History

First formed in 1908 as the 145th Infantry Brigade, the brigade, together with 143 Brigade and 144 Brigade eventually formed the 48th (South Midland) Division

British 48th (South Midland) Division

The British 48th Division was a Territorial Force division. Originally called the 'South Midland Division', it was redesignated as the 48th Division in 1915.- 1914 - 1918 :...

 in Second Army

British Second Army

The British Second Army was active during both the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front and in Italy...

 during World War I. The brigade was in continuous service in France until the Armistice in 1918 when it was disbanded. During this period it was composed of four infantry battalions:

• 1/5th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment
  The Gloucestershire Regiment
  The Gloucestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed "The Glorious Glosters", the regiment carried more battle honours on their regimental colours than any other British Army line regiment.-Origins and early history:...
  
   (until September 1918)
• 1/4th Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
• 1/1st (Buckinghamshire) Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
• 1/4th Battalion, Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment)

The Brigade saw action in France at the start of the Second World War as part of I Corps. Following its withdrawal, it became a training formation in the UK until it was again disbanded in 1945.

In 1995, 145 Brigade was reformed through the renaming of Aldershot Area, part of the old South-Eastern District, assuming responsibility for all army units in the Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. In doing so it joined 4th Division

British 4th Infantry Division

The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...

. It was given the title 'Home Counties', with its most known component being the Royal Rifle Volunteers. As the wild roebuck deer was common to all counties it was adopted as the Brigade emblem.

The Present

It became 145 (South) Brigade in 2007 and currently has its headquarters in Aldershot

Aldershot

Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...

, Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 . It administers the counties of Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

, Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

, Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

 and the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

. It also directly commands Regular Army and Territorial Army (TA) soldiers and Army cadets

Army Cadet Force

The Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...

. These comprise one TA infantry battalion (7 Rifles), two University Officers' Training Corps (Oxford and Southampton Universities) and four Army County Cadet Forces.

The Brigade is involved in supporting local authorities and emergency services and is involved in contingency planning. Soldiers from the Brigade area of responsibility assist in times of need. Soldiers from the Royal Logistic Corps at Deepcut cleared emergency access at Frimley Park Hospital during the snowfall in January 2011.

The Brigade places huge emphasis on working with local communities and the brigade community engagement teams aim is to maximise opportunities to integrate the Armed Forces with local society. The counties within the 145 (South) Brigade area have more than 36,000 personnel living and working in them; 15,000 Army personnel, 10,000 Royal Air Force and 11,000 Royal Navy.

The Brigade moved into a new headquarters building, named Roebuck House, in November 2011. The building will be officially opened in 2012.

External links

• Official site for 145 (South) Brigade
• Official site for 7th Battalion, The Rifles
• (http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/CommunityEngagement/145XBrigade/ Official site for 145 (South) Brigade Community Engagement