107th (Ulster) Brigade facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 107 (Ulster) Brigade
Insignia of 107 (Ulster) Brigade.
Active	1914–1919 1947–1967 1988–2006
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Part of	British Expeditionary Force HQ Northern Ireland

The 107th Brigade, later known as the 107th (Ulster) Brigade, was a group of soldiers in the British Army. They served in the First World War. This brigade was later brought back during the Cold War. It was finally stopped in 2006, after a big operation called Operation Banner ended.

History of the Brigade

World War I Service

The 107th Brigade has a long history that goes back to the First World War. The original 107th Infantry Brigade fought bravely. They were part of the 36th (Ulster) Division, along with the 108th and 109th Brigades.

In September 1914, this group was first called the 1st Brigade. But on November 2, 1914, its name changed to 107. The 36th Division itself was created in September 1914. It was part of the "New Armies" started by Lord Kitchener. This division was made up of soldiers from the old Ulster Volunteer Force. This force had originally formed to oppose "Home Rule" for Ireland, which meant Ireland would govern itself.

Many soldiers were lost during the war. Because of this, some of the original groups of soldiers had to join together or be stopped. In early 1918, the 107th Brigade was made up of different battalions of the Royal Irish Rifles.

In March 1918, the 36th Division was in the St Quentin area. They were part of the Fifth Army. The main attack of the German spring offensive hit this army very hard. The soldiers had to retreat until March 29. After that, the Ulster Division moved north to the Ypres Salient. They then took part in successful attacks. These attacks led to the end of the war in November 1918.

The 36th Division was officially ended between January and June 1919. They had lost 32,186 soldiers during the war.

After World War II

The second 107 Brigade was a group of part-time soldiers called the Territorial Army (TA). In 1947, the Territorial Army was restarted across the United Kingdom. For the first time, there was a full TA group in Ulster.

The War Office allowed the 107 (Ulster) Independent Infantry Brigade (TA) to form on January 1, 1947. At this time, new TA groups of soldiers were also being formed in Northern Ireland. These were part of the three main Irish infantry regiments.

Modern Changes

In July 1965, it was announced that the Territorial Army would be reorganized. This meant the 107 (Ulster) Brigade would be stopped on March 31, 1967. This was part of a big change announced in the 1966 Defence White Paper. It removed the old way the Territorial Army was set up.

A small team at Headquarters Northern Ireland then managed the Territorial Army in Northern Ireland. Later, a decision was made for the 107 Brigade to become part of the British Army again. This happened on November 2, 1988. It was created to help manage the TA units in Northern Ireland. It only became a group that could be sent to fight in the 1990s.

The Brigade joined with the 39 Infantry Brigade on December 15, 2006. The 39 Infantry Brigade was then replaced by a new regional headquarters, the 38 (Irish) Brigade, on August 1, 2007.