119th Brigade ( United Kingdom ) The 119th Brigade ( 119 Bde ) , originally the Welsh Bantam Brigade , was an infantry formation of the British Army during World War I . Part of Kitchener ' s ' New Armies ' , it served in 40th Division on the Western Front . The brigade number was reactivated for deception purposes during World War II . Origin . 119 Brigade was a New Army or ' Kitchener ' s Army ' formation raised during 1915 . An earlier 119 Brigade had been raised in late 1914 as part of the ' Fifth New Army ' , but when the Fourth New Army was broken up in April 1915 to provide reserve units for the First to Third New Armies , the formations of the Fifth took their place , and the original 119 Bde was renumbered 100th Brigade . By the time the new 119 Bde was organised the flow of volunteers had dwindled , and the standard of height for infantry soldiers had been lowered in order to encourage recruitment . The brigade ' s four battalions were composed entirely of these ' bantams ' recruited in Wales . The Welsh Bantam Brigade adopted the number 119 when it was assigned to 40th Division in September 1915 . Initial order of battle . The original units forming 119 Bde were as follows : Training . Divisional organisation and training was delayed because the other brigades contained a large proportion of under - developed and unfit men , unlike 119 ' s ' hardy , well - knit Welshmen ' . The rest of the division had to undergo a drastic weeding - out and the drafting in of new battalions before it was fit for service . This was completed in February 1916 . Divisional training was then intensified and it was warned for overseas service in May 1916 . Disembarkation was carried out at Le Havre between 2 and 6 June , and 40th Division concentrated in the Lillers area by 9 June ready to take its place in the line . Units went into the trenches attached to formations of I Corps for familiarisation , and then the division took over its own section of line . 18th Welch of 119 Bde carried out 40 Division ' s first trench raid in July 1916 . Operations . A few months after 119 Bde ' s arrival in France , a noted fighting general , Brig . - Gen . Frank Crozier , was appointed to the command ( November 1916 ) . During the bitter winter in the mud of the old Somme battlefield he trained the men , and when the Germans retreated to their Hindenburg Line in early 1917 , the Welsh Bantam Brigade fought its first offensive actions , the Borderers taking ' Fifteen Ravine ' , the Welch taking a ridge named ' Welch Ridge ' and the Royal Welch Fusiliers taking La Vacquerie and renaming it ' Fusilier Ridge ' . Bourlon Wood . Later in the year , 119 Bde took a leading part in the capture of Bourlon Wood ( 23 – 25 November ) during the Battle of Cambrai . Despite the formation ' s lack of experience of fighting with tanks , 40th Division ' s attack was the most successful on 23 November . Once inside the wood , Crozier found that both flanks were in the air , but stocked his positions with food and ammunition to hold out against fierce counter - attacks . Although 119 Bde was relieved by the Guards Division after epic fighting , the cavalry failed to move through to continue the battle . After the losses of 1917 the Welsh Bantam Brigade had almost disappeared and in February 1918 it was reorganised . 19th Royal Welsh Fusiliers sent a draft to one of its Regular battalions and was then disbanded , as were 12th South Wales Borderers and 17th Welsh ; the remaining men of these battalions were transferred to entrenching battalions . Only 18th Welsh of the original brigade remained ; this was joined by 13th East Surrey Regiment and 21st Middlesex Regiment ( from 120 Bde and 121 Bde respectively in 40th Division ) . The Brigade Machine Gun Company left to join the Divisional Machine Gun Battalion . German Spring Offensive . 119 Brigade took part in the following further actions during the German Spring Offensive of 1918 : After suffering heavy losses in these actions , 40th Division was withdrawn from the Line and temporarily formed into two Composite Brigades . No 2 Composite Brigade formed under Brig - Gen Crozier on 27 April 1918 consisted of : 2 Composite Brigade was engaged in digging the Poperinghe Line in case of further German breakthroughs . It was withdrawn on 2 May , and in common with the rest of the division the units were reduced to training cadres and sent to England . Reconstitution . In June 1918 , 40th Division was reconstituted from ' Garrison Guard ' battalions composed of men of Medical Category ' B1 ' . The division was officially revived on 14 June , when 119 Bde ( still under Crozier ) had the following composition : The division was sent to hold the West Hazebrouck Line , a reserve position that was being prepared in case of a further German breakthrough . 119 Brigade , together with a company of Royal Engineers and seven labour companies , was assigned the northern part of this line . By dint of ' weeding out ' the least fit men and by hard training , the reconstituted formation was made ready for frontline service ; the battalions officially dropped the ' Garrison ' part of their titles on 13 July 1918 . On 18 July 119 Bde was the first part of the division to re - enter the frontline , taking over a trench sector under command of 1st Australian Division until the end of the month . The brigade was back in the line in August , taking a full part in trench raids , encouraged by Crozier ' s offer of a £5 reward for the first German prisoner brought in , and £1 for each subsequent capture . Advance to Victory . On 27 August the reconstituted division made its first attack , with 119 Bde contributing 13th Inniskilling Fusiliers and a company of 12th North Staffords . For the next few weeks the brigade followed the retreating Germans towards the River Lys with fighting patrols and some small sharp actions were fought . The brigade then took a full part in the ' Final Advance ' of October – November 1918 from the Lys to the Scheldt . After dark on 8 November Crozier crossed the Scheldt by pontoon bridges with 13th East Lancashires and 12th North Staffords and by the following morning 119 Bde had occupied a line across the railway on the higher ground beyond . After this , 40th Division was withdrawn from the Front , and the war ended on 11 November with the signing of the Armistice with Germany . Disbandment . After the Armistice , the division was engaged in road repair and refresher courses for men returning to civilian trades . Demobilisation proceeded rapidly during January and February 1919 , and its units were reduced to cadre strength by March . The final cadres disappeared during May . Commanders . The following officers commanded the Welsh Bantam Brigade / 119 Bde during World War I : World War II . 119 Brigade was never reformed , but the number was used for deception purposes during World War II . 30th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry , a line of communication unit serving in 43rd Brigade in Sicily and composed mainly of men below Medical Category ' A ' , was redesignated ' 119th Infantry Brigade ' and acted as if it were a full brigade in an equally fictitious ' 40th Infantry Division ' from November 1943 until April 1944 .