11th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

The 11th Infantry Brigade was a British Army regular formation that served in both the First and Second World Wars. Deactivated in 1958 it was reactivated in 2008 to assume command of the planned Operation Herrick deployment to Afghanistan in late 2009.

Second World War
The 11th Infantry Brigade was originally part of the 4th Infantry Division, serving with it during the Battle of France in 1940 and then in the United Kingdom up until 6 June 1942 when it was re-assigned to join 78th Infantry Division (commanded by Vivyan Evelegh, a previous commander of the brigade) which was being newly formed to take part in Operation Torch as part of the First Army (commanded by Kenneth Anderson, also a previous commander of the brigade). The brigade landed in North Africa at Algiers in November 1942 and fought with 78th Division throughout the Tunisian Campaign which ended with the Axis surrender in May 1943. It then served with 78th Division throughout the campaigns in Sicily and Italy (except for a period of rest and training in Egypt between July and October 1944), ending the war with crossing the Italian border into Austria.

Following World War II the Brigade was again active with the 4th Infantry Division in I (BR) Corps in Germany from at least 1956 to 1958.

Commanders

 * Brig. Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson: 1938 - 1940
 * Brig. Brian Horrocks: 1940
 * Brig. J.M.L. Grover: 1940 - 1941
 * Brig. Vyvyan Evelegh: 1941
 * Brig. Guy Francis Gough: 1941 - 1942
 * Brig. E.E.E. Cass: 1942 - 1943
 * Brig. Keith Arbuthnott: 1943 - 1944
 * Brig. John Alexander Mackenzie: 1944
 * Brig. Gerald Ernest Thubron: 1944 - 1945

Component units

 * 1st Bn. The East Surrey Regiment
 * 1st Bn. Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
 * 2nd Bn. The Lancashire Fusiliers
 * 5th Bn. The Northamptonshire Regiment

21st century
In 2008, it was announced that 11 Light Brigade would be reformed to assume command of the planned Operation Herrick deployment to Afghanistan in late 2009. The Brigade is headquartered in Aldershot and is formed using units from existing formations. It was disbanded in 2010 on its return from Afghanistan, with its component units returning to their previous formations.


 * 11 Light Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron (261)
 * The Household Cavalry Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards
 * 3rd Battalion, The Rifles
 * 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Royal Welch Fusiliers)
 * A Company, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Royal Regiment Of Wales)
 * 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th & 33rd/76th Foot) (Green Howards)
 * 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
 * 28 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers
 * 10 Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment

During the Brigades deployment in Helmand, Afghanistan, it also commanded a Danish Battalion from the Royal Danish Guard Hussar Regiment with its own logistical detachment. The Brigade has now disbanded.