| 203rd Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 11 October 1940-1 September 1944 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry Brigade |
| Role | Home Defence |
| Part of | Devon and Cornwall County Division 77th Division |
203rd Infantry Brigade was a Home Defence formation of the British Army during the Second World War.
The brigade was formed as 203rd Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) for service in the United Kingdom on 11 October 1940 by No 3 Infantry Training Group in the South West Area (later Devon and Cornwall County Division) of Southern Command. It consisted of five recently formed infantry battalions. [1] [2] Home brigades had a purely static defence role. [3]
203rd Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) served in SW Area/Devon and Cornwall County Division until 1 December 1942, when the County Division was renamed 77th Infantry Division and the brigade was redesignated 203rd Infantry Brigade. [1] [4] [5] On 1 September 1944, 77th Division was disbanded and its personnel reformed as 45th (Holding) Division. At the same time 203rd Brigade was redesignated 134th Infantry Brigade (replacing a disbanded formation with the same number). All of these formations remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war. [1] [6] [7]
203rd Brigade was composed as follows: [1]
As part of the Devon and Cornwall County Division:
Between 30 June and 19 July 1941 the 7th East Yorks, 6th DCLI and 8th Beds & Herts were all transferred to reconstitute 73rd Independent Bde, which took over all the static units in Cornwall. [15] This left 203rd Bde with only 9th Duke of Wellington's under command, but the following units were added to it over time: [1]
As part of 77th Division:
As part of 45th Division (renamed as 134th Infantry Brigade) to end of war:
The following officers commanded the brigade: [7]
The Devon and Cornwall County Division was a County Division of the British Army created during the Second World War. It was formed on 28 February 1941, from recently recruited soldiers, in response to the renewed threat of a German invasion. The 10,000-strong division was a static formation, lacking transport, intended to defend possible landing sites along the southern Cornish and Devon coastlines from invading German troops. The creation of the division also helped to free up the more experienced troops, who were then held back from the coastline to be able to launch a counterattack against any potential German landings.
The Durham and North Riding County Division was a coastal defence formation of the British Army during the Second World War. It existed only from 12 March 1941 until 1 December 1941, when it was redesignated Durham and North Riding Coastal Area and the subordinate brigade headquarters were disbanded. Most of the infantry battalions were then converted to other roles with the Royal Artillery or the Royal Armoured Corps. In its short existence the division had just one general officer commanding, Major-General P. J. Shears. It was under the command from X Corps from formation until 9 April and then under IX Corps.
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