38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade - History

History

The original 38th Brigade, formed in 1914, was one of the brigades of 13th (Western) Division, one of the volunteer formations raised as part of Kitchener's Army. It was composed of Lancashire battalions and fought in the Gallipoli and Mesopotamian campaigns. It was disbanded in 1919.

38 Brigade was reformed as 38th (Irish) Brigade on 13 January 1942 by converting the 210th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), a Home Defence formation organised in 1940. 210 Bde had been serving in Dorset County Division. When that division was disbanded on 24 November 1941, 210 Bde transferred to 1st Infantry Division. By then all of 210 Bde's English home defence battalions had been posted away and were being replaced by frontline Irish battalions.

See main article 210th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home)

In June 1942 the 38th Brigade transferred to 6th Armoured Division and it landed in North Africa with that formation on 22 November 1942. In March 1943 it joined 78th (Battleaxe) Infantry Division and fought with distinction in the Tunisia Campaign, Sicily, and Italy as part of this highly regarded division until the end of World War II, though during May 1945 it was detached to both 46th Division and 6th Armoured Division. The brigade then was alloted occupation duties in Carinthia in southern Austria, and was eventually formally disbanded in April 1947.

38 (Irish) Brigade reformed on 1 August 2007, as part of a new combined divisional / brigade structure called HQ Northern Ireland and 38 (Irish) Brigade after the disbandment of HQ Northern Ireland and has its Headquarters at Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn. The Brigade subsequently came under command of the 2nd Division, the regional division for Scotland, the North of England and Northern Ireland, on 1 January 2009. It is now the Regional Brigade responsible for administering the Territorial Army within Northern Ireland. This was the culmination of a drawdown of military headquarters in Northern Ireland, which had seen the disbandment of 3 Infantry Brigade, 8 Infantry Brigade, 39 Infantry Brigade and 107 (Ulster) Brigade.

Today the Territorial soldiers from the Brigade have served on operations supporting the Regular Army in the Balkans, on Operation TOSCA in Cyprus, on Operation HERRICK in Afghanistan and Operation TELIC in Iraq. At home the Brigade has the key role of providing the Civil Contingency Reaction Force for Northern Ireland.