1st (East Africa) Infantry Brigade 21st (East Africa) Infantry Brigade | |
---|---|
Active | 31 August 1939–? |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Infantry |
Size | Brigade Brigade group |
The 21st (East Africa) Infantry Brigade was a brigade sized formation of the British Army, which was founded on 31 August 1939 in British East Africa. The brigade was initially called the 1st (East Africa) Infantry Brigade, but was redesignated on 18 October 1940 as the 21st (East Africa) Infantry Brigade. The brigade was composed of units from the King's African Rifles and the Northern Rhodesia Regiment. [1]
During the Second World War, the brigade formed part of the 1st, 11th, and the 2nd (African) Division. The division also spent time attached to the 1st South African and the 34th Indian Infantry Divisions. The brigade took part in the East African, and the Burma Campaigns. It ended the war based inside British India. [2]
The brigade had the following commanders, during the Second World War. [1]
Appointed | Brigadier |
---|---|
31 August 1939 | Brigadier J. A. Campbell |
19 October 1939 | Brigadier D. M. Barchard |
27 January 1941 | Lieutenant-Colonel P. R. M. Mundy (acting) |
6 February 1941 | Brigadier Alan MacDougall Ritchie |
4 September 1941 | Lieutenant-Colonel P. R. M. Mundy (acting) |
5 October 1941 | Lieutenant-Colonel B. C. Lynn-Allen (acting) |
7 November 1941 | Brigadier Alan MacDougall Ritchie |
16 June 1943 | Lieutenant-Colonel H. M. Ingledew (acting) |
26 June 1943 | Lieutenant-Colonel H. N. Drake (acting) |
10 August 1943 | Brigadier William Dimoline |
30 October 1943 | Lieutenant-Colonel H. P. L. Glass (acting) |
11 November 1943 | Lieutenant-Colonel P. E. D. Watson (acting) |
8 January 1944 | Brigadier J. F. MacNab |
8 March 1945 | Lieutenant-Colonel P. A. Morcombe (acting) |
12 April 1945 | Brigadier J. F. MacNab |
5 June 1945 | Lieutenant-Colonel R. C. H. Miers (acting) |
5 July 1945 | Brigadier J. F. MacNab |
1st (East Africa) Brigade (until 18 October 1940) [1]
21st (East Africa) Brigade (from 18 October 1940) [1]
Between January 1942 and July 1943, the brigade operated as a brigade group and commanded the following units: [2]
The King's African Rifles (KAR) was a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from Britain's various possessions in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s. It performed both military and internal security functions within the colonial territories, and served outside these territories during the World Wars. The rank and file (askaris) were drawn from native inhabitants, while most of the officers were seconded from the British Army. When the KAR was first raised there were some Sudanese officers in the battalions raised in Uganda, and native officers were commissioned towards the end of British colonial rule.
The 54th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 following the creation of the Territorial Force (TF) as the East Anglian Division. During the First World War the division fought at Gallipoli and in the Middle East. The division was disbanded after the war but reformed in the Territorial Army in 1920. During the Second World War it was a home service division and did not see any combat service abroad and was disbanded in late 1943 but many of its component units went to see service in the Normandy Campaign and North-western Europe from June 1944 to May 1945.
The 4th Infantry Division was a regular infantry division of the British Army with a very long history, seeing active service in the Peninsular War, the Crimean War, the First World War, and during the Second World War. It was disbanded after the war and reformed in the 1950s as an armoured formation before being disbanded and reformed again and finally disbanded on 1 January 2012.
The 5th Infantry Division was a regular army infantry division of the British Army. It was established by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsular War, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, and was active for most of the period since, including the First World War and the Second World War and was disbanded soon after. The division was reformed in 1995 as an administrative division covering Wales and the English regions of West Midlands, East Midlands and East. Its headquarters were in Shrewsbury. It was disbanded on 1 April 2012.
The 8th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was active in both the First and Second World Wars. The division was first formed in October 1914 during the First World War, initially consisting mainly of soldiers of the Regular Army and served on the Western Front throughout the war, sustaining many casualties, before disbandment in 1919. The division was reactivated in Palestine, under the command of Major-General Bernard Montgomery, in the late 1930s in the years running up to the Second World War before being disbanded in late February 1940. It was briefly reformed in Syria in an administrative role during 1942-3.
The 1st (African) Division was a British Empire colonial unit during the Second World War. The division was formed on 24 July 1940 in East Africa. On 24 November of that year, the division was re-designated as the British Army's 11th (African) Division. The division were composed primarily of West African and East African troops. It was disbanded on 23 November 1941 and its component units reassigned.
The 28th Infantry Brigade was a British Army formation which served during the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, The Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation.
The 6th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army, created in September 1940 during the Second World War and re-formed in May 1951 in the UK.
The 42nd Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army raised during the Second World War.
The 29th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade unit of the British Army. It was originally raised in 1914 and saw service during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.
The 210th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army organised during the Second World War to command a group of newly raised Home Defence battalions. It was later converted to a frontline brigade that served with distinction in the later years of the war, the 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade.
The 234th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army, raised during the First World War, and was later reformed during the Second World War.
The 2nd (African) Division was a British Empire colonial unit that fought during the Second World War. On 19 July 1940, the 2nd (African) Division was formed in Kenya, British East Africa. On 24 November of that year, the division was redesignated as the British Army's 12th (African) Division. The 12th (African) Division was also known as the 12th Division when in October 1941 its West African brigade from the Gold Coast was reassigned and replaced with a third East African brigade. The division was disbanded in East Africa on 18 April 1943.
The 5th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was converted from the 9th Indian Infantry Brigade in September 1939, and assigned to the 4th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade first moved to Egypt and took part in the early battles in North Africa. Then in 1941, it moved to the Sudan with the 5th Indian Infantry Division. Returning to 4th Indian Division command it took part in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign. The brigade then returned to North Africa coming under command of the 5th and 10th Indian Infantry Divisions, and the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division and the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division in the Campaign in Tunisia. The brigade once more returned to the 4th Division for the Italian Campaign and the Greek Civil War.
The 10th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939. In June 1940 it was assigned to the 5th Indian Infantry Division and in September 1940, sailed for East Africa. The brigade spent time attached to other formations, the 4th Indian Infantry Division between June 1940 and March 1941, and the British 10th Armoured Division between March and June 1942, where it was destroyed during the Battle of Gazala. A new brigade was formed in Egypt and assigned to the 10th Indian Infantry Division, with which it fought in the Italian Campaign from April 1944 until the end of the war.
The 144th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service in the First World War and again in the early stages of the Second World War before being reduced to a reserve brigade and remained in the United Kingdom for the rest of the war. In both world wars the brigade served with 48th Division.
The 22nd Infantry Brigade was a brigade sized formation of the British Army, which was founded on 19 September 1939 in British East Africa. The brigade was initially called the 2nd Infantry Brigade, but was redesignated on 18 October 1940 as the 22nd Infantry Brigade. The brigade was composed of units from the King's African Rifles, the Northern Rhodesia Regiment and the Rhodesian African Rifles.
The 25th Infantry Brigade was a brigade sized formation of the British Army, which was founded on 11 October 1940 in British East Africa. The brigade was initially called the 5th Infantry Brigade, but was redesignated on 18 October 1940 as the 25th Infantry Brigade. The brigade was composed of units from the King's African Rifles.
The 27th Infantry Brigade was a brigade sized formation of the British Army, which was founded on 18 September 1940 in Northern Rhodesia. The brigade was initially called the 7th Infantry Brigade, but was redesignated on 3 October 1940 as the 27th Infantry Brigade. In April 1945, the brigade was redesignated to the 27th Infantry Brigade.