The 11th Brigade is a brigade of the British Army which is transitioning to the tactical recce-strike role. The brigade was formerly the 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade, providing training and guidance for foreign militaries.
Originally formed in the Second Boer War, the brigade was engaged during both World Wars, and deployed to Afghanistan.
History Second Boer War British Army brigades had traditionally been ad hoc formations known by the name of their commander or numbered as part of a division. However, units involved in the Second Boer War in 1899–1900 were organised into sequentially numbered brigades that were frequently reassigned between divisions. The Army Corps sent from Britain in 1899 comprised six brigades in three divisions while the troops already in South Africa were intended to constitute a fourth division. The rapid deterioration of the situation led the War Office to announce on 11 November 1899 that a 5th Division was to be formed and sent out. This consisted of the new 10th and 11th (Lancashire) Brigades and concentrated at Estcourt on 8 January 1900 for the campaign for the Relief of Ladysmith.Dunlop, p. 74.Amery, Vol II, pp. 283–4.Amery, Vol III, pp. 206–15.
Order of battle The 11th (Lancashire) Brigade was constituted as follows:Amery, Vol IV, Appendix to Chapters I-XIV, pp. 503–14. 2nd Battalion, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers 1st Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
Commanders Major-General Edward Woodgate (mortally wounded at Spion Kop 23/24 January 1900)Amery, Vol III, pp. 257–8. Lieutenant-Colonel Malby Crofton (Royal Lancaster Regiment) (acting) Colonel Arthur WynneAmery, Vol III, p. 309. (wounded at Tugela Heights 22 February 1900)Amery, Vol III, p. 517. Lieutenant-Colonel Malby Crofton (acting) Brigadier-General Walter Kitchener (acting)Amery, Vol III, p. 522. Maj-Gen Arthur Wynne (returned by May 1900)
As well as Spion Kop and Tugela Heights, the brigade served at Trichard's Drift, Tabanyama, Vaal Krantz, Wessel's Nek, Waschbank, Botha's Pass, Alleman's Nek, Volkrust, Wakkerstroom, and the advance on Standerton. However, after the defeat of the main Boer field armies and the development of guerrilla warfare, all the divisions and brigades were broken up to form ad hoc 'columns' and garrisons.Amery, Index, p. 76.
After the Boer War, 11th Brigade became a permanent formation in 1902, stationed at Portsmouth. By 1907 it was part of 6th Division in Eastern Command. In the Expeditionary Force established by the Haldane reforms, 11th Brigade at Colchester became part of 4th Division, and remained so until the outbreak of World War I.Hart's Annual Army List ... for 1910, London: John Murray, 1910.
First World War When war broke out in August 1914 the 11th Infantry Brigade mobilised as part of the 4th Division.Becke, Pt 1, pp. 57–63. It was one of the British units sent overseas to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force and fought on the Western Front for the next four years.
Order of battle During World War I the brigade had the following composition: 1st Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment (left to join 103rd Brigade, 34th Division, 1 February 1918) 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (joined from 12th Brigade 26 July 1915, left to join 22nd Brigade, 7th Division, 22 May 1916) 11th Brigade Machine Gun Company (formed 23 December 1915; left to join No 4 Battalion, Machine Gun Corps, 26 February 1918) 11th Brigade Trench Mortar Battery (formed June 1916)
Service During the war the brigade participated in the following actions:
1914 Retreat from Mons, 25 August–5 September Battle of Le Cateau, 16 August First Battle of the Marne, 6–9 September Crossing of the Aisne, 12 September First Battle of the Aisne, 13–20 September Battle of Armentières, 3 October–2 November Capture of Méteren, 13 October
1915 Second Battle of Ypres: Battle of St Julien 25 April–4 May Battle of Frezenberg Ridge, 8–13 May Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge, 24–25 May
1916 Battle of the Somme: Battle of Albert, 1–2 July Battle of the Transloy Ridges, 10–18 October
1917 Battle of Arras: First Battle of the Scarpe, 9–14 April Second Battle of the Scarpe, 3–4 May Third Battle of Ypres: Battle of Polygon Wood, 28 September–3 October Battle of Broodseinde, 4 October Battle of Poelcappelle, 9 October First Battle of Passchendaele, 12 October
1918 German Spring Offensive: Third Battle of Arras, 28 March Battle of the Lys: Battle of Hazebrouck, 13–15 April, including defence of Hinges Wood Battle of Béthune, 18 April Hundred Days Offensive: Battle of the Scarpe, 29–30 August Battle of the Drocourt-Quéant Line, 2–3 September Battle of the Canal du Nord, 27 September–1 October Battle of the Selle, 17–25 October Battle of Valenciennes, 1–2 November
Commanders During World War I the brigade was commanded by the following officers: Brigadier-General Aylmer Hunter-Weston (February 1914) Brigadier-General Julian Hasler (26 February 1915 –killed 27 April 1915) Lieutenant-Colonel F. R. Hicks (27 April 1915 - acting) Brigadier-General Charles Bertie Prowse (29 April 1915 – killed 1 July 1916) Major W. A. T. B. Somerville (1 July 1916 - acting) Brigadier-General H. C. Rees (3 July 1916) Brigadier-General R. A. Berners (7 December 1916) Lieutenant-Colonel F. A. W. Armitage (15 October 1917 - acting) Brigadier-General T. S. H. Wade (21 October 1917) Brigadier-General W. J. Webb-Bowen (19 September 1918)
Second World War
The 11th Infantry Brigade was originally part of the 4th Infantry Division as it was during the First World War, serving with it during the Battle of France and was evacuated from Dunkirk in late May 1940. It remained with the division in the United Kingdom up until 6 June 1942 when it was reassigned to join 78th Infantry Division (commanded by Vyvyan Evelegh, a previous commander of the brigade) which was being newly formed to take part in Operation Torch, the Allied landings in French North Africa, as part of the British First Army (commanded by Kenneth Anderson, also a previous commander of the brigade). The brigade landed in North Africa at Algiers in November 1942 and fought with 78th Division throughout the Tunisian campaign which ended with the Axis surrender in May 1943. It then served with 78th Division throughout the campaigns in Sicily and Italy.
Order of battle During World War II the brigade comprised the following units:Joslen, p. 249. Headquarters, 11th Infantry Brigade & Signal Section 2nd Battalion, The Lancashire Fusiliers 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment 1st Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (left to join 143rd Brigade 31 December 1940)Joslen, p. 328. 11th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (left to join 4th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps, 1 January 1941) 5th (Huntingdon) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment (joined from 143rd Brigade 29 January 1941)
Commanders During World War II the brigade was commanded by the following officers: Brigadier Kenneth Anderson (1938–1940) Lieutenant-Colonel Brian Horrocks: (30 May 1940 – acting until 3 June) Brigadier John Grover (14 June 1940) Lieutenant-Colonel R.A. Boxshall (7 January 1941 – acting) Brigadier Vyvyan Evelegh (11 January 1941) Brigadier Guy Francis Gough (13 November 1941) Brigadier Edward Cass (18 February 1942) Brigadier Keith Arbuthnott (29 September 1943) Lieutenant-Colonel John Alexander Mackenzie (10 October 1944 – acting) Brigadier Gerald Ernest Thubron (23 November 1944 – 1945)
Post-war In January 1946, following the end of the campaign in Europe, the brigade was dissolved and its units dispersed to other brigades and commands. In 1950, the brigade was reformed in West Germany.
The organisation of the brigade during the 1950s was as follows:Watson & Rinaldi,p. 42
Brigade Headquarters, at Kingsley Barracks, Minden 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, at Lothian Barracks, Detmold (Armoured role, with Centurion main battle tanks) 1st Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment), at Dempsey Barracks, Sennelager 1st Battalion, The Manchester Regiment, at Clifton Barracks, Minden – merged with the King's Liverpool Regiment on 1 September 1958 to form the King's Regiment 1st Battalion, The Dorset Regiment, at Elizabeth Barracks, Minden – from April 1956, merged with the Devonshire Regiment in 1958 to form the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
On 1 April 1956, the 4th Infantry Division was reformed in the BAOR, and its brigades: 10th, 11th, and 12th was reformed by conversion of the old 61st Lorried Infantry Brigade based in Minden. In 1958, following the 1957 Defence White Paper, the brigade was redesignated as 11th Infantry Brigade Group. As a brigade group, it picked up not just infantry but supporting elements such as artillery. It was shifted to the 2nd Division. And in 1964, the brigade was transferred to the 1st Division, sitting alongside the 7th Armoured Brigade Group. In February 1961, the brigade groups were reorganised again, to comprise a signal squadron, armoured regiment, three infantry battalions, field artillery regiment, engineer squadron, and one AAC reconnaissance flight.
The brigade's structure following its conversion to a brigade group was as follows:Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 53–54
Brigade Headquarters, at Kingsley Barracks, Minden 7th Royal Tank Regiment, at Haig Barracks, Hohne – merged with 4th Royal Tank Regiment on 3 April 1959 4th Royal Tank Regiment – from April 1959 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's), at Clifton Barracks, Minden 1st Battalion, The South Wales Borderers – from June 1959 1st Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment), at Alma Barracks, Lüneburg 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) – from November 1958 1st Battalion, The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment, at Elizabeth Barracks, Minden – from June 1958 19th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, at Saint George's Barracks, Minden (Field artillery; 18 x Ordnance QF 25-pdr howitzers) 25 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, at Saint George's Barracks, Minden
In November 1965, the brigade groups became 'brigades' once again, dropping their support units. In October 1966, just after the publication of the 1966 Defence White Paper, the 7th Armoured and 11th Infantry brigades experimented with a new brigade organisation with two armoured regiments and two 'mechanised' battalions equipped with the new FV432 armoured personnel carrier. With the increasing availability of the new vehicle, all of the infantry battalions within the BAOR were to become mechanised.Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 22–27
The brigade's structure just before conversion was as follows:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 68
Brigade Headquarters, at Kingsley Barracks, Minden 211 Signal Squadron (Infantry Brigade Group), Royal Corps of Signals, at Kingsley Barracks, Minden The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), at Wessex Barracks, Fallingbostel 1st Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers, at Gordon Barracks, Hameln 1st Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire & Wiltshire) – from June 1966 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers – in infantry role from June 1969 1st Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers, at Saint George's Barracks, Minden 1st Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders – from April 1967 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars – in infantry role from November 1969 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), at Elizabeth Barracks, Minden 1st Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment) – from March 1968