13 Bn. Rifle Brigade attachments?

[Ted368]

Hi All,

From the Long. Long Trail I have the 13th Bn. The Rifle Brigade, along with other units of the 111th Brigade, 37th Division being on attachment to the 34th Division from 6 Jul '16 - 22 Aug '16

However, from the War-Record of the 13th Bn. The Rifle Brigade 1916, I have:

July.' On the 6th moved to Albert on the Ancre and was in reserve to 56th Infantry Brigade to which it was temporarily attched'

On the 7th took over trenches running across Albert-Bapaume Road. It relieved on the 9th the 8th Bn. North Staffordshire Regiment in Front line trenches.............

To my knowledge, this Bn and Brigade is part of the 19th (Western) Division?

Anyone with any ideas??

Regards, Ted

[Greenwoodman]

Becke's "Order of Battle of Divisions" backs up the Long, Long Trail.

34 Div History says that 111 Bde took over the left sector of the Divisional front from 56 Bde, 19 Div on the 10th, and that 13 RB and 13 RF were already in the front line. Relief was completed at 3.30 am and responsibility taken at 4 am.

19 Div's history says that 8th N Staffs were attached to 56 Bde and that they were relieved 9/10th.

From these two accounts one can infer that the two battalions went into the front line, at least partially, prior to the 10th, and that 111 Bde HQ did not accept responsibility for the sector until the relief was complete. For a short period at least the two battalions were attached to 56 Bde as two "front line-holding" battalions.

In addition to the actual mechanics of the relief, it may well be that, as 34 Div moved up, they may well have become the reserve for the 19 Div, and units (battalion) of the 34th Division may have been attached to 19 Div (or its brigades) as a local reserve.

Finally the trenches mentioned for the 7th may have been reserve or support trenches, used by the battalions as they made their way up to the front line. And mention of relief on the 9th - 13 RB probably commenced relief of 8 NS on the 9th - probably after dark and relief not completed until after midnight i.e. the 10th.

As you can see from these accounts, it is possible for both the "Long, Long Trail" and the battalion history accounts to be correct. Confusing though!!

Probably the only way to finally resolve it is to check Divisional and Brigade war diaries, and unit allocations over the period.