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| 146th (North Midland) Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 146th (North Midland) Brigade |
| Dates | 1908–1967 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Type | Infantry Brigade |
| Size | Brigade |
| Command structure | 49th (West Riding) Division; 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division |
| Garrison | Derby; Nottingham |
| Notable commanders | E. B. Ashcroft; H. L. H. Carr |
146th (North Midland) Brigade was a formation of the British Army formed under the Territorial Force in 1908, serving in both the First World War and the Second World War before postwar reorganizations and final disbandment during reductions of the Territorial Army. The brigade saw action on the Western Front and later participated in home defence and reconstitution efforts, linking to county regiments across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Staffordshire. Its lineage connected to major formations such as the 49th (West Riding) Division and institutions including the Territorial Force and Territorial Army.
Raised as part of the Haldane Reforms that created the Territorial Force in 1908, the brigade assembled battalions drawn from the Sherwood Foresters, Leicestershire Regiment, North Staffordshire Regiment, and the Derbyshire Regiment. Early commanders were involved with county Volunteer Force traditions and the brigade trained in peacetime exercises alongside formations from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Prewar annual camps and musketry weeks linked the brigade to the broader network of British Army auxiliary forces and to figures associated with the reforms such as Richard Haldane.
Mobilised in 1914, the brigade was first embodied within the Territorial Force and later redesignated while serving on the Western Front. Elements saw service during major operations including the Battle of Albert (1916), the Battle of Arras (1917), and the Hundred Days Offensive. Battalions that served included territorial battalions of the Sherwood Foresters, the Leicestershire Regiment, and the North Staffordshire Regiment, which fought alongside divisions commanded by officers connected to Douglas Haig and Ferdinand Foch's coordinated Allied efforts. The brigade’s soldiers experienced trench warfare, artillery barrages characteristic of the Battle of the Somme, and the logistical strains seen at Ypres and during the German Spring Offensive of 1918.
Following demobilisation after 1918, the brigade was affected by the postwar reductions that produced the Territorial Army in 1920. Units were amalgamated, battalions converted, and locations such as Derby and Nottingham served as peacetime depots. Officers who had served in 1918 held posts influencing the brigade’s training doctrine, connecting to institutions like the War Office and the Army Council. During the 1930s, responses to rearmament and the influence of figures linked with the Committee of Imperial Defence shaped preparedness and integration with the British Expeditionary Force concept.
In 1939 the brigade was mobilised as part of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division for home defence and later for operations in the Norwegian Campaign planning and in preparations tied to the defence of the United Kingdom. Elements were deployed on coastal defence duties and training for expeditionary operations, interacting with commands such as Home Forces and cooperating with formations involved in the Allied invasion planning that followed Operation Overlord. Throughout the war the brigade underwent reorganisations as battalions were posted to and from theatres including the Middle East and North Africa, and personnel were affected by wider events such as the Blitz and the Battle of Britain strategic context that reshaped British mobilisation.
After 1945 the brigade was reduced and reconstituted in successive Territorial Army reorganisations, reflecting policy decisions at the Ministry of Defence and the changing strategic posture during the Cold War. Battalions were amalgamated with regiments such as the Sherwood Foresters and the Leicestershire Regiment in infantry rationalisations. Continued reductions in the 1950s and 1960s, influenced by reviews like the 1957 Defence White Paper, culminated in the brigade’s eventual disbandment amid broader Territorial reductions that also affected formations linked to East Midlands counties.
Throughout its existence the brigade’s order of battle included territorial battalions from county regiments: battalions of the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), the Leicestershire Regiment, and the North Staffordshire Regiment. Support and ancillary elements were drawn from corps including the Royal Army Service Corps, the Royal Army Medical Corps, and the Royal Engineers. During the First World War the brigade’s composition mirrored typical British infantry brigade structures of four battalions; in the Second World War reorganisations produced variations aligning with triangular brigade concepts used by the British Army and allied formations.
Commanding officers over time included territorial leaders tied to county gentry and regular officers who had served in the Second Boer War and the First World War, with notable names linked to county networks and regimental histories. The brigade wore insignia reflecting its North Midland identity, patterned after county regimental badges such as the Sherwood Foresters cap badge and shoulder titles used by Territorial Army units. Unit colours and battle honours were carried forward into successor regiments, influencing badges and traditions preserved in regimental museums and collections associated with institutions like the National Army Museum and county archives.
Category:Infantry brigades of the British Army Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in World War I Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in World War II