1st (United Kingdom) Division
| 1st Division 1st Armoured Division 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division 1st (United Kingdom) Division | |
|---|---|
 Divisional insignia of the division, adopted in 1983 | |
| Active | 1960[citation needed]–1992 1993–Present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry Division |
| Size | Army 2020 size – around eight brigades, including 102 Logistics Brigade |
| Part of | Field Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Imphal Barracks, York, United Kingdom |
| Anniversaries | Peninsular Day (June)[1][2] |
| Engagements | First Gulf War Iraq War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Rupert Smith |
| Insignia | |
| Insignia of the 1st Infantry Division, which was maintained through to 1983 |  |
The 1st (United Kingdom) Division, formerly known as the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division and the 1st Division, is a division of the British Army.
Cold War[]
The 1st Division was formed following the disbandment of the 1st Infantry Division and was initially based with the British Army of the Rhine at Verden an der Aller in West Germany.[3]
During the 1970s, the division consisted of two "square" brigades, the 7th Armoured Brigade and 22nd Armoured Brigade.[4] It became the 1st Armoured Division in 1976 and served with I (BR) Corps being based at Caithness and Shiel Barracks in Verden in Germany from 1978.[5] After being briefly reorganised into two "task forces" ("Alpha" and "Bravo") in the late 1970s, it consisted of the 7th Armoured Brigade, the 12th Armoured Brigade and 22nd Armoured Brigade in the 1980s.[6] The divisional badge dates from 1983, and combines the hollow red triangular "spearhead" badge of the 1st Infantry Division with the charging rhinoceros badge of 1st Armoured Division as displayed in the Second World War.[7]
Gulf War[]
The headquarters of the division was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990 to command British land forces in the Gulf War. It had the 4th Armoured Brigade and 7th Armoured Brigade under command. During the war, it came under the US VII Corps and was part of the great armoured left-hook that destroyed many Iraqi Republican Guard formations. The two brigades in the division alternated heading the advance.[8] The division participated in the Battle of Norfolk.[9] During this engagement it destroyed several companies of Iraqi T-55 tanks.[10] After 48 hours of combat, the division destroyed or isolated four Iraqi infantry divisions (the 26th, 48th, 31st, and 25th) and overran the Iraqi in several sharp engagements. The division traveled 217 miles in 97 hours. It captured or destroyed about 300 tanks[11] and a very large number of armoured personnel carriers, trucks, reconnaissance vehicles, etc.[10][12] The division also took over 7,000 Iraqi prisoners of war including two division commanders and two other general officers.[13]
1993 to 2020[]
In 1993, HQ 1st Armoured Division was disbanded and the 1st (UK) Armoured Division formed from the 4th Armoured Division. The headquarters were established at Wentworth Barracks in Herford, Germany, in 1993.[14] In 1994 it had the 4th, 7th, and 20th Armoured Brigades, each with two armoured regiments with Challenger tanks and two Warrior‐equipped armoured infantry battalions and an AS90 self‐propelled howitzer regiment.[15]
The divisional headquarters was deployed in command of the Multi-National Division (South-West) in Bosnia in 1996–1997 and 1998–1999.[16]
The Division headquarters again deployed to the Persian Gulf area in 2003. It again commanded British forces in the area, this time with three full brigades under its control. Those were 7th Armoured Brigade again, along with 16 Air Assault Brigade, and 3 Commando Brigade. In a combined arms operation, the division secured southern Iraq, including the city of Basra during the invasion. It came under I Marine Expeditionary Force during the 2003 conflict.[17]
Under Army 2020, the division was renamed 1st (United Kingdom) Division in July 2014 and given responsibility for commanding the Adaptable Force; and then in June 2015, the divisional headquarters moved to Imphal Barracks in York.[18]
Future[]
Under the Future Soldier programme, the divisional headquarters will move from their current base at Imphal Barracks in York to Catterick Garrison not before 2028.[19] In addition, the 2nd Medical Brigade (to be reduced to 2nd Medical Group) and 1st Military Police Brigade (to be reduced to 1st Royal Military Provost Group) will both move under control of Commander Field Army.[20]
Organisation[]
The brigades currently assigned to the division are:[21][22][23]
- 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East, at Peronne Lines, Catterick Garrison[24]
- 7th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters East, at Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore[25]
- 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade, at Roebuck House, Aldershot Garrison[26]
- 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh[27][non-primary source needed][28]
- 8th Engineer Brigade, at Gibraltar Barracks, Minley[29][30][31]
- 102nd Logistic Brigade, at Prince William of Gloucester Barracks, Grantham[32][33][34]
- 2nd Medical Brigade, at Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall[31][35]
- 1st Military Police Brigade, at Marlborough Lines, Andover[36][37] (since 1 December 2020)[38][39][non-primary source needed][40][non-primary source needed]
General Officers Commanding[]
- GOC 1st Division
- 1960–1961 Major-General Alan Jolly
- 1961–1963 Major-General Thomas Pearson
- 1963–1965 Major-General Miles Fitzalan-Howard
- 1965–1968 Major-General Richard Ward
- 1968–1970 Major-General Allan Taylor
- 1970–1972 Major-General Jack Harman
- 1972–1973 Major-General Edwin Bramall
- 1973–1975 Major-General John Stanier
- GOC 1st Armoured Division
- 1975–1977 Major-General David Alexander-Sinclair
- 1977–1979 Major-General Richard Lawson
- 1979–1982 Major-General Geoffrey Howlett
- 1982–1983 Major-General Brian Kenny
- 1983–1985 Major-General David Thorne
- 1985–1987 Major-General Anthony Mullens
- 1987–1989 Major-General Richard Swinburn
- 1989–1990 Major-General Roger Wheeler
- 1990–1992 Major-General Rupert Smith
- 1992–1993 Major-General Iain Mackay-Dick
- GOC 1st (UK) Armoured Division
- 1993–1994 Major General Anthony Denison-Smith
- 1994–1996 Major General Roddy Cordy-Simpson
- 1996–1998 Major General John Kiszely
- 1998–2000 Major General Redmond Watt
- 2000–2003 Major General Robin Brims
- 2003–2005 Major General Peter Wall
- 2005–2006 Major General John Cooper
- 2006–2009 Major General Graham Binns
- 2009–2011 Major General Adrian Bradshaw
- 2011–2012 Major-General James Bashall
- 2012–2014 Major-General James Chiswell
- GOC 1st (United Kingdom) Division
- 2014–2015 Major-General James Chiswell
- 2015–2017 Major-General Giles Hill
- 2017–2018 Major-General Ralph Wooddisse
- 2018–2020 Major-General Colin Weir
- 2020–Present Major-General Charles Collins
See also[]
- British Forces Germany
- British armoured formations of the Second World War
- List of British divisions in World War II
- Structure of the British Army in 1939
Notes[]
Footnotes[]
Citations[]
- ^ 1(UK)Division (14 June 2019). "1(UK)Division". Twitter. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
On Peninsular Day Headquarters Staff attended York Minster in an act of rededication to recognise the formation of the Division in 1809. It was also an opportunity to remember the sacrifices of those who went before us.
- ^ Chapman, Hannah (2 June 2018). "Army's moment of reflection at York Minster to mark Peninsular Day". The Northern Echo. Darlington, Yorkshire. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "1_Division". 1 April 2009. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009.
- ^ Watson, Graham (2005). The British Army in Germany: An Organisational History 1947–2004. Tiger Lily. p. 95. ISBN 9780972029698.
- ^ "Shiel Barracks". BAOR Locations. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ^ Black, Harvey (29 April 2014). "The Cold War Years. A Hot War in reality. Part 6".
- ^ "Badge, formation, 1st Armoured Division & 2nd Armoured Brigade". Imperial war Museum. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ Order of Battle for VII Armoured Corps, see also Cordingley, "Eye of the Storm: Commanding 7th Armoured Brigade in the Gulf War."
- ^ Bourque, p.260
- ^ a b Bourque, p.275
- ^ "Challenger 1 Main Battle Tank". Global Security. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
- ^ Bourque, p.377
- ^ Bourque P.319
- ^ "Wentworth Barracks". BAOR locations. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ^ "Land Command Shapes Up", Jane's Defence Weekly, 15 July 1995; Charles Heyman, The British Army: A Pocket Guide 1997/1998, Pen & Sword, Barnsley, 24–25.
- ^ NATO ARRC, COMARRC
- ^ 1st (UK) Armoured Division in Iraq Field Artillery, January–February 2004
- ^ "Homecoming of a Yorkshire general". The Press. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ "1 (UK) Division". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Field Army". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Army restructures to confront evolving threats". Ministry of Defence. London. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ Burgess, Sally (1 August 2019). "British Army to train cyber spies to combat hackers and digital propaganda". Sky News. London. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ Nicholls, Dominic (1 August 2019). "British Army to engage in social media warfare as new cyber division unveiled". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ "4th Infantry Brigade and HQ North East". army.mod.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ "7th Infantry Brigade and HQ East". army.mod.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "11th Infantry Brigade & HQ South East". army.mod.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Today marked the formal move of 51 Brigade and Army Headquarters Scotland from Forthside Barracks, Stirling to its new home at Redford Cavalry Barracks in Edinburgh". The Army in Scotland – Twitter. 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ at 4:56pm, Tom Sables 20 October 2020. "Is Your Military Base Closing? Read The Full List Of Sites Shutting". Forces Network. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "Regular Army basing matrix by formation and unit" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2016.
- ^ "Army 2020 Update" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2014.
- ^ a b "1st (United Kingdom) Division". army.mod.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ "102 Logistic Brigade". army.mod.uk.
- ^ "Question regarding whether 102nd Logistic Brigade HQ will disband or will the HQ continue to stay in the Field Army Order of Battle" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/. Ministry of Defence UK. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
I can advise that we still plan to rationalise Headquarters 102nd Logistic Brigade
- ^ "102 Logistic Brigade". army.mod.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ "2nd Medical Brigade". army.mod.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ "Army 2020 Refine changes since 2017" (PDF). Dropbox. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Provost Marshal (Army) & 1st Military Police Brigade". army.mod.uk. British Army. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ "1st (United Kingdom) Division". army.mod.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ "Today we realign (TACOM) to @1UKDivision We are very much looking forward at becoming part of #TeamRHINO". Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "It's great to have @1MPBrigade as part of #teamrhino". Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020 – via Twitter.
References[]
- Bourque, Stephen A. (2001). Jayhawk! The 7th Corps in the Persian Gulf War. Center of Military History, United States Army. LCCN 2001028533. OCLC 51313637.
- Bourque, Stephen A.; Burdan, John (2007). The road to Safwan the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Denton, Tex: University of North Texas Press. ISBN 9781574412321.
Further reading[]
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1st Armoured Division. |
- 1st (UK) Division – on British Army official website
- British Army Locations from 1945 British Army Locations from 1945
- Armed Forces
Coordinates: 52°07′00″N 8°41′49″E / 52.11667°N 8.69694°E
- Armoured divisions of the British Army in World War II
- British armoured divisions
- British forces in Germany
- 1939 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II
- Military units and formations established in 1960