11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East

The 11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East is a regular British Army brigade formation that is part of the Army's 'Adaptable Force' meaning it has operational units under command, as well as regional responsibilities across the South East of England. The Brigade was re-established on 1 August 2014 when 145 (South) Brigade was re-designated as Headquarters 11th Infantry Brigade. In December 2014 the brigade merged with 2 (South East) Brigade to form Headquarters 11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East.[1] 11th Infantry Brigade is also regionally aligned with the southern and eastern African region as part of defence engagement.[2]

11th Brigade
11th Infantry Brigade
11 Light Brigade
11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East
Insignia of the 11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East
Active1914–1915
1938–1958
2008–2010
2014–
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry
SizeBrigade
Part of1st (United Kingdom) Division
Garrison/HQAldershot Garrison
EngagementsWorld War I
World War II
Commanders
Current
commander		Brigadier Thomas H. Bewick
Notable
commanders		Kenneth Anderson
Brian Horrocks

The brigade served in both World War I and World War II. Deactivated in 1958, it was reactivated in 2008 to assume command of the planned Operation Herrick deployment to Afghanistan in late 2009.

History

First World War

The 11th Infantry Brigade was part of the 4th Division.[3] It was one of the British units sent overseas to France on the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914. It was part of the British Expeditionary Force and fought on the Western Front for the next four years.[3]

Order of Battle
  • 1st Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry
  • 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment (left February 1918)
  • 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment
  • 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
  • 1/5th Battalion, London Regiment (from November 1914 to May 1915)
  • 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (from July 1915 to May 1916)
  • 11th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (formed 23 December 1915, moved to 4th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 26 February 1918)
  • 11th Trench Mortar Battery (formed June 1916)[4]

Second World War
East Surrey Regiment enter the ruins of Cassino, Italy, 18 May 1944

The 11th Infantry Brigade was originally part of the 4th Infantry Division as it was during the First World War, serving with it during the Battle of France and was evacuated at Dunkirk in late May 1940 and then in the United Kingdom up until 6 June 1942 when it was reassigned to join 78th Infantry Division (commanded by Vivyan Evelegh, a previous commander of the brigade) which was being newly formed to take part in Operation Torch as part of the British First Army (commanded by Kenneth Anderson, also a previous commander of the brigade).[5] The brigade landed in North Africa at Algiers in November 1942 and fought with 78th Division throughout the Tunisian Campaign which ended with the Axis surrender in May 1943.[6] It then served with 78th Division throughout the campaigns in Sicily and Italy.[7]

Order of Battle

Units included:[8]

Commanders

Commanders included:[9]

21st century

In 2008, it was announced that 11 Light Brigade would be reformed to assume command of the planned Operation Herrick deployment to Afghanistan in late 2009. The Brigade was headquartered in Aldershot and was formed using units from existing formations. It was commanded by Brigadier James Cowan.[10] It was disbanded in 2010 on its return from Afghanistan, with its component units returning to their previous formations.[11]

During the Brigades deployment in Helmand, Afghanistan, it also commanded a Danish Battalion from the Royal Danish Guard Hussar Regiment with its own logistical detachment.[11]

Current formation

The 11th Infantry Brigade is the 'South East' Infantry Brigade for the 1st Division headquartered in Aldershot. It comprises the following units:[12]

References
  1. "Headquarters 11th Infantry Brigade". British Army Website. 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  2. "Information regarding British Army brigades being regionally aligned" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Ministry of Defence UK. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2020. Responsible Organisation 11th Infantry Brigade Region Southern and Eastern Africa
  3. Official War Diary of the 11th Infantry Brigade in the 4th Division. Vol. I. France and Flanders. 18 Aug. 1914-14 Feb. 1915. (BL Add. MS. 48355). 1915.
  4. Chris Baker. "The 4th Division in 1914-1918". 1914-1918.net. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  5. "Campaign for North Africa". Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  6. "The Tunisia Campaign Replay By ER Bickford" (PDF). Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  7. "The Italian Campaign". Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  8. "11th Infantry Brigade". Orders of Battle. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  9. "11th Infantry Brigade". Orders of Battle. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  10. "Next stop Helmand: On manoeuvres with the British Army". The Independent. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  11. "11 Light Brigade". British Army Website. 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  12. "11th Infantry Brigade and HQ South East - British Army".
  13. "3 PWRR".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.