The 119th Brigade (119th Bde), originally the Welsh Bantam Brigade, was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army during World War I. Part of Lord Kitchener's 'New Armies', it was formed of men under the normal regulation height, known as bantams. It served in the 40th Division on the Western Front, distinguishing itself in actions against the Hindenburg Line and the capture of Bourlon Wood. It was reorganised as a conventional brigade in early 1918 and served until the end of the war. The brigade number was reactivated for deception purposes during World War II.

Original 119th 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 119th Brigade of 40th Division, formed on 10 December 1914, consisted of:Becke, Pt 3b, Appendix 2.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 31–9.33rd Division at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instruction No 56 of September 1915, Appendix IX. 'West Ham Pals', later 13th (Service) Battalion, Essex Regiment (West Ham) – raised by the Mayor and Borough of West Ham on 27 December 1914James, p. 86. 'Public Schools Battalion', later 16th (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Public Schools) – raised Mr J.J. Mackay and a committee in St James's Street, London, on 1 September 1914James, pp. 93–4. '1st Football Battalion', later 17th (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (1st Football) – raised by William Joynson-Hicks, MP, at Fulham Town Hall on 12 December 1914 'Church Lads Brigade', later 16th (Service) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (Church Lads Brigade) – raised by Field Marshal Lord Grenfell and the Church Lads' Brigade on 19 September 1914James, p. 95.

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.Becke, Pt 3b, p. 17. 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. 119th Brigade became 100th Brigade in 33rd 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 119th 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. At the time a large number of otherwise medically fit volunteers were being turned away because they did not meet the minimum height requirement of the prewar Regular Army, of 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm). Alfred Bigland, the Member of Parliament for Birkenhead, persuaded Kitchener that this pool of potential manpower should be tapped, and he was given authority to raise a battalion of bantams (named after the small but pugnacious fighting cock). Three Bantam battalions were quickly raised at Birkenhead for the Cheshire Regiment, many of them coal miners who had travelled long distances to enlist, including from Wales, and the scheme spread to other areas.Becke, Pt 3b, p. 57.McGreal, pp. 21–48.Taylor, pp. 23–7, 38–9. The WNEC accordingly began recruiting Welsh Bantams in December 1914. Initially these were into battalions already authorised for the three brigades of 1st Welsh Division, but soon afterwards it was realised that a complete Welsh Army Corps was over-ambitious. Only the 1st Welsh Division would be completed (as the 38th (Welsh) Division), but a fourth brigade would be created from the bantams: the Welsh Bantam Brigade with the following order of battle:Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 101–8.40th Division at Long, Long Trail.Taylor, pp. 27–9, 38–9.War Office Instruction No 138 of 14 June 1915. 19th (Service) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers (RWF) – formed in North Wales in March 1915James, p. 68.Taylor, pp. 34–6.Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Long, Long Trail. 12th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers (3rd Gwent) (SWB) – formed at Newport in March 1915James, p. 69.Taylor, pp. 36–7.South Wales Borderers at Long, Long Trail. 17th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment (1st Glamorgan) (WR) – formed at Cardiff in December 1914James, p. 83.Taylor, pp. 29–32.Welsh Regiment at Long, Long Trail. 18th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment (2nd Glamorgan) – formed at Cardiff in January 1915Taylor, pp. 32–4.

On 27 April 1915 a new 40th Division was authorised to replace the disbanded K4 formation: the Welsh Bantam Bde was assigned to it and when the military authorities took over its administration from the WNEC on 27 August it formally adopted the identity of the disbanded 119th Brigade.Taylor, pp. 39–40.

Training The battalions began their training scattered over Wales:Taylor, p. 40. 19th RWF at Deganwy alongside 38th (W) Division troops 12th SWB at Newport 17th WR at Colwyn Bay with 38th (W) Division troops 18th WR at Porthcawl with 38th (W) Division troops

From 12 July 1915 the battalions began moving to a new hutted camp at Prees Heath near Whitchurch, Shropshire. Retired Lieutenant-Colonel Rodney Style, formerly of the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), was appointed on 22 July to command the brigade with the rank of Brigadier-General. After two months' training at Prees Heath 119th Bde moved in September to Aldershot where 40th Division was assembling. The brigade moved into the training area at Blackdown Camp in December. 40th Division had been intended to be a second Bantam division (after 35th Division), but the supply of recruits was insufficient and the other two brigades were hybrids, with just two Bantam battalions each. Worse, many of the men enlisted by these battalions were not simply undersized but actually unfit for service, unlike 119th Bde's 'hardy, well-knit Welshmen'. 120th and 121st Brigades had to be completely reorganised with normal battalions, holding up the division's training for several months. Once this reorganisation was completed in late February 1916 the training was intensified. In the spring there was a rumour that it would be deployed to Ireland to help suppress the Easter Rising, but this did not happen. Instead in mid-May it was warned to prepare to move to the Western Front. Brigadier-Gen Style had been replaced earlier in the month by an officer with recent battle experience, Brig-Gen Charles Prichard from the Northamptonshire Regiment. Mobilisation was completed between 27 and 31 May and the battalions began entraining on 1 June for embarkation at Southampton Docks. They disembarked at Le Havre in France and by 9 June the division had completed its concentration in the Lillers area near Béthune.Atkinson, pp. 230–1.Taylor, pp. 38–41, 66–70, 78.Taylor, pp. 73–4.Taylor, Appendix VI.Whitton, pp. 1, 7–26.

Operations After joining the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) the division's units were sent to the front to be attached by companies to battalions of 1st Division for their introduction to trench warfare.Taylor, pp. 78–83.

During this time 119th Bde was joined by its auxiliary units: 119th Brigade Machine Gun (MG) Company, Machine Gun Corps (MGC) – formed at Grantham, disembarked at Le Havre 17 June 1916 and joined at Bruay on 19 June 115th Trench Mortar Battery (TMB) – formed within the brigade by 25 June 1916; personnel seconded from the infantry battalions; equipped with 3-inch Stokes mortarsFarndale, Annex G.

40th Division then took over the Calonne sector from 1st Division on 3 July. Although both armies were concentrating on the Somme Offensive further south, units in the Calonne sector still saw casualties mount up during the summer, from enemy bombardments, snipers and trench mortars. The units were also expected to carry out regular trench raids: 18th WR of 119th Bde carried out the division's first in July. But by 15 August the brigade had only made one more (by 12th SWB two days earlier), and this lack of activity may have contributed to the replacement of Brig-Gen Prichard on that day by Charles Cunliffe-Owen, previously Commander, Royal Artillery, of Australian Corps. Under Cunliffe-Owen the brigade's raiding increased considerably, but he was being groomed for higher command and only stayed with 119th Bde for three months before he left. He was succeeded by a noted 'fighting general',Obituary, The Times (London) 1 September 1937. Brig-Gen Frank Crozier, previously commanding officer of 9th Royal Irish Rifles in 36th (Ulster) Division.Atkinson, pp. 292–3.Taylor, pp. 85–93, 105–15.Whitton, pp. 27–30, 35–40.

Crozier was warned when he took over 119th Bde that it was the worst in the division. His followed Napoleon's dictum 'There are no bad soldiers, only bad colonels', and his thorough training of the brigade was accompanied by a thorough weeding out of battalion commanders and staff officers he considered unfit for their positions.Crozier, pp. 131–3.Taylor, pp. 131–42.

Hindenburg Line