British 52nd Infantry Brigade
Encyclopedia
The 52nd Infantry Brigade is a Scottish
formation in the British Army
. It was formed and disbanded several times during the 20th Century.
, until May 1919 when it was disbanded.
The Brigade was reformed in September 1943 as a training formation for jungle warfare
reinforcements. It was redesignated as Headquarters Training Group on 1 August 1945, and then disbanded later, possibly in 1946.
. It was initially deployed to Gallipoli
during World War I, sent to the Middle East
, and moved to France
in March 1918. It was later reformed in the Territorial Army in the interwar period.
During World War II
it was deployed to France with the British Expeditionary Force
, the Division was evacuated
along with rest of the army from Dunkirk, and then trained before D-Day as both an airlanding and a mountain division. However, it was deployed to mainland Europe finally in November 1944 as a conventional infantry formation and fought in North Western Europe for the remainder of the war.
re-raised the 51st/52nd Scottish Division in the late 1940s, which was in existence until the TA was disbanded and reorganised as the TAVR in 1967. In 1968 the Division was split into two brigade level districts based in the Highlands and Lowlands, with the Lowland District Headquarters in Hamilton
, near Glasgow
.
The Brigade was reformed in 1982 from that Lowland District, as 52nd (Lowland) Brigade. As 52 Lowland Brigade it consisted of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers
, as well as other TA units in the Scottish Lowlands.
The Brigade was retitled 52 Infantry Brigade on 1 April 2002, taking command of Regular Army units in Scotland and the North West of England
and giving up its regional and TA responsibilities to 51 Scottish Brigade
.
This freed 52 Brigade to parent regular light role battalions for operational deployments. However this role for the Brigade was only used for 1 deployment to Afghanisatn in 2007/08 and since the Brigade has returned to once again focus on more Regional tasks including being a Regional Training Centre and involvement in the Edinburgh Tattoo.
The headquarters of 52 Infantry Brigade is currently located at Edinburgh's Redford Barracks
, with some administrative functions located in the New Barrack Block at Edinburgh Castle
.
and Edinburgh Castle
and the following units:
would provide the command element for the UK Task Force on Operation Herrick VII
in Afghanistan
. They served in Afghanistan between September 7 and March 8, and were relieved in spring 2008 by 16 Air Assault Brigade. During the time that the Brigade were in Afghanistan, they successfully retook the strategic Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala
. Brigadier MacKay subsequently received a CBE for his work.
Fatal Casualties Operation Herrick
VII
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
formation in 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...
. It was formed and disbanded several times during the 20th Century.
History
It began its existence in September 1914 as a formation of the 17th (Northern) Division during the First World War. It spent the whole war with the Division on the Western FrontWestern 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...
, until May 1919 when it was disbanded.
The Brigade was reformed in September 1943 as a training formation for jungle warfare
Jungle warfare
Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain.It has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for both sides in many conflicts, including World War II and the...
reinforcements. It was redesignated as Headquarters Training Group on 1 August 1945, and then disbanded later, possibly in 1946.
52nd (Lowland) Division
However the dominant historical threads behind the current 52nd Infantry Brigade comes from the famed 52nd Lowland DivisionBritish 52nd (Lowland) Division
The British 52nd Division was a Territorial Army division that was originally formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908.- World War I :...
. It was initially deployed to Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
during World War I, sent to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in March 1918. It was later reformed in the Territorial Army in the interwar period.
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 deployed to France with the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
, the Division was evacuated
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
along with rest of the army from Dunkirk, and then trained before D-Day as both an airlanding and a mountain division. However, it was deployed to mainland Europe finally in November 1944 as a conventional infantry formation and fought in North Western Europe for the remainder of the war.
Reformed
The Territorial Army in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
re-raised the 51st/52nd Scottish Division in the late 1940s, which was in existence until the TA was disbanded and reorganised as the TAVR in 1967. In 1968 the Division was split into two brigade level districts based in the Highlands and Lowlands, with the Lowland District Headquarters in Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
, near Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
The Brigade was reformed in 1982 from that Lowland District, as 52nd (Lowland) Brigade. As 52 Lowland Brigade it consisted of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers
52nd Lowland Regiment
The 52nd Lowland Regiment now forms the 6th Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile association with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the senior Territorial line infantry battalion in the British Army...
, as well as other TA units in the Scottish Lowlands.
The Brigade was retitled 52 Infantry Brigade on 1 April 2002, taking command of Regular Army units in Scotland and the North West of 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...
and giving up its regional and TA responsibilities to 51 Scottish Brigade
British 51st Infantry Brigade
The British 51st Infantry Brigade is currently known as 51 Brigade, part of the 2nd Division. It is currently the regional administrative formation responsible for all the units of the Territorial Army based in Scotland. It is the largest Regional Brigade in the United Kingdom in terms of...
.
This freed 52 Brigade to parent regular light role battalions for operational deployments. However this role for the Brigade was only used for 1 deployment to Afghanisatn in 2007/08 and since the Brigade has returned to once again focus on more Regional tasks including being a Regional Training Centre and involvement in the Edinburgh Tattoo.
The headquarters of 52 Infantry Brigade is currently located at Edinburgh's Redford Barracks
Redford Barracks
Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks are located on Colinton Road, near the Edinburgh City Bypass, east of the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland....
, with some administrative functions located in the New Barrack Block at Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
.
Component units today
The Brigade consists today of the Brigade HQ which is split between Redford BarracksRedford Barracks
Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks are located on Colinton Road, near the Edinburgh City Bypass, east of the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland....
and Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
and the following units:
- 52 Infantry Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron (258 Signal Squadron)
- Royal Scots BorderersRoyal Scots BorderersThe Royal Scots Borderers is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.Two infantry regiments ; the Royal Scots and the King's Own Scottish Borderers merged on the 28 March 2006, and with the other Scottish infantry regiments amalgamated into the single seven battalion strong Royal...
, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area... - Royal Highland FusiliersRoyal Highland FusiliersThe Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
, 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, PenicuikPenicuikPenicuik is a burgh and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. The town was developed as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik. It became a burgh in 1867. The town was well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed in 2005.... - Black WatchBlack WatchThe Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
, 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, InvernessInvernessInverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland... - 2nd Battalion Yorkshire RegimentYorkshire RegimentThe Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
, Preston - 3rd Battalion The RiflesThe RiflesThe Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
, EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
Operation Herrick VII
In July 2007, it was announced that 52 Infantry Brigade, under the command of Brigadier Andrew MackayAndrew Mackay (British Army officer)
Major-General Andrew Douglas Mackay CBE is a former British Army officer who commanded 2nd Division.-Military career:Mackay was an Inspector in the Royal Hong Kong Police for three years before he was commissioned into the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1982...
would provide the command element for the UK Task Force on Operation Herrick VII
Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. It consists of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and support to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. They served in Afghanistan between September 7 and March 8, and were relieved in spring 2008 by 16 Air Assault Brigade. During the time that the Brigade were in Afghanistan, they successfully retook the strategic Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala
Battle of Musa Qala
The Battle of Musa Qala was a military action in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, launched by the Afghan National Army and the International Security Assistance Force against the Taliban on 7 December 2007. After three days of intense fighting, the Taliban retreated into the mountains on...
. Brigadier MacKay subsequently received a CBE for his work.
Fatal Casualties Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. It consists of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and support to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom...
VII
- Major Alexis Roberts, 2nd Battalion Royal Gurkha RiflesRoyal Gurkha RiflesThe Royal Gurkha Rifles is a regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The Royal Gurkha Rifles are now the sole infantry regiment of the British Army Gurkhas...
, 04/10/2007 - Captain John McDermid, Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, 18/11/2007
- Trooper Jack Sadler, Honourable Artillery CompanyHonourable Artillery CompanyThe Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...
, attached Brigade reconnaissance force, 04/12/2007 - Sergeant Lee Johnson, Yorkshire RegimentYorkshire RegimentThe Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
, 08/12/2007 - Corporal Darryl Gardiner, Royal Electrical and 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...
, attached Brigade reconnaissance force , 20/01/2008 - Corporal Damian Lawrence, Yorkshire RegimentYorkshire RegimentThe Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
, 17/02/2008 - Corporal Sean Vivolino 36 Engineer Regiment
- Sapper Jake Alderton 36 Engineer Regiment