| 42nd Infantry Brigade 42nd (North West) Brigade 42nd Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North West Headquarters North West | |
|---|---|
|
File:Badge 42bde.png Insignia of 42 (North West) Brigade. | |
| Active |
1899–1902 1907–1918 1939–1944 1991–2017 2017–Present |
| Country |
 United Kingdom |
| Branch |
 British Army |
| Type | Infantry Brigade / Regional Point of Command |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | Regional Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Fulwood Barracks, Preston |
| Nickname(s) | HQ NW |
| 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. In 2017, the brigade was reduced to a regional headquarters (a Colonel's command), known as Headquarters North West.
History[]
The brigade first saw action during the Second Boer War.[1]
The brigade was reformed in August 1914 during World War I 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]
Order of battle World War I[]
- 5th (Service) Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
- 5th (Service) Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry
- 9th (Service) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
- 9th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
- 42nd Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps
- 42nd Trench Mortar Battery
- 6th (Service) Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment
- 16th (Service) Battalion, Manchester Regiment
- 14th (Service) Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The brigade was re-formed during World War II 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.[3] The brigade was disbanded in July 1944.[4]
Order of battle World War II[]
- 30th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
Post war[]
Headquarters 42 (North West) Brigade was reformed at Fulwood Barracks in 1982, 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:[6]
- 1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment
- 3rd Battalion, The Light Infantry
- Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry (V) - Chorley
- 3rd Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment (V) - Runcorn
- 4th Battalion, The Queen's Lancashire Regiment (V) - Preston
- 4th Battalion, The King's Own Royal Border Regiment - Lancaster
- 5th/8th Battalion, The King's Regiment - Warrington
- 103rd (Lancashire) Air Defence Regiment, Royal Artillery - Liverpool
- 75th Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers (V) - Manchester
- 33rd (Lancashire and Cheshire) Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals
- 156th (Merseyside & Greater Manchester) Transport Regiment, Royal Corps of Transport (V), Birkenhead
- 207th (Manchester) General Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps (V), Blackburn
- 208th (Merseyside) General Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps (V), Ellesmere Port
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]
- 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment in Weeton (rotates to British Forces Cyprus)
- 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment in Chester
- 4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment in Preston (Army Reserve - paired with 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment)
- 4th Battalion, Mercian Regiment in Wolverhampton (Army Reserve - paired with 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment)
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]
HQ North West[]
As part of the reduction of the western brigades, HQ North West was formed on the bases of 42 Inf Bde. This command oversees some 300,000 veterans, 2,000 regulars, 3,600 army reserves, 500 university officer cadets, and 7,000 other cadets. The command today serves as the regional headquarters for the counties of Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Cheshire, and oversees the Isle of Man. The current HQ North West is commanded by a Colonel, as apposed to a Brigadier under 42 Inf Bde.[10]
The list of units and commands which the HQ oversees include:
- Headquarters, North West, at Fulwood Barracks, Preston[11]
- Regimental Headquarters, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, in Fulwood Barracks, Preston[11][12]
- Preston Detachment, 32 AEC Gp, at Fulwood Barracks, Preston
- Headquarters Cheshire Garrison[13]
- North West Officer Training Regiment[14]
The below list includes the Army Cadet Force units in the area, however these units are administered by the MoD, and not by the army, so are listed separately here.
- Cheshire Army Cadet Force (24 detachments)[15]
- County Headquarters, at Fox Barracks, Chester
- Normandy Company, HQ in Warrington (covering North Cheshire)
- Messines Company, HQ in Sandbach (covering Central Cheshire)
- Somme Company, HQ in Abbots Park (covering South Cheshire)
- Cumbria Army Cadet Force (17 detachments)[16]
- Arnhem Company (covering North Cumbria)
- Burma Company (covering South Cumbria)
- Chindit Company (covering West Cumbria)
- Lancashire Army Cadet Force (38 detachments)[17]
- Egypt Company (10 detachments, covering East Lancashire)
- Normandy Company (6 detachments, covering North Lancashire)
- Salerno Company (10 detachments, covering South Lancashire)
- Wingate Company (7 detachments, covering West Lancashire)
- Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force (38 detachments)[18]
- County Headquarters, in Hawkshaw
- No.1 (Minden) Company
- No.2 (Kohima) Company
- No.3 (Somme) Company
- No.4 (Korea) Company
- No.5 (Anzio) Company
- Merseyside Army Cadet Force (28 detachments)[19]
- County Headquarters, at Altcar Training Camp
- No.1 (Sangin) Company (7 detachments, in the Sefton area)
- No.2 (Kajaki) Company (7 detachments, in the Knowsley and St Helens areas)
- No.3 (Musa Qala) Company (7 detachments, in the Wirral area)
- No.4 (Kandahar) Company (7 detachments, in the Central/South Liverpool areas)
- Garmsir Company (for senior cadets across the county)
- Isle of Many Army Cadet Force (6 detachments)[20]
References[]
- ↑ "42nd (North West) Brigade : history". Ministry of Defence. http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/28635.aspx.
- ↑ Baker, Chris. "The Long Long Trail". http://www.1914-1918.net/14div.htm.
- ↑ Joslen, pp. 92, 287, 354.
- ↑ Joslen, p. 287
- ↑ "Fulwood Barracks". Lancashire Infantry Museum. http://www.lancashireinfantrymuseum.org.uk/fulwoodbarracks/.
- ↑ "BOAR 1989". http://www.fireandfury.com/orbats/modcwbritish.pdf.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Army 2020 Report". Ministry of Defence. http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/Army2020_Report_v2.pdf.
- ↑ "1st United Kingdom Division". British Army. https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/formations-divisions-brigades/1st-united-kingdom-division/.
- ↑ "Army Commands". http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Army%20Commands%201860-.pdf.
- ↑ "Headquarters North West Engagement Presentation". 22 March 2018. https://cbpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Engagement-Team-Light-by-Lt-Lee-Paddock-from-MOD-Lancashire-HR-Forum-280318.pdf.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Duke of Lancaster's Regiment" (in en-GB). https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/infantry/duke-of-lancasters-regiment/.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:28 - ↑ "The official site of the Commanding Officer 75 Engineer Regiment, Commander Cheshire Garrison and Chairman of Royal Engineer Basketball." (in en). https://twitter.com/co_75_engr_regt.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "University Officers' Training Corps". North West RFCA. https://www.nwrfca.org.uk/reserve-forces/university-officer-training-corps/#:~:text=The%20North%20West%20Officer%20Training,at%20University%20Barracks%20Boundary%20Lane. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ↑ "County Structure | Cheshire ACF" (in en). https://armycadets.com/county/cheshire-acf/about-our-county/county-structure/.
- ↑ "About our County | Cumbria ACF" (in en). https://armycadets.com/county/cumbria-acf/about-our-county/.
- ↑ "About Us | Lancashire ACF" (in en). https://armycadets.com/county/lancashire-acf/about-our-county/.
- ↑ "About Us | Greater Manchester ACF" (in en). https://armycadets.com/county/greater-manchester-acf/about-our-county/.
- ↑ "About Our County | Merseyside ACF" (in en). https://armycadets.com/county/merseyside-acf/about-our-county/.
- ↑ "About Our County | Isle Of Man ACF" (in en). https://armycadets.com/county/isle-of-man-acf/about-our-county/.
Sources[]
- 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/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2003, ISBN 1843424746.
External links[]
- 42 (North West) Brigade - on British Army official website
The original article can be found at 42nd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom) and the edit history here.