4th Light Brigade Combat Team, is a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

formation of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, currently based in Catterick, North Yorkshire as part of

1st (United Kingdom) Division The 1st (United Kingdom) Division is an active division of the British Army that has been formed and disestablished numerous times between 1809 and the present. In its original incarnation as the 1st Division, it took part in the Peninsular ...

. It was previously known as 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East, and before that as 4th Mechanized Brigade and before that 4th Armoured Brigade. The brigade, now known as the 'Black Rats', was formed in 1939 and fought in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, in the

Western Desert Campaign The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the Sahara Desert, deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main Theater (warfare), theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with ...

and in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. The Black Rats were subsequently involved in the

invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis forces (Kingdom of Italy ...

and fighting in Italy before taking part in the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the N ...

and the advance through Belgium, Holland and into Germany. More recently, the brigade took part in the

First Gulf War The Gulf War (1990–1991) was an armed conflict between Iraq and a multinational military coalition led by the United States, triggered by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Persian Gulf War may also refer to: * Shatt al-Arab conflict ...

and completed a number of tours to the Balkans during the 1990s. The Black Rats have also since deployed twice to

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and twice to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

as the lead formation.

History

Second World War

In September 1939, at the start of the

this brigade changed its title from Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt) to 4th Armoured Brigade.Brief History Of The British 4th Armoured Brigade
On 27 July 1941, it handed over its units to the 1st Army Tank Brigade and received new units based in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. It was reformed again when the HQ arrived in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

and it took control of new units there. The 4th Armoured Brigade saw service in the

North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

, the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

, the Italian Campaign and in North-western Europe. Although it served under many different formations it was most famous as part of the 7th Armoured Division, the "Desert Rats". The 4th Armoured Brigade left the 7th Armoured Division in North Africa in 1943, to return to join the Allied invasion force for Normandy. In June 1944, the brigade landed in Normandy as an independent brigade and fought during the

during the

Battle for Caen The Battle for Caen (June to August 1944) was a military engagement between the British Second Army and the German in the Second World War for control of the city of Caen and its vicinity during the Battle of Normandy. Caen is about inland f ...

. The 4th Armoured Brigade then advanced into Belgium and Holland, and was the first to cross the Rhine into Germany. The brigade was disestablished in 1948. Former BBC motorsports commentator

Murray Walker Graeme Murray Walker (10 October 1923 – 13 March 2021) was an English motorsport Sportscaster, commentator and journalist. He provided television commentary of live Formula One coverage for the BBC between 1976 and 1996, and for ITV (TV netw ...

served with 4th Armoured Brigade during the Second World War as a member of The

Royal Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the Army of Scotland that became a regiment of the British Army in 1707 upon the Union of Scotland and England, continuing until 1971 when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of ...

. After the war he started a motorcycle club, organising trials and scrambles for the soldiers within the Brigade.

Cold War era

The brigade spent many years in Germany as part of the

British Army of the Rhine British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was the name given to British Army occupation forces in the Rhineland, West Germany, after the First and Second World Wars, and during the Cold War, becoming part of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) tasked ...

. The brigade was one of two "square" brigades assigned to 2nd Division when it converted into an armoured formation in 1976. After being briefly converted to "Task Force Charlie" in the late 1970s, the brigade was reinstated in 1981, assigned to 3rd Armoured Division and was based at York Barracks in

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

. The Brigade deployed to the First Gulf War on Operation Granby in 1990/91 and was involved in the liberation of Kuwait. It moved to Quebec Barracks at

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

in 1993 to replace 12th Armoured Brigade as part of

1st (UK) Armoured Division The 1st (United Kingdom) Division is an active division of the British Army that has been formed and disestablished numerous times between 1809 and the present. In its original incarnation as the 1st Division, it took part in the Peninsular ...

Post-Cold War

4th Armoured Brigade deployed to Bosnia in October 1995 as UNPROFOR HQ Sector South-West and subsequently as the leading UK element of the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

Implementation Force The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background In ...

(IFOR). The Black Rats have since deployed twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan, first on

Operation Herrick Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assi ...

12 in 2010; and again in October 2012 for Operation Herrick 17, during which it was working in support of the Afghan Army's 3/215 Brigade and elements of the Afghan National Police.

4th Infantry Brigade

Under

Army 2020 Army 2020 is the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations ...

, the brigade lost its armour and converted to an infantry brigade. The structure of the brigade in 2020 was as follows: * 4th Infantry Brigade, at Peronne Lines,

Catterick Garrison Catterick Garrison is a major garrison and List of modern military towns, military town south of Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world, with a population of around 14 ...

The Light Dragoons The Light Dragoons (LD) is a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment has a light cavalry role and specialises in mounted and dismounted reconnaissance. The Light Dragoons recruit mainly in Northe ...

, at Gaza Barracks, Catterick Garrison (Light Cavalry, 66x Jackal armoured reconnaissance vehicles) **

The Queen's Own Yeomanry The Queen's Own Yeomanry (QOY) is a reserve light cavalry reconnaissance regiment of the British Army. The regiment is part of the 19th Brigade, which was reactivated in 2022. The regimental headquarters is at Fenham Barracks, Newcastle, with sq ...

(Army Reserve), at Fenham Barracks,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

(Light Cavalry, 66x Jackal armoured reconnaissance vehicles) ** The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion,

The Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the senior and only current Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each f ...

, at

Glencorse Barracks Glencorse Barracks is a British Army barracks situated in Glencorse just outside the town of Penicuik in Midlothian, Scotland. It is one of the three barracks which make up the City of Edinburgh Garrison, with Dreghorn and Redford Barracks. It h ...

Penicuik Penicuik ( ; ; ) is a town and former Police burgh, burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River Esk, Lothian, River North Esk. It lies on the A701 road, A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hil ...

(Light Infantry) ** 1st Battalion,

The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, it recruits throughout the North West of England. The ti ...

, at

Dale Barracks Dale Barracks is a British Army base at Moston near Chester, England. It is home to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Yorkshire Regiment. It is scheduled to close in 2029. History The barracks are situated in the grounds of Moston Hall, a house built in ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

(Light Infantry) ** 2nd Battalion,

Mercian Regiment The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infant ...

, at

Weeton Barracks Weeton Barracks is a military installation at Weeton-with-Preese in Lancashire, England. History The barracks were established, using tented accommodation, as Weeton Camp in 1916 during the World War I, First World War. The Royal Air Force als ...

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

(Light Infantry) – arriving back from Cyprus in November 2020 ** 1st Battalion,

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

, at Lille Barracks, Aldershot Garrison (Light Infantry) ** 52nd Lowland Volunteers, 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Army Reserve), at Walcheren Barracks,

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

(Light Infantry) – paired with 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS) ** 4th Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (Army Reserve), at Kimberley Barracks, Preston (Light Infantry) – paired with 1st Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (1 LANCS) ** 4th Battalion,

Yorkshire Regiment The Royal Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (abbreviated R YORKS) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Future of ...

(Army Reserve), at

Worsley Barracks Worsley () is a village in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which in 2014 had a population of 10,090. It lies along Worsley Brook, west of Manchester. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there is evid ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

(Light Infantry) – paired with 2 YORKS until November, then paired with 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment (2 MERCIAN) **

154 (Scottish) Regiment RLC 154 (Scottish) Regiment is a regiment of the British Army's Royal Logistic Corps. It forms part of the Army Reserve. Its role is to provide general transport support at 'third line' for the British Army. History The regiment was formed as the 154 ...

, (Army Reserve), at Bothwell House, Dunfermline. ** 75 Regiment Royal Engineers

Second World War commanders

The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU2486

During the Second World War: * January 1940 to April 1941 Brigadier J.A.L. Caunter * April 1941 to April 1942 Brigadier A.H. Gatehouse * April 1942 to July 1942 Brigadier G.W. Richards * July 1942 to September 1942 Brigadier W.G. Carr * September 1942 to November 1942 Brigadier M.G. Roddick * November 1942 to January 1943 Brigadier C.B.C. Harvey * January 1943 to February 1943 Brigadier D.S. Newton-King * February 1943 to December 1943 Brigadier J.C. Currie * December 1943 to March 1944 Brigadier H. J. B. Cracroft * March 1944 to June 1944 Brigadier J. C. Currie * June 1944 to August 1945 Brigadier R.M.P. Carver

Brigade commanders

Recent commanders have included: * 1976–1978 Brigadier

Desmond Langley Major General Sir Henry Desmond Allen Langley, (16 May 1930 – 14 February 2008) was a senior British Army officer who served as Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District from 1979 to 1983. ...

* 1981–1984 Brigadier Charles Guthrie * 1994–1996 Brigadier

Richard Dannatt General (United Kingdom), General Francis Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt, (born 23 December 1950) is a retired senior British Army officer and member of the House of Lords. He was Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the Gener ...

* 1996–1998 Brigadier David Richards * 1998–2000 Brigadier

Bill Rollo Lieutenant General Sir William Raoul Rollo, (born August 1955) is a former senior British Army officer. Military career Rollo was commissioned as a second lieutenant (on probation) in the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve on 10 March 197 ...

* 2000-2002 Brigadier Nicholas Smith * 2002–2004 Brigadier Paul Gibson * 2005–2007 Brigadier Chris Deverell * 2007–2009 Brigadier Julian Free * 2009–2011 Brigadier

Richard Felton Lieutenant General Richard Friedrich Patrick Felton, is a former British Army officer who served as Director-General of the Defence Safety Authority from 2017 to 2019. Military career Felton was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Transport o ...

* 2011–2013 Brigadier

Bob Bruce Robert James Bruce (May 16, 1933 – March 14, 2017) was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 219 games in Major League Baseball from to for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Colt .45s / Astros, and Atla ...

* 2013–2015 Brigadier Charlie HerbertNew man takes over the Black Rats
Northern Echo, 12 June 2013 * 2015–2016 Brigadier

Gerald Strickland Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland, 6th Count della Catena, 1st Baron Strickland, (24 May 1861 – 22 August 1940), usually known between 1897 and January 1928 as Sir Gerald Strickland, was a Maltese and British politic ...

* 2016–2019 Brigadier Oliver Stokes * 2019–2022 Brigadier Oliver Brown * 2022-2023 Brigadier M Mudd * 2023-2024 Brigadier R J Singleton * 2024- Present Brigadier O P B Dobson

Notes

References

External links

4th Infantry Brigade

British Army Locations from 1945
{{British mobile brigades of the Second World War 4 Mechanised Military units and formations established in 1939 Organisations based in North Yorkshire Military units and formations established in 1976

History

Second World War

Cold War era

Post-Cold War

4th Infantry Brigade

Second World War commanders

Brigade commanders

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links