During World War I, the brigade served as a British formation in Egypt and on the Western Front, most famously the Battle of Delville Wood.

It was reactivated at the start of the Second World War as a South African formation and served in East Africa and the Western Desert; the brigade disbanded on 1 January 1943.

To send troops to Europe to support the Commonwealth in World War I, Generals Botha and Smuts created the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force.

"Status" was meant to imply administrative purposes, as Britain was paying for the maintenance of the force in the field for the sake of local political sensitivities.

[1] The 1st Infantry Brigade Group was the first unit to be formed as a constituent part of the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force.

Regiments were raised in the four provinces of South Africa: The brigade, numbering 160 officers and 5 648 other ranks, embarked for England from Cape Town and were quartered at Bordon in Hampshire, where, for the next two months, they underwent training.

[2] During December 1915 it was decided to send the South African brigade to Egypt, where the Senussi tribe led by Gaafer Pasha, was threatening to overrun the country.

The Somme offensive opened on 1 July 1916 and was initially intended as a diversionary battle to draw German forces away from the French front at Verdun which was under severe pressure.

This initial bombardment failed to neutralise the German infantry and British suffered in excess of 54 000 casualties in the first day's fighting, of whom over 19 000 were killed.

[2] The losses of 1 July 1916 were considerable and only countered partially by the successes achieved the same day in Gen Rawlinson's XIII Corps sector, and this was to dramatically influence the South African Brigade in the coming offensive.

[7] At 1300, 12th Royal Scots had pushed through the northern half of Longueval Village but were forced back by a machine gun in the north west corner of Delville Wood.

Led by a guide from the 5th Camerons, the three regiments advanced from the junction of Montauban and Bazentin Roads through a portion of the south end of Longueval and across the fields to Buchanan Street trench.

By noon, ammunition stocks were running seriously low, and by 1600 the Germans mounted a strong counter attacks on the left flank (2nd Regiment) but were repelled.

[2] The morning of 16 July, Brig Gen Lukin was ordered to support an attack by 11th Royal Scots (part of 27th Brigade) on the orchard situated in the northern sector of Longueval, between North Street and Flers Road.

[2] During the night of 16/17 July the north-west corner of Delville Wood was subjected to an Allied artillery barrage to support a combined attack by the 27th Brigade and 1st South African Infantry Regiment to be initiated by dawn.

That night the British artillery fired on the Germans who were east of Delville Wood with many shells falling short, amongst the South Africans.

Many of the 186 German guns involved had been hurriedly transported from Verdun and explosions illuminated the forest in flashes, making sleep virtually impossible.

This withdrawal allowed the 1st South African Regiment to push northwards and to link up with the 76th Brigade (3rd Division), which was similarly advancing on Longueval.

The junction did not last long; at 08h00 on 18 July the German artillery commenced firing on Delville Wood again, but this time from three sides and the bombardment endured for seven-and-a-half hours.

Casualties were further increasing by the hour in all sectors and in the early afternoon, A and C Companies of the 3rd Regiment were overrun by the Germans, who approached from the rear; through the devastated wood.

Mud blown up by the intense barrage had caused most weapons to stop working, cleaning equipment had all been consumed and the troops had now been without food for over 72 hours and more importantly – they were now without water too.

[11] Unknown to Thackeray, The Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Headquarters, Machine Gunners and signallers) were trying to advance to relieve the South Africans, but were continually driven back and were unable to reach them.

"[12] Efforts by the Brigade Major John Mitchell-Baker eventually managed to secure additional troops to try to relieve the remaining South Africans.

[13] By the time the South Africans crossed the River Selle at Le Cateau, it was evident that the war was drawing to a close.

With light skirmishes at first, in the areas of Odessa, Kiev, Orel, Voronezh, Tsaritsyn and even reaching to Astrakhan at the mouth of the Volga, the uprising grew in size and geographic distribution.

In August 1918, a small British-French-American force under command of Major General Sir Edmund Ironside had arrived at Archangelsk, with the stated purpose of retrieving war material loaned to the previous Tsarist Regime.

[15] With the signing of the Armistice marking the end of the war on 11 November 1918, thousands of South Africans were released from their duties in Western Europe,[16] many of whom preferred to volunteer for services in support of the White Russians, rather than returning home.

The next day the brigade entrained for Durban, and on 16 July embarked by ship for Mombasa, Kenya where it commenced training where preparations had been made to receive it at Gilgil, north of Naivasha.