| 42nd Brigade 42 Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of 42 (North West) Brigade. | |
| Active | 1899-1902 1907-1918 1939-1944 1991-2017 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Regular and Territorial Army |
| Part of | 1st (United Kingdom) Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Fulwood Barracks, Preston |
| Engagements | Second Boer War First World War Second World War |
The 42nd Infantry Brigade, also known as 42 (North West) Brigade, was a brigade of the British Army.
The brigade first saw action during the Second Boer War. [1]
The brigade was reformed in August 1914 during the First World War as the 42nd Brigade, raised from the first wave of men volunteering for Kitchener's Army. The 42nd Brigade was a component formation of the 14th (Light) Division and originally consisted of light infantry regiments but, as the war progressed and casualties mounted, the brigades' original battalions were replaced by non-light infantry regiments. [2]
The brigade HQ was re-formed in Britain during the Second World War on 26 July 1943, and on landing in North Africa on 25 August, was formed as a security force to protect lines of communication in North Africa. In November 1943, the brigade HQ was redesignated as the HQ of the 57th Infantry Division for deception purposes, with its battalions playing the role of brigades. [3]
The Brigade headquarters was disbanded in North Africa on 29 July 1944. [4]
Headquarters 42 (North West) Brigade was reformed at The Castle, Chester in 1982 before relocating to Fulwood Barracks in 1986, so perpetuating the memory of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division, and became the regional military headquarters for North West England. [5]
Structure in 1989
The structure in 1989 was as follows: [6]
Under Army 2020, it was renamed 42nd Infantry Brigade and became the Regional Point of Command for the British Army in the region of North West England and the Isle of Man. [7] Its headquarters were situated at Fulwood Barracks in Preston. Units included: [7]
The brigade was removed from the British Army Order of Battle in January 2017. The brigade was reduced and became Headquarters North West, now part of Regional Command. [8] [9]
The 42nd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force (TF), originally as the East Lancashire Division, and was redesignated as the 42nd Division on 25 May 1915. It was the first TF division to be sent overseas during the First World War. The division fought at Gallipoli, in the Sinai desert and on the Western Front in France and Belgium. Disbanded after the war, it was reformed in the Territorial Army (TA), in the Second World War it served as the 42nd Infantry Division with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and fought in Belgium and France before being evacuated at Dunkirk. The division was later reformed in the United Kingdom and, in November 1941, was converted into the 42nd Armoured Division, which was disbanded in October 1943 without serving overseas. A 2nd Line duplicate formation, the 66th Division, was created when the Territorials were doubled in both world wars.
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