign. This was not worn on the uniform, but on signs and vehicles.
Active	1915–1918
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Brigade
Engagements	First World War * Battle of Flers-Courcelette * Battle of the Lys and the Escaut

The 122nd Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the First World War.

History

The 122nd Brigade was raised as part of the New Army also known as Kitchener's Army, and assigned to the 41st Division.

1916

On 15 September 1916, troops of the 122nd Brigade, led by a Mark I tank, entered the eastern part of Flers on the Somme and took part in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. This was the first time tanks had been deployed on the Western Front. The village of Flers itself was taken by the 122nd Brigade which had a total casualty roll of 1,200 out of 1,800 who went into action.

1918

The 122nd Brigade also fought in the Battle of the Lys and the Escaut.

Order of Battle

• 12th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment (Bermondsey)
• 15th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment (2nd Portsmouth)
• 11th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment (Lewisham), disbanded in March 1918
• 18th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (Arts and Crafts)
• 122nd Machine Gun Company, from May 1916 to March 1918
• 122nd Trench Mortar Battery, from June 1916

Official sources

War diaries

• The National Archives of the UK (TNA): WO 95/2632/1 (01/05/1916–31/07/1916)
• The National Archives of the UK (TNA): WO 95/2632/2 (01/08/1916–30/09/1916)
• The National Archives of the UK (TNA): WO 95/2632/3 (01/10/1916–31/10/1916)
• The National Archives of the UK (TNA): WO 95/2632/4 (01/11/1916–31/12/1916)
• The National Archives of the UK (TNA): WO 95/2632/5 (01/01/1917–30/04/1917)
• The National Archives of the UK (TNA): WO 95/2632/6 (01/05/1917–30/06/1917)
• The National Archives of the UK (TNA): WO 95/2633/1 (01/07/1917–31/10/1917)
• The National Archives of the UK (TNA): WO 95/2633/2 (01/03/1918–31/10/1919)
• The National Archives of the UK (TNA): WO 95/4243 (01/11/1917–28/02/1918)

See also

• British infantry brigades of the First World War

References

1. ^ "A Mark I tank surrounded by troops of 122nd Brigade, 17 September 1916". National Army Museum. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
2. Oldfield, Paul (2016). Victoria Crosses on the Western Front: Somme 1916. Great Britain: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. pp. 112, 117. ISBN 978-1-4738-7457-2.
3. McEwen, Andrew (Autumn 2011). ""A useful accessory to the infantry, but nothing more": Tanks at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, September 1916" (PDF). Canadian Military History. 20 (4): 7–22.
4. Lawford, Sir Sydney T. B.; Towsey, F. W., eds. (1936). The History of the 12th (Bermondsey) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment. United Kingdom: Naval & Military Press. p. 59. ISBN 9781781515853.
5. Edmonds, Sir James Edward; Maxwell-Hyslop, R. (1947). Military Operations: France and Belgium 1918. Vol. V: 26th Sept.–11th Nov. The Advance to Victory. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. 433–443.
6. ^ "41st Division". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 24 June 2022.

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