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The 197th (2/1st Lancashire Fusiliers) Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army that saw distinguished active service in both World War I and World War II. ==First World War== The brigade, originally the 2/1st Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade, was created in late August 1914 during the early stages of the Great War as a duplicate formation of the Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade and was part of the 2nd East Lancashire Division, the division itself formed as a duplicate of East Lancashire Division.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=The Long Long Trail )〕 The brigade, composed of four 2nd Line battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers, was formed from those comparatively few men already serving in the Territorial Force before the war who originally had wished not to serve overseas as, according to the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, soldiers of the TF were not obliged to serve overseas without their consent. The brigade was intended to act as a reserve for the 1st Line units serving overseas, to send drafts of replacements for battle casualties. Throughout 1915 all divisions of the Territorial Force were given numbers and so, in August 1915, the 2nd East Lancashire Division was numbered as the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division and the brigades were also numbered, the 2/1st Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade being numbered as the 197th (2/1st Lancashire Fusiliers) Brigade.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=The Long Long Trail )〕 In early 1916, conscription was introduced and the Military Service Act 1916, 〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=The Long Long Trail )〕 which swept aside the distinction between 'Home Service' men and those volunteering for foreign service and, as a result, the brigade and division began training for eventual service overseas.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=The Long Long Trail )〕 On 11 February 1917 the 197th Brigade, together with the rest of the 66th Division, received orders to prepare for a move overseas to France and left two weeks later, arriving by 16 March. They were destined to serve with the rest of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the trenches of the Western Front and ended up seeing its first battle during Operation Hush and later the Battle of Poelcappelle, part of the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres).〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=The Long Long Trail )〕 Due to a manpower shortage in the BEF serving on the Western Front〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=The Long Long Trail )〕 in early 1918, all British divisions in France and Belgium were reduced from twelve to nine infantry battalions, and so, as a result, the 3/5th Lancashire Fusiliers was disbanded and the men posted to other battalions of the regiment.〔https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/267/lancashire-fusiliers/〕 In March 1918, together with the rest of 66th Division, the brigade suffered extremely high casualties during Operation Michael, the opening phase of the German Army's Spring Offensive. Such were the heavy casualties received by the brigade that it was reduced to a cadre and became a training brigade and saw no more active service for the rest of the war. The brigade was replaced in the 66th Division by the 1st South African Brigade.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=The Long Long Trail )〕 The war came to an end on 11 November 1918 with the signing of the Armistice and, in 1919, the brigade was disbanded. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「197th (Lancashire Fusiliers) Brigade」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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