The 226th Infantry Brigade was a Home Service formation of the British Army that existed under various short-lived titles in both World War I and World War II.
World War I
On the outbreak of the World War I, the Territorial Force (TF) immediately mobilised for home defence, but shortly afterwards (31 August 1914), its units were authorised to raise 2nd battalions formed from those men who had not volunteered for, or were not fit for, overseas service, together with new volunteers, while the 1st Line went overseas to supplement the Regulars. Early in 1915 the 2nd Line TF battalions were raised to full strength to form new divisions, and began to form Reserve (3rd Line) units to supply drafts. The remaining Home Service men were separated out in May 1915 to form brigades of Coast Defence Battalions (termed Provisional Battalions from June 1915).
7th Provisional Brigade
7th Provisional Brigade was one of these formations, with the following composition: 7th Provisional Yeomanry Squadron 7th Provisional Cyclist Company 7th Provisional Battery Royal Field Artillery 7th Provisional Field Company Royal Engineers 29th Provisional Battalion from home service details of the Sherwood Foresters Brigade (5th, 6th, 7th (Robin Hood) and 8th Bns, Sherwood Foresters), and the 5th and 6th Bns, North Staffordshire Regiment 81st Provisional Battalion from home service details of the Warwickshire Brigade (5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Bns, Royal Warwickshire Regiment) (left November 1915) 82nd Provisional Battalion from home service details of the Gloucester and Worcester Brigade (4th and 6th Bns Gloucestershire Regiment and 7th and 8th Bns Worcestershire Regiment) 107th Provisional Battalion from home service details of the 17th, 18th and 21st Bns,London Regiment 108th Provisional Battalion from home service details of the 23rd and 24th Bns, London Regiment 7th Provisional Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps (from details of 2nd and 3rd North Midland and 5th and 6th London Field Ambulances) 7th Provisional Brigade Train Army Service Corps Also attached: 2/8th (Cyclist) Battalion Essex Regiment 2/1st Warwick Field Brigade RFA
These units had fluctuating strengths. For example, in November 1915 the 82nd Provisional Bn consisted of 1550 men, but drafts to the 2nd and 3rd Line TF units and 63rd Provisional Battalion (in 5th Provisional Brigade) reduced this to 1100, including just under 200 men of the National Guard. The Battalion War Diary complains that many of the TF men being received from the Gloucesters and Worcesters 'especially those sent from Bristol have ailments which will prevent them ever becoming efficient soldiers'. The National Guard (or National Reserve) men would have been in Medical Category C.
The Provisional Brigades were dispersed in defence positions along the East Anglian coast. In July 1916, 7th Provisional Bde was at Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze, forming part of Southern Army of Home Forces.