12th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)

British Army formation September 2020 October 2012 12th Armoured Brigade 12th Mechanized.svg 150 Insignia of 12th Mechanized Brigade 1899 – present United Kingdom United Kingdom Mechanized infantry 3rd (United Kingdom) Division Brigadier Henry SearbyWhyte Andrew 6 October 2023 https://news.err.ee/1609124597/british-army-brigade-commander-gets-further-acquainted-with-edf-division-set-up British Army brigade commander gets further acquainted with EDF division set-up 7 March 2024 Bulford Camp Second Boer WarFirst World WarLe CateauBattle of MarneBattle of AisneFirst Battle of Ypres (1914)Battle of Messines (1914)Hill 60Second Battle of Ypres (1915)Battle of AlbertBattle of Le TransloyBattle of the SommeFirst Battle of the ScarpeThird Battle of the ScarpeBattle of Polygon WoodBattle of BroodseindeBattle of PoelcapelleBattle of PasschendaeleBattle of Arras (1918)Battle of HazebrouckeBattle of BethuneAdvance in FlandersBattle of the Scarpe (1918)Battle of Drocourt-QuéantBattle of the Canal du NordBattle of the SelleBattle of ValenciennesSecond World War R.A.P. ClementsSir Henry Maitland WilsonSir Adrian Carton de WiartSir John HawkesworthDaniel BeakSir Richard HullSir Gordon MacMillan 12 3 Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Infantry - Armoured (NATO APP-6).svg NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Brigade.svg 100 NATO Map Symbol The 12th Armoured Brigade, formerly the 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade, is a regular brigade of the British Army which has existed almost continuously since 1899 and now forms part of the 3rd (United Kingdom) Division. 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 were organised into sequentially numbered brigades frequently reassigned between divisions. 6th Division, consisting of the 12th and 13th Brigades, was formed on 30 November and landed in South Africa during January 1900. It was moved up to Nauwpoort, where the 12th Brigade under the command of Major-General R.A.P. Clements was pushed forward to reinforce the Cavalry Division. When the field force was reorganised after the capture of Bloemfontein, the 12th Brigade returned to the command of the 6th Division.Dunlop, p. 74.Amery, Vol III, pp. 4–5.Amery, Vol III, p. 343.Amery, Vol IV, p. 78. The brigade saw action at the Battle of Rensburg, Battle of Norval's Point, Battle of Biddulph's Berg and Battle of Slabbert's Nek.http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/History_of_12_Mech_Bde_HQ_and_Sig_Sqn.pdf History of 12 Mech Bde HQ and Sig Sqn (228) 2013-08-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20130227005144/http://army.mod.uk/documents/general/History_of_12_Mech_Bde_HQ_and_Sig_Sqn.pdf 27 February 2013 dead 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. Battalions were detached from 12th Bde during operations in the Brandwater Basin in July 1900, and Maj-Gen Clements had detachments of Mounted infantry and Imperial Yeomanry attached to his command.Amery, Vol IV, pp. 319–25. By the end of the year, Clements was an important column commander, but none of his units came from his original 12th Brigade.Amery, Vol V, p 96. Order of Battle The 12th Brigade was originally constituted as follows:Amery, Vol IV, Appendix to Chapters I-XIV, pp. 503–14.Amery, Vol IV, p. 319. 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment 2nd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment 2nd Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment After the Boer War, the 12th Brigade became a permanent headquarters in 1902, stationed with the 6th Division at Plymouth.Hart's Annual Army List ... for 1903, London: John Murray, 1903. By 1907, it was still part of the 6th Division, but now stationed at Colchester in Eastern Command.Hart's Annual Army List ... for 1908, London: John Murray, 1908. In the Expeditionary Force established by the Haldane reforms, the 12th Brigade at Colchester and later at Dover became part of the 4th Division. It remained so until the outbreak of World War I.Hart's Annual Army List ... for 1909, London: John Murray, 1909. First World War During the First World War, the 12th Brigade, a regular army formation, was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division. It was dispatched to France, crossing the English Channel on 22 August 1914, as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and saw action in the First Battle of the Marne beginning in September 1914. It then spent much of the remaining conflict engaged in trench warfare.Becke, Pt 1, pp. 57–63.4th Division at Long, Long Trail. Order of battle The 12th Brigade was constituted as follows during the war: 1st Battalion, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) (from January 1916 to 10th Brigade, February 1918) 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (from March 1915 to 11th Brigade, July 1915) 1/5th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (from February 1915 until January 1916) 1/2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment (until January 1916) From early November 1915 until February 1916, the 12th Brigade was swapped with the 107th (Ulster) Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division. Second World War thumb|right|Men of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers in a trench in front of the Maginot Line, 3 January 1940. During the Second World War, except for a few brief periods of detachment, the brigade formed part of the 4th Infantry Division, as in the First World War. It was part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and took part in the Battle of France and the subsequent Dunkirk evacuation in May–June 1940. The brigade remained in the United Kingdom for the next two years, preparing and training to repel Operation Sea Lion, the German invasion of England, although that never arrived. It moved to North Africa in February 1943 to participate in the Tunisian Campaign's later stages, where it saw action at the Battle of Oved Zara, the Battle of Medjez Plain and the Battle of Tunis. It then took part in the Italian Campaign, moving to Naples in February 1944 and saw further action at the Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino. By October 1944, the 4th Division was taking part in the British Eighth Army's battle on the Gothic Line. Still, it was withdrawn in November to spend the rest of the war in Greece, part of the Allied force tasked to prevent civil unrest as rival factions attempted to fill the political vacuum when the Germans withdrew from the country.Joslen, p. 250. Order of battle The 12th Infantry Brigade was constituted as follows during the war: 2nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers 1st Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (until June 1940) 1st Battalion, Black Watch (until March 1940) 12th Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (left to join 4th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps, 1 January 1941http://www.recce.adsl24.co.uk/regts/4th.htm 4th Recce Regiment at the Reconnaissance Corps website. 12 September 2023 23 December 2012 https://archive.today/20121223130346/http://www.recce.adsl24.co.uk/regts/4th.htm dead ) 6th Battalion, Black Watch (from March 1940) 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment (from September 1940) Post-1945 The brigade was disbanded in March 1947, but reformed as the 91st Lorried Infantry Brigade in April 1956. During the 1970s, it was one of two "square" brigades assigned to the 2nd Armoured Division.Watson 2005 95 After being briefly converted to "Task Force Delta" in the late 1970s, the brigade was reinstated in 1981 as 12th Armoured Brigade, assigned to 1st Armoured Division and based at Quebec Barracks at Osnabrück.Watson 2005 76http://harveyblackauthor.org/2014/04/29/the-cold-war-years-a-hot-war-in-reality-part-6-2/ The Cold War Years. A Hot War in reality. Part 6. Harvey Blackhttp://baor-locations.org/quebeckbks.aspx.html Quebec Barracks BAOR Locations 24 October 2015 4 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304215640/http://baor-locations.org/quebeckbks.aspx.html dead It remained with the 1st Armoured Division, apart from a spell under HQ 3rd Armoured Division during Operation Granby, until disbandment under Options for Change. Following the Strategic Defence Review in 1998, the brigade was reformed as a mechanized unit under the 3rd Mechanised Division at Aldershot Garrison; it relocated to Ward Barracks in Bulford Camp in February 2004. Future Under the Future Soldier programme, the brigade has been redesignated as the 12th Armoured Brigade. In the future, it will control a reconnaissance regiment (KRH) equipped with the General Dynamics Ajax. The current armoured regiment (RTR) will be re-equipped with the Challenger 3 MBT, and the armoured infantry battalions with the Warrior IFV will be re-equipped with the Boxer AFV.12 Armoured Brigade https://www.army.mod.uk/future-army/unit-details/3-uk-division/12-armoured-brigade-combat-team/ 2021-11-25 www.army.mod.uk en-GB Organisation The current organisation of the brigade under the Defence in a Competitive Age is:12th Armoured Brigade https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/formations-divisions-brigades/3rd-united-kingdom-division/12th-armoured-brigade-combat-team/ 2024-09-11 army.mod.uk en-GB 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade Headquarters, at Bulford Barracks, Bulford Garrison Royal Tank Regiment, at Aliwal Barracks, Tidworth King's Royal Hussars, at Aliwal Barracks, Tidworth Garrison The Royal Wessex Yeomanry (Army Reserve) 1st Battalion, Royal Welsh, at Lucknow Barracks, Tidworth Garrison (Armoured Infantry) 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment, at Picton Barracks, Bulford Garrison (Armoured Infantry) 3rd Battalion, The Rifles 3rd Battalion, Royal Welsh, Battalion HQ in Cardiff, Wales (Army Reserve – Armoured Infantry, paired with 1 R WELSH) 4th Battalion, Mercian Regiment, Battalion HQ in Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Army Reserve – Armoured Infantry, paired with 1 MERCIAN) 4 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, at Dalton Barracks, Abingdon 4 Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 15th Signal Regiment 19th Regiment Royal Artillery 26 Engineer Regiment Brigade Commanders thumb|right|Maj-Gen R.A.P. Clements, the brigade's first commander. Brigade commanders have included:http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201900-2011.pdf Army Commands 2013-08-07 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150705211343/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201900-2011.pdf 5 July 2015 Major-General R.A.P. Clements: 1899–1900 Brigadier-General Charles E. Bradley: 22 July 1905–July 1909 Brigadier-General Francis S. Inglefield: July 1909 – June 1912 Brigadier-General Henry F.M. Wilson: June 1912 – September 1914 Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick G. Anley: September 1914 (acting) Brigadier-General Henry F. M. Wilson: September – October 1914 Brigadier-General Frederick G. Anley: October 1914 – June 1916 Brigadier-General James D. Crosbie: June 1916 – January 1917 Brigadier-General Adrian Carton de Wiart: January – November 1917 Lieutenant-Colonel H. W. Glenn: November 1917 (acting) Brigadier-General Edward A. Fagan: November 1917 – October 1918 Brigadier-General E.B. Macnaghten: October 1918 – 1919 Brigadier-General Arthur H. Marindin: November 1919 – November 1923 Brigadier-General Neville J.G. Cameron: November 1923 – October 1925 Brigadier-General Edward B. Hankey: October 1925 – October 1929 Brigadier Sir Hereward Wake, Bt.: October 1929 – August 1932 Brigadier Charles A. Howard: August 1932 – July 1935 Brigadier Martin Kemp-Welsh: July 1935 – August 1936 Brigadier the Hon. P. Gerald Scarlett: August 1936 – September 1938 Brigadier John G.W. Clark: September 1938 – October 1939 Brigadier John L.I. Hawkesworth: October 1939 – June 1940 Brigadier Daniel M.W. Beak: June 1940 – December 1941 Brigadier Robert G.W. Callaghan: December 1941 – April 1943 Brigadier Richard A. Hull: April–June 1943 Brigadier Gordon H.A. MacMillan: June 1943 Brigadier Thomas P.D. Scott: July–November 1943 Brigadier F.M. Elliott: November 1943 – April 1944 Brigadier Algernon G.W. Heber-Percy: April 1944– Brigadier Cyril E.H. Dolphin: 1949–1950 Brigadier Frederick Stephens: -December 1950 Brigadier Victor D.G. Campbell: December 1950 – November 1952 Brigadier John F.M. Macdonald: November 1952 – 1954 Brigadier Alfred (John) Tilly: 1954–1955 Brigadier Ian H. Freeland: April 1956 – November 1957 Brigadier Patrick H. Man: 1959 – March 1962 Brigadier Philip T. Tower: March 1962 – 1964 Brigadier Walter B. Thomas: 1964–1966 Brigadier H. Mark G. Bond: 1966 – December 1968 Brigadier W.G. Hugh Beach: December 1968 – September 1970 Brigadier David T. Young: September 1970 – September 1972 Brigadier Walter R. Taylor: September 1972 – December 1974 Brigadier Michael F. Reynolds: December 1974 – December 1976 Brigadier John C.O.R. Hopkinson: December 1976 – December 1978 Brigadier Brian L.G. Kenny: December 1978 – December 1980 Brigadier Charles A. Ramsay: December 1980 – December 1982 Brigadier Peter R. Davies: December 1982 – November 1984 Brigadier Jeremy J.G. Mackenzie: November 1984 – 1986 Brigadier G. Hyde: 1986 – December 1988 Brigadier Jonathan M.F.C. Hall: December 1988 – November 1990 Brigadier Timothy J. Granville-Chapman: November 1990 – January 1993 Brigadier John Cooper: November 1999 – January 2002 Brigadier the Hon. Jonathan D. Shaw: January 2002 – April 2003 Brigadier Christopher G.S. Hughes: April 2003 – June 2005 Brigadier John G. Lorimer: June 2005 – November 2007 Brigadier David M. Cullen: November 2007 – December 2009 Brigadier Justin C.W. Maciejewski: December 2009 – September 2011 Brigadier Douglas M. Chalmers: September 2011 – September 2013 Brigadier C. Roland V. Walker: October 2013 – July 2015 Brigadier Robin C.N. Sergeant: July 2015– Brigadier Henry Searby 2023–2025 References Sources L.S. Amery (ed), The Times History of the War in South Africa 1899-1902, London: Sampson Low, Marston, 7 Vols 1900–09. Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 1: The Regular British Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1934/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-38-X. Col John K. Dunlop, The Development of the British Army 1899–1914, London: Methuen, 1938. Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/London: London Stamp Exchange, 1990, ISBN 0-948130-03-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=ZNm0n9SwRQIC&q=7th+Armoured+Brigade+task+force+alpha&pg=PA76 The British Army in Germany: An Organizational History 1947–2004 Graham Watson Tiger Lily 2005 978-0972029698 External links Chris Baker, The Long, Long Trail 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade British Army 1939 Category:Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Category:Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1899 Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:Organisations based in Wiltshire Category:1899 establishments in the United Kingdom Category:Future Soldier Category:Infantry brigades of the British Army