| 49th Infantry Brigade 49th (Eastern) Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | August 1914–1919 1953–1967 1983–2015 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | Eastern District |
| Garrison/HQ | Chetwynd Barracks, Chilwell |
| Engagements | Western Front |
The 49th Infantry Brigade, later known as 49th (Eastern) Infantry Brigade during the Cold War, was a brigade of the British Army.
The brigade started its existence as part of the 16th (Irish) Division, part of Kitchener's Army in the First World War. The 16th Division served through the war on the Western Front. [1]
The 49th Brigade also served in Kenya during the Mau Mau Uprising from 1953 to 1955-6, incorporating the 1st Battalion, Royal Northumbrian Fusiliers, and the 1st Battalion, Royal Innskilling Fusiliers, joined by the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers, from January 1955. [1]
However the core of the brigade's present history descends from the 49th (West Riding) Division, which fought in both World Wars. In the Second World War, the division was involved in the Norwegian Campaign, the guarding of Iceland, and Operation Overlord, where it landed in Normandy under XXX Corps. It was part of the reformed Territorial Army (as an armoured formation for a time) from 1947 to 1967. [1]
The Brigade Headquarters was reformed as a regular HQ with TA units in 1982 as part of 2nd Infantry Division. [2] It consisted of 5th and 7th Battalions, Royal Anglian Regiment, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, 3rd Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, the Royal Yeomanry, equipped with Fox armoured cars, 100th (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery, with 105mm Light Guns, and 307 OP Battery RA (V). The Division was tasked with the wartime rear-area security of the I (BR) Corps sector, behind the forward armoured divisions, during any Soviet thrust into Western Europe. [1]
Following the end of the Cold War, the Brigade was reorganised as 49 (East Midlands) Brigade on 1 April 1992, and then as 49 (East) Brigade on 1 April 1995 following the merger with 54 (East Anglia) Brigade. [1]
The brigade now has regional responsibility for Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Leicester, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Rutland. In April 2000 the Brigade came under command of the 4th Division based in Aldershot. As from 1 April 2007, the Brigade came under the command of the 5th Division based in Shrewsbury and as of 2012 the Brigade came under the command of Support Command. [3]
Under Army 2020, 49 (East) Brigade was merged with 7th Armoured Brigade to become 7th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters East on 13 February 2015. [4]
Below is the structure of the brigade in 1989, just before the end of the Cold War.
This is the Operation Telic order of battle, which lists the British forces that took part in Operation Telic, including
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The Shropshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1795, which served as a cavalry and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and as a cavalry and an artillery regiment in the Second World War. It was then amalgamated with the Shropshire Royal Horse Artillery.
In September 1939, the British Army was in process of expanding their anti-aircraft and mobile assets. Among these new changes was the formation of Anti-Aircraft Command which was formed on 1 April 1939, and the 1st Armoured Division formed in 1937. The list below will include the British Army units, colonial units, and those units which were in the process of formation.
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The Structure of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force over the course of the First World War is shown below.
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