British 53rd Infantry Brigade
Encyclopedia
The 53rd Infantry Brigade was a British Army
brigade
active in the Second World War.
that was sent to Singapore
at the beginning of 1942. It was converted from the British 163rd Infantry Brigade
on September 18, 1939. The Brigade arrived at Singapore
on January 13, 1942, before the rest of the 18th Infantry Division, and was attached to the Indian 11th Infantry Division and Westforce on mainland Malaya
where it was involved in the retreat back to Singapore where it rejoined the 18th Division.
After a brief defence of the island, General Arthur Percival
, commander of the Singapore garrison, surrendered to the Japanese on February 15, 1942. The 53rd Brigade went into captivity along with the rest of the 18th Infantry Division.
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...
brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
active in the Second World War.
Unit history
The brigade was part of the British 18th Infantry DivisionBritish 18th Infantry Division
For the First World War unit, see 18th Division.The 18th Infantry Division was a Division of the British Army in the Second World War, a duplicate of the 54th Division using mostly units with connections to East Anglia ....
that was sent to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
at the beginning of 1942. It was converted from the British 163rd Infantry Brigade
British 163rd Infantry Brigade
The 163rd Infantry Brigade was a 1st Line unit in the British Territorial Army during the Second World War. It remained in the U.K. for the duration of the war.- History :...
on September 18, 1939. The Brigade arrived at Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on January 13, 1942, before the rest of the 18th Infantry Division, and was attached to the Indian 11th Infantry Division and Westforce on mainland Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
where it was involved in the retreat back to Singapore where it rejoined the 18th Division.
After a brief defence of the island, General Arthur Percival
Arthur Ernest Percival
Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival, CB, DSO & Bar, OBE, MC, OStJ, DL was a British Army officer and World War I veteran...
, commander of the Singapore garrison, surrendered to the Japanese on February 15, 1942. The 53rd Brigade went into captivity along with the rest of the 18th Infantry Division.
Organisation
- 2nd Battalion, The Cambridgeshire Regiment
- 5th Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment
- 6th Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment