Durham and North Riding County Division | |
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![]() Division insignia of the Durham and North Riding County Division [1] | |
Active | 12 March 1941-1 December 1941 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Static Division |
Role | Home Defence |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Major-General Philip James Shears |
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. [2]
The divisional sign was a pun on the name of the division's commander and a reference to the wool industry of the area. [1]
County divisions were static infantry-only formations with any supporting arms on loan from other formations. The division/s order of battle was as follows: [3] [4]
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 and Waterloo Campaign, the Crimean and Boer Wars and both World Wars. It was disbanded after the Second World War and reformed in the 1950s as an armoured formation before being disbanded and reformed again and finally disbanded on 1 January 2012.
The Essex County Division was a short-lived formation of the British Army formed in the Second World War on 18 February 1941 by the redesignation of the West Sussex County Division. It was disbanded on 7 October. It had one commanding officer, Major-General J. H. T. Priestman. It was an infantry only formation consisting of three Independent Infantry Brigades (Home). Combat support, artillery, engineers etc., would be provided by other local formations. It was under the command of XI Corps from formation to 22 July and then under GHQ Home Forces.
The 42nd Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army raised during the Second World War.
The 6th Infantry Brigade was a regular infantry brigade of the British Army that was in existence during the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War and later formed part of British Army of the Rhine.
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 (under a new name) with distinction in the later years of the war, the 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade.
The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Regiment to form the Queen's Lancashire Regiment which was, in 2006, amalgamated with the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool) to form the Duke of Lancaster Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border).
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.
215th Brigade was a Home Service formation of the British Army during the First and the Second World Wars.
217th Brigade was a Home Service formation of the British Army during the First and the Second World Wars.
The 218th Brigade was a Home Service formation of the British Army during the First and the Second World Wars.
220th Brigade was a Home Service formation of the British Army during the First and Second World Wars.
The 148th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps was an armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps during World War II. It fought in the invasion of Normandy in 1944.
203rd Infantry Brigade was a Home Defence formation of the British Army during the Second World War.
The 201st Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) was a short-lived Home Defence formation of the British Army during the Second World War.
The 207th Independent Infantry Brigade was a Home Defence formation of the British Army during the Second World War.
The 222nd Infantry Brigade was a Home Service formation of the British Army that existed under various short-lived titles in both the First and Second World Wars
109th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (The Lancashire Fusiliers) (109 RAC) was an armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps during World War II.
The 143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps was a short-lived armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps during World War II.
The 116th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment was a Welsh mobile air defence unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery (RA) during World War II. It served with the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division in the campaign in North West Europe.