The 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade is a brigade of the British Army which is intended to train and assist foreign forces. In 2021, under the Future Army changes, the brigade was redesignated, formerly being the 11th Infantry Brigade & HQ South East. Prior to the Army 2020 changes in 2013, the brigade was temporarily activated for deployment to Afghanistan. Originally formed in the Second Boer War, the brigade was engaged during both World Wars.
11th (Lancashire) Brigade 11th Light Brigade 11th Infantry Brigade 11th Infantry Brigade & HQ South East 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade
British Army brigades had traditionally been ad hoc formations known by the name of their commander or numbered as part of a division. However, units involved in the Second Boer War in 1899–1900 were organised into sequentially numbered brigades that were frequently reassigned between divisions. The Army Corps sent from Britain in 1899 comprised six brigades in three divisions while the troops already in South Africa were intended to constitute a fourth division. The rapid deterioration of the situation led the War Office to announce on 11 November 1899 that a 5th Division was to be formed and sent out. This consisted of the new 10th and 11th (Lancashire) Brigades and concentrated at Estcourt on 8 January 1900 for the campaign for the Relief of Ladysmith.[2][3][4]
Order of Battleedit
The 11th (Lancashire) Brigade was constituted as follows:[5]
As well as Spion Kop and Tugela Heights, the brigade served at Trichard's Drift, Tabanyama, Vaal Krantz, Wessel's Nek, Waschbank, Botha's Pass, Alleman's Nek, Volkrust, Wakkerstroom, and the advance on Standerton. However, after the defeat of the main Boer field armies and the development of guerrilla warfare, all the divisions and brigades were broken up to form ad hoc 'columns' and garrisons.[10]
Major W. A. T. B. Somerville (1 July 1916 - acting)
Brigadier-General H. C. Rees (3 July 1916)
Brigadier-General R. A. Berners (7 December 1916)
Lieutenant-Colonel F. A. W. Armitage (15 October 1917 - acting)
Brigadier-General T. S. H. Wade (21 October 1917)
Brigadier-General W. J. Webb-Bowen (19 September 1918)
Second World Waredit
The 11th Infantry Brigade was originally part of the 4th Infantry Division as it was during the First World War, serving with it during the Battle of France and was evacuated from Dunkirk in late May 1940. It remained with the division in the United Kingdom up until 6 June 1942 when it was reassigned to join 78th Infantry Division (commanded by Vyvyan Evelegh, a previous commander of the brigade) which was being newly formed to take part in Operation Torch, the Allied landings in French North Africa, as part of the British First Army (commanded by Kenneth Anderson, also a previous commander of the brigade).[17] 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.[18] It then served with 78th Division throughout the campaigns in Sicily and Italy.[19]
Order of Battleedit
During World War II the brigade comprised the following units:[20]
Headquarters, 11th Infantry Brigade & Signal Section
Lieutenant-Colonel John Alexander Mackenzie (10 October 1944 – acting)
Brigadier Gerald Ernest Thubron (23 November 1944 – 1945)
Post waredit
In January 1946, following the end of the campaign in Europe, the brigade was dissolved and its units dispersed to other brigades and commands. In 1950, the brigade was reformed in West Germany.
The organisation of the brigade during the 1950s was as follows:[27]
Brigade Headquarters, at Kingsley Barracks, Minden[28]
On 1 April 1956, the 4th Infantry Division was reformed in the BAOR, and its brigades: 10th, 11th, and 12th was reformed by conversion of the old 61st Lorried Infantry Brigade based in Minden. In 1958, following the 1957 Defence White Paper, the brigade was redesignated as 11th Infantry Brigade Group and shifted to the 2nd Division. And in 1964, the brigade was transferred to the 1st Division, sitting alongside the 7th Armoured Brigade Group. In February 1961, the brigades were reorganisation, and the infantry brigade groups became organised as equivalents of a modern brigade combat team: signal squadron, armoured regiment, 3 x infantry battalions, field artillery regiment, engineer squadron, and one AAC reconnaissance flight.[33]
The brigade's structure following its conversion to a brigade group was as follows:[34]
Brigade Headquarters, at Kingsley Barracks, Minden[28]
In November 1965, the brigades became 'brigades' once again, and dropped their 'brigade group' designations and also dropped their support units. In October 1966, just after the publication of the 1966 Defence White Paper, the 7th Armoured and 11th Infantry brigades experimented with a new brigade organisation with two armoured regiments and two 'mechanised' battalions equipped with the new FV432 armoured personnel carrier. With the increasing availability of the new vehicle, all of the infantry battalions within the BAOR were to become mechanised.[33]
The brigade's structure just before conversion was as follows:[41]
Brigade Headquarters, at Kingsley Barracks, Minden[28]
As a result of the above defence white paper and experimentations, the BAOR was completely reorganised with the 11th Infantry Brigade becoming an armoured formation in the end of 1970. The new formation, 11th Armoured Brigade, was reformed, thus ending the infantry lineage.[33][41]
Twenty-first centuryedit
Afghanistanedit
On 15 October 2007, Helmand Task Force 11 formed its planning cell at Aldershot Garrison, expanding into 11th Light Brigade in November 2007 for deployment to Afghanistan (Operation Herrick). The brigade was stood up alongside 52nd Infantry Brigade thus providing the Army with two infantry brigades available for deployment to either Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) or Iraq (Operation Telic).[46][47][48]
On 10 October 2009, the brigade deployed to Helmand Province, replacing 19th Light Brigade and would remain until April 2010.[46][49] The brigade's order of battle on deployment to Afghanistan was as follows alongside the formation they had been part of:[46][49][50]
In 2017, a supplement to the Army 2020 programme was announced entitled the Army 2020 Refine which reversed many of the unit-level changes. In addition to the unit level changes, several of the regional brigades formed under the initial Army 2020 programme were disbanded or reduced to Colonel-level commands. In 2019, a Field Army reorganisation saw these brigades lose their units permanently with the following changes occurring to the former units: Grenadier Guards and Welsh Guards transferred to London District (on rotation) and replaced by the Coldstream Guards and Irish Guards respectively, Royal Gurkha Rifles moved to 16th Air Assault Brigade, The London Regiment transferred to London District, and the 3rd Royal Welsh moved to the 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade.[56][57]
Under the changes, the Coldstream and Irish Guards moved from London District, the 3rd Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment moved from 7th Infantry Brigade, and the 1st and 2nd Battalions, Royal Irish Regiment moved from 160th (Welsh) Brigade.[58]
In 2019 with the brigade completely reorganised, its structure was now as follows by the end of 2021:[56][57][58]
Brigade Headquarters, at Taurus House, Aldershot Garrison
1st Battalion, Irish Guards, at Lille Barracks, Aldershot Garrison (Light Mechanised Infantry with Foxhound armoured cars)
2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (Army Reserve), HQ at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn
11th Security Force Assistance Brigadeedit
On 30 November 2021, the Future Soldier changes were announced, and the brigade will transition from an infantry brigade into a security force assistance formation. In late 2021, the brigade was renamed as 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade, dropping its regional commitments, and will reorganise by 2022. The brigade's mission was described as follows:[60]
The 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade draws on personnel and expertise from across the Army, to build the capacity of allied and partner nations. Routinely deployed around the world, Security Force Assistance units contribute to conflict prevention and resilience at an early stage. This activity is underpinned by the Defence's global foundation.
The brigade headquarters will remain in Aldershot, drop its regional commitments, and unit moves will be as follows: Coldstream Guards move to 4th Light Brigade Combat Team (BCT) – formerly 4th Infantry Brigade & HQ North East; 2nd Royal Irish Regiment move to 19th Reserve Brigade – a new formation; 3rd Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment moved to 20th Armoured BCT as mechanised infantry; 1st Royal Irish Regiment moves to 16th Air Assault Brigade as 'light strike reconnaissance infantry'; and the Irish Guards will remain part of the brigade. The following units will join the brigade in 2022: The Black Watch (3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland) from 51st Infantry Brigade; 1st Royal Anglian Regiment from British Forces Cyprus (will join on return from Cyprus in 2023); 3rd The Rifles joins in 2024 from 51st Infantry Brigade; 4th Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment joins from 7th Infantry Brigade; and finally the Outreach and Cultural Support Group will join from 77th Brigade.[61]
The brigade's structure by 2025 will therefore be as follows:[61]
Brigade Headquarters, at Taurus House, Aldershot Garrison
1st Battalion, Irish Guards, at Lille Barracks, Aldershot Garrison
^Mackie, Colin (1 July 2020). "Generals July 2020". gulabin.com. Colin Mackie. Retrieved 10 July 2020. Brigadier Benjamin J. Cattermole (late Royal Scots Dragoon Guards): Commander, 11th Infantry Brigade and HQ South East, June 2020[permanent dead link]
^ abOfficial War Diary of the 11th Infantry Brigade in the 4th Division. Vol. I. France and Flanders. 18 Aug. 1914-14 Feb. 1915. (BL Add. MS. 48355). 1915.
^"Campaign for North Africa". Retrieved 20 December 2014.
^"The Tunisia Campaign Replay By ER Bickford" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
^"The Italian Campaign". 28 March 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
^ ab"11 Light Brigade to replace 19 Light Brigade in Afghanistan". Ministry of Defence News. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 16 July 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
^"Thousands honour 11 Light Brigade in Winchester". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^"Parliament honours soldiers for work in Afghanistan". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ ab"Transforming the British Army an Update" (PDF). United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications. Ministry of Defence. July 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ ab"Regular Army Basing Matrix by Formation and Unit" (PDF). Army Families Federation. 29 July 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ ab"Regular Army Basing Plan sorted by Unit, Current Location, and Future Location" (PDF). United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications. Ministry of Defence. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ ab"11th Security Force Assistance Brigade". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ ab"Freedom of Information Act request regarding changes under the Army 2020 Refine down to battalion level" (PDF). United Kingdom Parliamentary Publications. Ministry of Defence. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ ab"Freedom of Information Act request regarding 1st (UK) Division changes under the Field Army reorganisation" (PDF). What do they know?. Ministry of Defence. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^"Last week 11th Infantry Brigade - The Charging Bulls said a fond farewell to Brigadier Tom Bateman CBE". Facebook. Army in the South East. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^"11 Security Force Assistance Brigade". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ ab"Future Soldier Guide" (PDF). British Army Website. British Army. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^"What is a Typical Morning in the Army? | Infantry Platoon Commander". YouTube. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
^"1 Royal Anglian 'the Vikings' are Moving to Cyprus!". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
^"Royal Anglian Regiment". Royal Anglian Regiment. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
^"Russia-Ukraine war: UK training programme gets under way". BBC News. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
Referencesedit
L.S. Amery (ed), The Times History of the War in South Africa 1899-1902, London: Sampson Low, Marston, 7 Vols 1900–09.
Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 1: The Regular British Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1934/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-38-X.
Col John K. Dunlop, The Development of the British Army 1899–1914, London: Methuen, 1938.
Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/London: London Stamp Exchange, 1990, ISBN 0-948130-03-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6.
Watson, Graham E.; Rinaldi, Richard A. (2005). The British Army in Germany (British Army of the Rhine and After): An Organisational History 1947–2004. United Kingdom: Tiger Lily Publications LLC. ISBN 978-0972029698.
Mackinlay, Gordon Angus (2007). "A Moment in Time", The British Army at a Moment in Time – 1 July 2007: A Look at and from it of the makeup of the Regular and Territorial Army. Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom: University of East Anglia.