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British 1st Infantry Brigade (Guards)
Encyclopedia
The 1st Mechanized Brigade is a British Army
formation with a long history including service during the First and Second World Wars .
in August 1915, the Brigade lost 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
and 1st Battalion, Scots Guards
and was redesignated without the Guards reference in its title. It was with the 1st Division throughout the war.
As the 1st Guards Brigade, it was again part of the regular army British 1st Infantry Division
during the Battle of France
in June 1940. In 1942 the brigade was transferred into the British 78th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), First Army (United Kingdom) where it acted as a reserve formation for Operation Torch
: the allied landings in north western Africa, arriving in Algiers in November 1942. In March 1943, whilst still in Tunisia, the brigade was again transferred- this time to the 6th Armoured Division (United Kingdom).
In Feb 1944 the brigade was temporarily separated from the 6th Armoured Division and moved to Italy, where it came under the control of a number of allied divisions in the mixed force U.S. 5th Army. Despite operating in other divisions sectors during this period it was never truly separated from the 6th Armoured Division and after the final Battle of Monte Cassino
in May 1944 (where the brigade played a holding "hinge" role during Operation Diadem
) it was returned to the 6th Armoured Division, which had been transferred across from Tunisia piecemeal. It was whilst the Battalion was in Cassino that the 1st Guards Brigade was moved to the British Eighth Army
. At the end of the war, back as part of the 1st Infantry Division, it was transferred to Palestine
for internal security duties.
After the war the brigade only remained in Palestine for a short time. It was transferred to Egypt
for a few months before going back to Palestine in April 1946. Two years later as the British mandate over Palestine ended the brigade and division returned to Egypt. In October 1951, British forces pulled out of Egypt outside of the Suez Canal
Zone, and later the brigade returned to the United Kingdom, though it was in Cyprus
during the EOKA
insurgency for a period in 1957-8.
By the early 1980 the brigade, having lost its 'Guards' title some time before, had been based in the UK for many years, forming the UK Mobile Force earmarked to reinforce Allied Forces Northern Europe
in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe. After the end of the Cold War
it was reassigned as part of the new 3rd (UK) Division
and subsequently became a Mechanized Brigade. It is now headquartered at Tidworth
.
Attached units:
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
formation with a long history including service during the First and Second World Wars .
History
Initially as 1st (Guards) Brigade, the formation was part of 1st Division during World War I. On formation of the Guards DivisionGuards Division
The Guards Division is an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Regiment.-Introduction:...
in August 1915, the Brigade lost 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
and 1st Battalion, Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
and was redesignated without the Guards reference in its title. It was with the 1st Division throughout the war.
As the 1st Guards Brigade, it was again part of the regular army British 1st Infantry Division
British 1st Infantry Division
The 1st Infantry Division was a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsula War, the Crimean War, the First World War, and during the Second World War.-Napoleonic Wars:...
during the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in June 1940. In 1942 the brigade was transferred into the British 78th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), First Army (United Kingdom) where it acted as a reserve formation for Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
: the allied landings in north western Africa, arriving in Algiers in November 1942. In March 1943, whilst still in Tunisia, the brigade was again transferred- this time to the 6th Armoured Division (United Kingdom).
In Feb 1944 the brigade was temporarily separated from the 6th Armoured Division and moved to Italy, where it came under the control of a number of allied divisions in the mixed force U.S. 5th Army. Despite operating in other divisions sectors during this period it was never truly separated from the 6th Armoured Division and after the final Battle of Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
in May 1944 (where the brigade played a holding "hinge" role during Operation Diadem
Operation Diadem
Operation Diadem, also referred to as the Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino was an offensive operation undertaken by the Allies in May 1944, as part of the Italian Campaign. It was launched at 2300 Hours on 11 May 1944 to break the German defenses on the western half of the Winter Line and open up...
) it was returned to the 6th Armoured Division, which had been transferred across from Tunisia piecemeal. It was whilst the Battalion was in Cassino that the 1st Guards Brigade was moved to the British Eighth Army
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
. At the end of the war, back as part of the 1st Infantry Division, it was transferred to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
for internal security duties.
After the war the brigade only remained in Palestine for a short time. It was transferred to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for a few months before going back to Palestine in April 1946. Two years later as the British mandate over Palestine ended the brigade and division returned to Egypt. In October 1951, British forces pulled out of Egypt outside of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
Zone, and later the brigade returned to the United Kingdom, though it was in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
during the EOKA
EOKA
EOKA was an anticolonial, antiimperialist nationalist organisation with the ultimate goal of "The liberation of Cyprus from the British yoke". Although not stated in its initial declaration of existence which was printed and distributed on the 1st of April 1955, EOKA also had a target of achieving...
insurgency for a period in 1957-8.
By the early 1980 the brigade, having lost its 'Guards' title some time before, had been based in the UK for many years, forming the UK Mobile Force earmarked to reinforce Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe was the most northern NATO command located at Kolsås outside Oslo. It was part of Allied Command Europe from around 1952 to 2003...
in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe. After the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
it was reassigned as part of the new 3rd (UK) Division
British 3rd Infantry Division
The 3rd Mechanised Division, known at various times as the Iron Division, 3rd Division or as Iron Sides; is a regular army division of the British Army...
and subsequently became a Mechanized Brigade. It is now headquartered at Tidworth
Tidworth
Tidworth is a town in south-east Wiltshire, England with a growing civilian population. Situated at the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain, it is approximately 10 miles west of Andover, 12 miles south of Marlborough, 24 miles south of Swindon, 15 miles north by north-east of Salisbury and 6 miles east...
.
Commanders (World War II)
- Brig. M.B.Beckwith-SmithMerton Beckwith-SmithMajor-General Merton Beckwith-Smith DSO MC MA was a British Army officer during the First and Second World Wars .- Early career :...
- Brig. F.A.V. Copland-Griffiths
- Brig. S.A. Foster
- Brig. P.G.S. Gregson-EllisPhilip Gregson-EllisMajor-General Philip George Saxon Gregson-Ellis CB OBE was a British Army officer who commanded 5th Division.-Military career:Gregson-Ellis was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1917 towards the end of World War I. He was appointed an instructor at the Staff College, Camberley in 1937...
- Brig. J.C. Haydon
- Brig. C.A.M.D. Scott
- Brig. G.L. VerneyGerald Lloyd-VerneyMajor-General Gerald Lloyd-Verney DSO & Bar MVO was a British Army officer who commanded 7th Armoured Division during World War II. He changed his name by Deed poll from Gerald Lloyd Verney to Gerald Lloyd-Verney in 1941....
Battles and Engagements (World War II)
- Fondouk - 7th to 11 April 1943
- El Kourzia - 22nd to 26 April 1943
- TunisTunisTunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
- 5th to 12 May 1943 - Battle of Monte CassinoBattle of Monte CassinoThe Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
- 11th to 18 May 1944 - Liri Valley - 18th to 30 May 1944
Structure (World War II)
- 3rd Battalion, Grenadier GuardsGrenadier GuardsThe Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
- 2nd Battalion, Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
- 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment
- 8th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland HighlandersArgyll and Sutherland HighlandersThe Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
- 3rd Battalion, Welsh GuardsWelsh GuardsThe Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
- 1st Battalion, The Welch Regiment
Current Formation
- 1 Mechanized Brigade Units 2011
- 215 Signal Squadron215 Signal Squadron215 Signal Squadron is a Squadron of the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals. It is responsible for installing, maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems in support of 1st Mechanized Brigade .-History:The title 215 Signal Squadron was first used...
(Brigade Headquarters) - Household Cavalry RegimentHousehold Cavalry RegimentThe Household Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and is one of two regiments that are formed from the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1992, under the Options for Change reforms, by the amalgamation of The Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. Both regiments were...
(Formation Reconnaissance) - 2nd Royal Tank Regiment2nd Royal Tank RegimentThe 2nd Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
(Armoured) - 2nd Battalion, The Royal WelshRoyal WelshThe Royal Welsh was formed on St David's Day, 1 March 2006. It is one of the new large infantry regiments of the British Army, and the regiment's formation was announced on 16 December 2004 by Geoff Hoon and General Sir Mike Jackson as part of the restructuring of the infantry.-Formation:The...
(Armoured Infantry) - 4th Battalion, The RiflesThe RiflesThe Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
(Mechanized Infantry) - 1st Battalion, Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
(Light Role Infantry) - 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, Royal Highland FusiliersRoyal Highland FusiliersThe Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
(Light Role Infantry)
- 215 Signal Squadron
Attached units:
- 1 Regiment, Royal Horse ArtilleryRoyal Horse ArtilleryThe regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
(Self Propelled Artillery) - 22 Engineer Regiment, Royal EngineersRoyal EngineersThe Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
- 6 Close Support Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersRoyal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersThe Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
Recent commanders
- 1946-1947 Brigadier JNR MooreJames Newton Rodney MooreGeneral Sir Rodney Moore, GCVO KCB CBE DSO was a senior British Army officer.-Military career:Educated at Harrow School and the Royal Military College Sandhurst, Moore was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1925. From 1942 to 1944 he was General Staff Officer 1 Guards Armoured Division...
- 1947-1949 Brigadier GF JohnsonGeorge Johnson (British Army officer)Major-General Sir George Frederick Johnson KCVO CB CBE DSO was Major-General commanding the Household Brigade and General Officer Commanding London District.-Military career:Johnson was commissioned into the Scots Guards in 1925...
- 1952-1954 Brigadier GC Gordon-LennoxGeorge Gordon-LennoxLieutenant-General Sir George Charles Gordon-Lennox, KBE, CB, CVO, DSO was a British soldier.-Military career:...
- 1997-1999 Brigadier J McCollJohn McCollGeneral Sir John Chalmers McColl KCB, CBE, DSO is the current Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. He was sworn in on 26 September 2011. He was formerly Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.-Army career:...
- 1999-2000 Brigadier JP Riley
- 2001-2002 Brigadier S MayallSimon MayallLieutenant General Simon Vincent Mayall, CB is currently Middle East Adviser at the Ministry of Defence.-Military career:Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, Mayall was commissioned into the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars in 1979. From 1985 to 1988 he was seconded to the Sultan of Oman's Land...