British 32nd Infantry Brigade (Guards)
Encyclopedia
The 32nd Infantry Brigade was a British Army
formation from World War I
to after World War II
.
, a New Army
formation which served at Gallipoli
and on the Western Front
during World War I.
, but did not see active service until it arrived in Normandy
on 25 June 1944. It fought throughout the campaign in North West Europe
.
. The Brigade was moved from Cyprus
to reinforce the British forces in the Canal Zone
in February 1952, but was later disbanded by being redesignated 29th Infantry Brigade.
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 World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to after 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...
.
World War I
The Brigade was raised originally as the 32nd Infantry Brigade, part of the 11th (Northern) DivisionBritish 11th (Northern) Division
The British 11th Division, was one of the Kitchener's Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener, it fought at Gallipoli and the Western Front during the First World War...
, a New Army
Kitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, Kitchener's Mob, was an all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in the First World War...
formation which served at Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
and on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
during World War I.
Component Units during World War I
- 9th Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment)
- 6th Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales Own (Yorkshire Regiment)
- 6th Battalion, The York and Lancaster Regiment
- 2nd Battalion Alexandra, Princess of Wales Own (Yorkshire Regiment)
World War II
The Brigade was reformed as 32nd Guards Brigade on 1 October 1941, joining the Guards Armoured DivisionBritish Guards Armoured Division
The Guards Armoured Division was a Second World War British Army formation.The Guards Armoured Division was formed on 17 June 1941. The division remained in the United Kingdom, training, until 26 June 1944, when it landed in Normandy as part of VIII Corps...
, but did not see active service until it arrived in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
on 25 June 1944. It fought throughout the campaign in North West Europe
Western Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
.
Component Units during World War II
- 5th Bn, Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
- 1st Bn, 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...
- 3rd Bn, Irish GuardsIrish GuardsThe Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
- 2nd Bn, 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...
Commanders
Its commanding officers in World War II included:- Brigadier L. Bootle-Wilbraham
- Brigadier G.L. VerneyGerald Lloyd-VerneyMajor-General Gerald Lloyd-Verney DSO & Bar MVO was a British Army officer who commanded 7th Armoured Division during World War II. He changed his name by Deed poll from Gerald Lloyd Verney to Gerald Lloyd-Verney in 1941....
- Brigadier J.C.O. MarriottJohn Charles Oakes MarriottMajor-General Sir John Charles Oakes Marriott, KCVO, CB, DSO and Bar, MC was a British Army officer during World War I and World War II.-Military career:Marriott was commissioned into the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1914....
- Brigadier G.F. JohnsonGeorge Johnson (British Army officer)Major-General Sir George Frederick Johnson KCVO CB CBE DSO was Major-General commanding the Household Brigade and General Officer Commanding London District.-Military career:Johnson was commissioned into the Scots Guards in 1925...
- Lieutenant-Colonel J.C. Windsor-Lewis
- Brigadier J.O.E. VandeleurJohn Ormsby Evelyn VandeleurBrigadier John Ormsby Evelyn 'JOE' Vandeleur DSO and Bar, ON was a British Army officer who served in the Second World War.-Early life:...
Postwar
The Brigade was reraised in the early 1950s and joined the 3rd Infantry DivisionBritish 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...
. The Brigade was moved from Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
to reinforce the British forces in the Canal Zone
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
in February 1952, but was later disbanded by being redesignated 29th Infantry Brigade.