| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
The brigade's four battalions were known as the 1st to 4th Tyneside Irish. When taken over by the British Army, these became battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers .
Along with the 101st and 102nd Brigades, the Tyneside Irish Brigade made up the British 34th Division which arrived in France in January 19161916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. Impressionist Monet paints Water Lilies'. January 8 Allied forces withdraw from and first saw action in the Battle of the SommeThe Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the First World War, with more than one million casualties. The British and French forces attempted to break through the German lines along a 25 mile (40 km) front north and south of the River Somm. On the first day on the SommeThe first day on the Somme 1 July 1916, was the opening day of the British and French offensive that became the Battle of the Somme. The middle day of the middle year of the First World War, it is remembered as the bloodiest day in the history of the Brit, the 34th Division attacked astride the Albert-Bapaume road at La Boisselle. The task of the Tyneside Irish Brigade was to follow up the main attack by the 101st and 102nd Brigades and advance on a line from Pozières to Contalmaison .
Advancing at the same time as the main attack, the brigade started from the reserve trenches on the Tara-Usna Line . The four battalions, marching in extended line (from left to right; the 2nd, 3rd, 1st and 4th Tyneside Irish) advanced down into Avoca Valley and then up the other side to the British front-line trench. From there they had to cross no man's landNo man's land is a term for a land that is not occupied or more specifically land that is under dispute between parties that won't occupy it because of fear or uncertainty. History World War I In World War I and other later wars which involved trench warf, pass through the German front-line and advance to their objectives. However, the main attack was an almost complete failure and the Tyneside Irish were utterly exposed to the machine gunA machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. Overview M2 machine gun surrounded by spent shell casings Unlike semi-automatic firearms, which require one trigger pull per bullet fired, a machine gun wills of the German defences. The brigade suffered heavy casualties even before its battalions reached the British front-line. Opposite La Boisselle the brigade was halted but on the right, elements of the 1st and 4th Tyneside Irish were able to advance up Sausage ValleySausage Valley was the name given by British soldiers during the First World War to a shallow valley south of the village of La Boisselle in the Somme departement, France. Sausage Valley was so named because the Germans would fly an observation balloon, k and pass through the German front-line. Two small parties met up behind the German support trench and pushed on towards their objective of Contalmaison. Their effort was futile and they were eventually captured or killed.
The 1st Tyneside Irish suffered 620 casualties on 1 July (18 officers and 602 other ranks) while the 4th Tyneside Irish suffered 539 casualties (20 officers and 519 other ranks). The commander of the 1st Tyneside Irish, Lieutenant Colonel L.M. Howard, was killed while the commanders of the 2nd and 3rd Tyneside Irish battalions were wounded as was the 103rd Brigade's commander, Brigadier General N.J.G. Cameron.
The brigade's losses on 1 July were so severe that on 6 July it, along with the 102nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade, was transfered to the 37th Division , swapping with the 112th Brigade . The two brigades returned to the 34th Division on 22 August.
rest of history to be completed
In February 1918 the 1st, 3rd and 4th Tyneside Irish battalions were disbanded and the remaining battalion, the 2nd Tyneside Irish, was transfered to the 116th Brigade of the 39th Division . From then on the Tyneside Irish Brigade ceased to exist and the brigade was simply the 103rd Brigade.
British Army brigades Pals battalions