The brigade landed in France with 34th Division at the end of 1915 and then served on the Western Front for the rest of the war, seeing action at the Somme – when its battalions were shattered on the First Day – and at Arras and Ypres.

The newly-appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward.

These were deployed at their war stations in coastal defence where they were training and equipping reservists to provide reinforcement drafts to the Regular Army fighting overseas.

Attacking on the right of III Corps, its objectives (recognised as being ambitious) were the Capture of La Boisselle and an advance of 3,500 yards (3,200 m) almost to Contalmaison, crossing six successive trench lines.

The 10th Lincolns and 11th Suffolks had 500 yards (460 m) of open ground to cross before they reached the main German line, and the waves were soon reduced to small groups of men.

[34][35][36][37][38] The right column made better progress: 15th RS had crept within 200 yards (180 m) of the German front trenches on the slope ahead under cover of the final bombardment, and overran them quickly.

That evening Brig-Gen Gore sent Lt-Col Sir George McCrae of 16th RS forward with his battalion HQ to organise all the troops of 34th Division in this part of the battlefield (now about 300 men in Wood Lane), After dark parties of the divisional pioneer battalion (18th NF (1st Tyneside Pioneers)) and REs got across No man's land with water and ammunition, and helped to improve the defences.

However 101st Bde missed the Battle of Bazentin Ridge (14–7 July) because it had not sufficiently recovered for offensive action and it stayed in Hénencourt Wood refitting.

[37][53][54] On 26 January 1917 the division was suddenly rushed from Armentières to go into reserve at Méteren in case the Germans attacked over the now-frozen marshes north of Boezinge.

Next day patrols took some prisoners and overran some bogged-down damaged guns, but 101st Bde could not advance because flanking formations had still not reached the Green Line.

11th Suffolks were withdrawn to the support line so that the British heavy artillery could bombard the chemical works, and then reoccupied the front trench, providing guides for the two Tyneside Scottish battalions tasked with renewing the attack in the morning.

Following that tour the division moved to the Péronne sector where after a spending a few days clearing the destruction in the liberated town the following weeks consisted of spells in the line interspersed with training for the next operation.

On 24 August the battalions moved into the front and support lines, which here were not continuous trenches but strings of outposts, and No man's land was unusually wide, patrolled by both sides at night.

[63][64][65] During the night of 25/26 August a party from each attacking battalion laid a tape in No man's land, close to the enemy, and the troops formed up on this line in silence.

On the other hand 15th RS was faced with a line of dugouts and outposts that had been less damaged by the artillery; the battalion captured them in spite of heavy casualties, but was then forced back to Pond Trench by a counter-attack.

Fire directed from this position made the Hargicourt valley dangerous, so 102nd Bde carried out another small formal attack to complete its capture on 9–11 September.

The two Royal Scots battalions were to take part in the next attack, but both lost their commanding officers who were gassed while carrying out reconnaissances and had to be evacuated, and both suffered heavily from shellfire on the way up to the line and while lying out in.

Fifth Army was preparing for a final attempt to gain the high ground (the Second Battle of Passchendaele), and 34th Division's task was a preliminary advance north of Poelcapelle to protect the left flank of the projected main attack.

A creeping barrage against the brigade at 07.00 was a feint and no infantry assault followed, because the weight of the attack was directed further south against the neighbouring 59th (2nd North Midland) Division at Bullecourt, where the Forward Zone defences were broken.

When he was given 10th Lincolns from divisional reserve he posted one company on Henin Hill, the rest to close to gap between Croisilles and St Leger, and they arrived just in time to prevent a German breakthrough on the right.

Three platoons of 16th RS did not receive the order to pull out, and spent the whole of 22 March holding out in Sensée Trench before falling back the following night to avoid friendly artillery fire.

On the left of the brigade 11th Suffolks, reinforced by about 100 men from 22nd NF from 102nd Bde and with A Company of 34th MG Bn in support, held on to Henin Hill, even though its flank was exposed.

At first 11th Suffolks sent two companies as reserve to 103rd Bde holding the long line in front of Armentières, but as news came in from 40th Division the whole of 101st Brigade was sent south at 10.00 to protect the flank.

11th Suffolks, operating under the command of 121st Bde, sent its reserve company in a counter-attack near Bois-Grenier at 08.45, which restored the line, but it was gradually forced back to Erquinghem.

The brigade spent the day improving its 750 yards (690 m) section of this line from Bailleul station to the western foot of Mont de Lille.

Starting at 04.10 the battalion pushed forward through a German defensive barrage that included Tear gas, and had progressed over a mile to the Green Line by 06.00, when a halt was made.

Nevertheless, the attack launched in fog and smoke at 04.49 had achieved its objectives (the Brown Line) by 06.00, the 101st Bde using bayonets to overcome opposition in the woods, and 101st TMB doing good work in silencing enemy machine guns.

2/4th Queen's reached its northern slopes by 06.00, and although 2nd Loyals were unable to advance until after the last German rearguards withdrew at 12.00, the rest of 101st Bde was well beyond Kemmel village by then.

The advance was resumed at 09.00 next day (1 September) and 2nd Loyals on the brigade's left reached its objective before 11.40, while 2/4th Queen's had a little trouble with some Germans in the Yonge Street dugouts.

[7][8][108][109][119][120] On 17 November 1918, 34th Division was chosen to form part of the occupation force in Germany (the British Army of the Rhine), but first it moved to the Lessines area to continue training.