103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade

103rd Tyneside Irish Brigade 103rd Brigade
A support company of the Tyneside Irish Brigade advancing on 1 July 1916
Active	1914 – 1918
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Line Infantry
Size	FourNew ArmyBattalions Two Reserve Battalions
Commanders
Notable commanders	Neville Cameron

TheTyneside Irish Brigadewas a BritishFirst World WarinfantrybrigadeofKitchener's Army,raised in 1914. Officially numbered the103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade,it contained fourPals battalionsfromNewcastle upon Tyne,largely made up of men ofIrishextraction. (Another Newcastle brigade — the102nd (Tyneside Scottish)— contained Tynesiders withScottishconnections).

History

The brigade's fourbattalionswere known as the 1st to 4th Tyneside Irish. When taken over by theBritish Army,these became battalions of theRoyal Northumberland Fusiliers:

• 24th Battalion,Northumberland Fusiliers (1st Tyneside Irish)
• 25th Battalion,Northumberland Fusiliers (2nd Tyneside Irish)
• 26th Battalion,Northumberland Fusiliers (3rd Tyneside Irish)
• 27th Battalion,Northumberland Fusiliers (4th Tyneside Irish)

The reserve battalions were the30thand34th (Reserve) Battalions,Northumberland Fusiliers (Tyneside Irish).

Along with the 101st and 102nd Brigades, the Tyneside Irish made up the34th Divisionwhich arrived inFrancein January 1916 and first saw action in theBattle of the Sommethat year. On thefirst day on the Somme,the 34th Division attacked astride theAlbert-Bapaumeroad atLa Boisselle.The brigade's task was to follow up the main attack by the 101st and 102nd Brigades and advance on a line fromPozièrestoContalmaison.

Advancing at the same time as the main attack, the brigade started from the reserve trenches on theTara-Usna Line.The four battalions, marching in extended line (from left to right; the 2nd, 3rd, 1st and 4th), advanced down into Avoca Valley and then up the other side to the British front-line trench. From there they had to crossno man's land,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 themachine gunsof 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 battalions were able to advance up 'Sausage Valley' 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 in vain as they were eventually killed or captured.

The 1st battalion suffered 620 casualties on 1 July (18 officers and 602other ranks), its commander,Lieutenant ColonelL.M. Howard, was among the dead. The 4th battalion suffered 539 casualties (20 officers and 519 other ranks). The commanders of the 2nd and 3rd battalions were both wounded, as was the brigade commander,Brigadier GeneralN.J.G. Cameron.

The brigade's losses on 1 July were so severe that on the 6th, it, along with the 102nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade, was transferred to the37th Division,swapping with the112th Brigade.The two brigades returned to the 34th Division on 22 August.

In February 1918 the 1st, 3rd and 4th Tyneside Irish battalions were disbanded and the remaining battalion, the 2nd, was transferred to the116th Brigadeof the39th Division.From then on the Tyneside Irish Brigade ceased to exist and the brigade was simply the103rd Brigade.

External links

• "Personal Research on the Tyneside Irish".censol.ca. Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2012.
• tyneside-scottish.co.uk: The Tyneside Irish 1914-1918
• "Regiments.org: The Tyneside Irish 1914-1919".regiments.org. Archived fromthe originalon 7 October 2007.