The 1st Infantry Brigade was an infantry formation of the British Army

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...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It was formed in 1940 from battalions of the Royal West African Frontier Force

Royal West African Frontier Force

The West African Frontier Force was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. The decision to raise this force was taken in 1897 because of concern at French colonial...

 and served in the East African campaign against the Italians and against the Japanese in Burma.

History

The 1st (West Africa) Infantry Brigade was originally raised in 1940 as the 3rd (Nigerian) Brigade. In this guise it was involved in the East African Campaign

East African Campaign (World War II)

The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....

 against the forces of the Italian Colonial Empire in Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

 under the command of Brigadier Gerard Russell Smallwood

Gerard Russell Smallwood

Gerald Russell Smallwood was an officer in the British Army during World War II.In 1939, at the outbreak of war, Brigadier Smallwood commanded the Nigerian Brigade. By 1940, his brigade was named the 3rd Nigerian Brigade. In July 1940, under the terms of a war contingency plan, the 3rd Nigerian...

. Later it was renamed the 23rd (Nigerian) Brigade and was attached to the 1st (African) Division

1st (African) Division

The 1st Division was a British Empire colonial unit during World War II. The division was formed on 24 July 1940 in East Africa. On 24 November of that year, the division was re-designated as the British Army's 11th Division. The division were composed primarily of West African and East African...

. In February 1941, the 23rd (Nigerian) Brigade took the Italian Somaliland capital of Mogadishu

Mogadishu

Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....

, before it participated in the reoccupation of British Somaliland later in the year.

In 1944 the Brigade was attached to the 82nd (West Africa) Division

82nd (West Africa) Division

The 82nd Division was formed under British control during World War II. It took part in the later stages of the Burma Campaign and was disbanded in Burma between May and September 1946.-Formation:...

 and renamed the 1st (West Africa) Infantry Brigade. In this same year it sailed for Ceylon, where the complete division was assembled on July 20. They then moved to Burma and took part in the third Arakan campaign in December 1944.

During this camapaign, the Brigade first advanced south along the Kalapanzin valley, then crossed a steep and jungle-covered mountain range to converge with the British 81st (West Africa) Division on Myohaung at the mouth of the Kaladan River

Kaladan River

The Kaladan River is a river in eastern Mizoram State of India, and in Chin State and Rakhine State of western Myanmar. It forms the international border between India and Burma between 22° 47′ 10" N and 22° 11′ 06" N.-Geography:The river arises in central Chin State as the Timit, 22° 49′ 28″ N ...

. This move forced the Japanese to evacuate the Mayu peninsula which they had held for almost four years, and retreat south along the coast. They continued to advance maintaining pressure, on the Japanese capturing the port of Gwa

GWA

GWA may stand for:* Genome-wide association study* George Walton Academy, a college preparatory school.* Georgia Writers Association* God's Wife of Amun* Google Web Accelerator, a software utility* GWA International Limited, an Australian company...

 shortly before the Japanese abandoned Burma.

Formations

The 1st (West Africa) Infantry Brigade was made up of the following units:

• 1st Bn., The Nigeria Regiment
  Nigeria Regiment
  The Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force, was formed by the amalgamation of the Northern Nigeria Regiment and the Southern Nigeria Regiment on January 1 1914...
  
  ;
• 2nd Bn., The Nigeria Regiment;
• 3rd Bn., The Nigeria Regiment;
• 52nd (Nigeria) Light Battery West African Artillery;
• 51st (Nigeria) Field Company, West African Engineers.