British 5th Infantry Brigade
Encyclopedia
The 5th Infantry Brigade was a regular British Army
formation from the First World War to disbandment in 1999.
. It served in France
in 1940, was evacuated to Britain
from Dunkirk and remained in Britain until 10 April 1942 when it was shipped out to India
. The 5th Brigade served with the 2nd Infantry Division in the Burma Campaign
under General Sim's Fourteenth Army.
until 1964, when the Brigade Group was released to bolster the strategic reserve. It arrived in Borneo
in October 1965 to take control of Mid West Sector, but by 1968 it was back in the United Kingdom
as part of the 3rd Infantry Division
. It did a tour in Northern Ireland
during the early part of the Troubles
. In the early 1980s the Field Force concept was dropped in favour of traditional Brigades, 5th Infantry Brigade was reformed at Aldershot in 1981 by the redesignation of 8th Field Force. The Brigade consisted of the former elements of the Parachute Contingency Force (PCF) from 6 Field Force (which became the 1st Infantry Brigade), at the time 2 PARA, together with a second Parachute Battalion from 8 Field Force (3 PARA).
in 1982 as the follow-on force to 3rd Commando Brigade. Having had its two Parachute Regiment battalions withdrawn to reinforce 3 Commando Brigade it was hurriedly reconstituted with two Guards battalions pulled from Public duties
in London. The final order of battle included:
it was converted into 5th Airborne Brigade, this included the 2 battalions of the Parachute Regiment together with additional parachute support elements and a small parachute deployable Brigade HQ. 7 Para Regiment RHA
returned from Germany and was converted to an airborne unit and a Brigade Logistic Battalion was formed. In that form was merged with 24 Airmobile Brigade to produce 16 Air Assault Brigade from 1 September 1999.
4th Field Regiment (Royal Artillery 1977 - 1983)
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
formation from the First World War to disbandment in 1999.
History
During both World War I and the Second World War the 5th Brigade was part of the 2nd Infantry DivisionBritish 2nd Infantry Division
The 2nd Division is a regular division of the British army, with a long history. It dates its existence as a permanently embodied formation from 1809, when it was established by Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley , as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War...
. It served in France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in 1940, was evacuated to Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
from Dunkirk and remained in Britain until 10 April 1942 when it was shipped out to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The 5th Brigade served with the 2nd Infantry Division in the Burma Campaign
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
under General Sim's Fourteenth Army.
Component Units
-
- World War II
- 1st Bn. Queen's Own Cameron HighlandersQueen's Own Cameron HighlandersThe Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders...
- 2nd Bn. The Dorsetshire Regiment
- 2nd Bn. The Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Until 5th Feb.1940)
- 7th Bn. The Worcestershire Regiment
Commanders
- Brig. G.L. Gartlan
- Brig. C.G. Phillips
- Brig. J.R.T. Aldous
- Brig. R.V.C. Cavendish
- Brig. V.F.S. Hawkins
- Brig. M.M. Alston-Roberts-West
Post 1945
Following the war it was part of the British Army of the RhineBritish Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
until 1964, when the Brigade Group was released to bolster the strategic reserve. It arrived in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
in October 1965 to take control of Mid West Sector, but by 1968 it was back in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as part of the 3rd Infantry Division
British 3rd Infantry Division
The 3rd Mechanised Division, known at various times as the Iron Division, 3rd Division or as Iron Sides; is a regular army division of the British Army...
. It did a tour in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
during the early part of the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. In the early 1980s the Field Force concept was dropped in favour of traditional Brigades, 5th Infantry Brigade was reformed at Aldershot in 1981 by the redesignation of 8th Field Force. The Brigade consisted of the former elements of the Parachute Contingency Force (PCF) from 6 Field Force (which became the 1st Infantry Brigade), at the time 2 PARA, together with a second Parachute Battalion from 8 Field Force (3 PARA).
Falklands War
The Brigade was sent to the FalklandsFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
in 1982 as the follow-on force to 3rd Commando Brigade. Having had its two Parachute Regiment battalions withdrawn to reinforce 3 Commando Brigade it was hurriedly reconstituted with two Guards battalions pulled from Public duties
Public duties
Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role.-Germany:...
in London. The final order of battle included:
- 1st Battalion, Welsh GuardsWelsh GuardsThe Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
- 2nd Battalion, Scots GuardsScots GuardsThe Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
- 1st Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha RiflesThe 7th Gurkha Rifles started as a regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence.-Formation:...
- 1 troop of the Blues and RoyalsBlues and RoyalsThe Blues and Royals is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel-in-Chief is Her Majesty The Queen and the Colonel is HRH The Princess Royal...
5th Airborne Brigade
Following the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
it was converted into 5th Airborne Brigade, this included the 2 battalions of the Parachute Regiment together with additional parachute support elements and a small parachute deployable Brigade HQ. 7 Para Regiment RHA
7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It serves in the field artillery role with 16 Air Assault Brigade, and is equipped with the L118 Light Gun.- History :...
returned from Germany and was converted to an airborne unit and a Brigade Logistic Battalion was formed. In that form was merged with 24 Airmobile Brigade to produce 16 Air Assault Brigade from 1 September 1999.
5th Airborne Brigade Order of Battle
- HQ 5 Airborne Brigade
- 89 Abn Intelligence Section, Intelligence Corps
- No1 Air Force Liaison Section
- 2x ParachuteParachuteA parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
Battalions - 1x InfantryInfantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
Battalion - 1x GurkhaGurkhaGurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
BattalionBattalionA battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel... - 1x Armoured Recce Regiment Life GuardsLife Guards (British Army)The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
/ The Blues & Royals - 7 (Para) Regiment, Royal Horse ArtilleryRoyal Horse ArtilleryThe regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
4th Field Regiment (Royal Artillery 1977 - 1983)
- 36 Engineer Regiment Royal EngineersRoyal EngineersThe Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
- 9 Para Squadron RE
- 20 Sqn RE
- 50 Field ConstructionConstructionIn the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
Sqn RE - 61 Field Support Sqn RE
- HQ & Signal Sgn Royal Signals
- Det 224 Signal Sqn Royal Signals
- 658 AviationAviationAviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
Sqn Army Air Corps - 23 Parachute Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical CorpsRoyal Army Medical CorpsThe Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
- 160 Provost Company Royal Military PoliceRoyal Military PoliceThe Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK, and whilst service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises.Members of the RMP are generally known as...
- 613 Tactical Air Control Party RAF
- 614 Tactical Air Control Party RAF
- The Royal Pioneer Corps
Logistic Battalion
- 63 Abn Squadron Royal Corps of TransportRoyal Corps of TransportThe Royal Corps of Transport was a British Army Corps formed in 1965 from the transport elements of the Royal Army Service Corps and the movement control element of the Royal Engineers . The depot was Buller Barracks in Aldershot...
/ Royal Logistic CorpsRoyal Logistic CorpsThe Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength... - 82 Abn Ordnance Company Royal Army Ordnance CorpsRoyal Army Ordnance CorpsThe Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
/ Royal Logistic Corps - 10 Abn Workshop Royal Electrical & Mechanical EngineersRoyal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersThe Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
Territorial Army Enhancement
- 4 Para (V) - HQ Pudsey
- 10 Para (V) - HQ London
- 15 Para (SV) - HQ Glasgow
- 210(V) Sgn Royal Corps of Transport/Royal Logistics Corps
- 163 Provost Company (V) Royal Military PoliceRoyal Military PoliceThe Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK, and whilst service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises.Members of the RMP are generally known as...
External links
- Gregory Blaxland, The Regiments Depart, 1971
- http://orbat.com/site/history/historical/falklands/ - Includes 5 Brigade's order of battle in the Falklands