It was part of the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division, from those men in the Territorial Force who originally had not agreed to serve overseas.

However, the brigade ended up serving in the trenches of the Western Front, suffering horrendous casualties in March 1918 during Operation Michael, the opening phase of the German Army's Spring Offensive.

As with the rest of the division, the brigade suffered extremely heavy casualties and had to be completely reformed.

However, the division was disbanded in June 1940, shortly after the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was evacuated from Dunkirk.

The brigade then became an independent formation for six months, before joining the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division until it was disbanded near the end of 1943.