The 42nd Armoured Division was an armoured division of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

raised during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

History

War Service

The division was formed in late 1941 by converting the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division.Joslen, p. 42 The 42nd Division was a 1st Line Territorial Army (TA) infantry formation that saw service in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...

and was evacuated at Dunkirk in June 1940.Joslen, p. 68 The division was converted on 1 November 1941 into an armoured division. The division's first commander was

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Miles C. Dempsey. However, the division was not posted overseasChappell, p. 15 and its divisional headquarters was disbanded on 17 October 1943; the division's infantry was assigned to the

53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought in both the First and Second World Wars. Originally raised in 1908 as the Welsh Division, part of the Territorial Force (TF), the division saw service ...

and its armour to the 79th Armoured Division.

General Officer Commanding

Two men served as the General Officer Commanding of the 42nd Armoured Division: *

Miles Dempsey General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey, (15 December 1896 – 5 June 1969) was a senior British Army officer who served in both world wars. During the Second World War he commanded the Second Army in north west Europe. A highly professional an ...

: November 1941-December 1942Joslen, p. 29 * Major-General John Aldam Aizlewood: December 1942-October 1943

Order of battle

10th Armoured Brigade

108th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps The 108th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (The Lancashire Fusiliers) (108 RAC) was an armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps during World War II. Origin and traditions 108th Regiment RAC was formed at Barnard Castle on 1 Nove ...

( Lancashire Fusiliers) *

109th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps 109th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (The Lancashire Fusiliers) (109 RAC) was an armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps during World War II. Origin 109th Regiment RAC was formed on 1 November 1941 by the conversion to the arm ...

(Lancashire Fusiliers) * 143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (Lancashire Fusiliers) * 13th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry On 1 November 1941, the 10th Armoured Brigade was converted from the 125th Infantry Brigade, of three battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers, and was attached to the 42nd Armoured Division. It comprised the 108 RAC (previously 1/5th Battalion), 109 RAC (1/6th Battalion) and 143 RAC (9th Battalion). On 25 July 1942, the brigade was converted again into the 10th Tank Brigade and finally disbanded on 25 November 1943. The 10th Armoured Brigade did not see active service as a unit and was broken up in late 1943.

11th Armoured Brigade

* 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps ( King's Own) * 110th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (

Border Regiment The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. After service i ...

) * 111th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th ...

) * 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry

42nd Support Group

* 1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment *

147th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery The Essex Yeomanry was a Reserve unit of the British Army that originated in 1797 as local Yeomanry Cavalry Troops in Essex. Reformed after the experience gained in the Second Boer War, it saw active service as cavalry in World War I and as ...

* 53rd (Worcestershire and Oxfordshire Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery * 93rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery In the early days of the Second World War the support group (or Pivot Group as it was sometimes known) was what its name suggested. It provided whatever support the armoured brigades needed to the operation in hand, being able to provide motorised infantry, field artillery, anti-tank artillery or light anti-aircraft artillery as needed.

Divisional troops

* 112th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps ( Foresters) (armoured car regiment) ''(from 17 November 1941, left 24 February 1943)'' *

1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry The Northamptonshire Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1794 as volunteer cavalry. It served in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War before being reduced to squadron level in 1956. It cease ...

''(from 18 April 1943, left 16 October 1943)'' * HQ 42nd Divisional Engineers ** 16th Field Company,

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

** 17th Field Company, RE ''(became 617th Field Company 1 March 1943)'' ** 149th Field Park Company, RE * 42nd (East Lancashire) Armoured Divisional Signals,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield commun ...

Notes

; Footnotes ; Citations

References

* *

External links

*
Royal Artillery Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:42 Armoured Division Armoured divisions of the British Army in World War II British armoured divisions Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1943