128th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
| Hampshire Brigade 128th (Hampshire) Brigade 128th Infantry Brigade |
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|---|---|
Formation patch of the 46th Infantry Division.
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| Active | 1908–1919 1920–1946 1947-? |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
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| Branch |
 British Army
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| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of |
43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division 46th Infantry Division |
| Nickname(s) | "The Hampshire Brigade" |
| Engagements |
World War I World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Frederick Browning Manley Angell James Douglas Kendrew |
The 128th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army. The brigade, known as the Hampshire Brigade, served in British India during World War I but not as a complete formation. During World War II the 128th Infantry Brigade fought in the final stages of the North African Campaign in late in Tunisia and the Italian Campaign, and later in the Greek Civil War. Throughout its existence the brigade was composed almost entirely of battalions of the Hampshire Regiment (later Royal Hampshire Regiment).
The Hampshire Brigade was originally formed on 1 April 1908, when the Territorial Force was created by the amalgamation of the Volunteer Force and the Yeomanry. The brigade was attached to the Wessex Division and was composed of four battalions of the Hampshire Regiment, the 4th (Winchester), 5th (Southampton), 6th (Portsmouth) and 7th (Bournemouth).
The Wessex Division was mobilised in early August 1914 and was sent overseas to British India in September to free up Regular Army troops for service on the Western Front in France and Belgium. In May 1915 the division was numbered as 43rd (Wessex) Division and the brigade was also numbered, becoming 128th (1st Hampshire) Brigade and the battalions became '1/4th Hampshires', for example, to differentiate them from their 2nd Line duplicates, the 134th (2/1st Hampshire) Brigade of the 45th (2nd Wessex) Division. However, the division, and the brigade, never saw action as a complete unit and was disbanded later in the war. Some of its component units did see active service in the Mesopotamian campaign.
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