4th Armoured Division (Vereinigtes Königreich)

The 4th Infantry Division has been a regular British Army division since World War I, including during the Second World War.

History up to World War I

The British 4th Division was originally formed in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsula War. It fought in the Battle of Salamanca in 1812. As a permanently established Regular Army division it was amongst the first to be sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of the First World War. It served on the Western Front for the duration of the war.

Traditional shoulder insignia of the 4th Infantry Division, replaced by current design upon its reconstitution in 1995.

World War I Composition

10th Brigade

• 1st Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, the Seaforth Highlanders
• 1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Fusiliers (until August 1917)
• 1/7th Battalion, the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (from January 1915 until March 1916)
• The Household Battalion (from November 1916 until February 1918)
• 3/10th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (from August 1917 until February 1918)
• 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) (from 12th Bde. February 1918)

11th Brigade

• 1st Battalion, the Somerset Light Infantry
• 1st Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment
• 1st Battalion, the Rifle Brigade
• 1/5th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (until May 1915)
• 1st Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment (until February 1918)
• 2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (from 12 Bde. July 1915 until May 1916)

12th Brigade

• 1st Battalion, The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
• 2nd Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers
• 2nd Battalion, The Essex Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) (from January 1916 to 10th Bde. February 1918)
• 2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (from March 1915, to 11th Bde. July 1915)
• 1/5th Battalion, The South Lancashire Regiment (from February 1915 until January 1916)
• 1/2nd Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment (until January 1916)

From early November 1915 until February 1916 the 12th Brigade was swapped with the 107th Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division.

World War II

The Division served during World War II in France in 1940, North Africa and Italy. It fought at the Battle of Monte Cassino.

Commanders During World War II

• Maj. Gen. D.G. Johnson
• Maj. Gen. T.R. Eastwood
• Maj. Gen. J.G. Swayne
• Maj. Gen. J.L.I. Hawkesworth
• Maj. Gen. H.J. Hayman-Joyce
• Maj. Gen. A.D.Ward
• Maj. Gen. C.B. Callander

World War II formation

10th Infantry Brigade

• 2nd Battalion, the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
• 2nd Battalion, the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
• 1st Battalion, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (until May 1940)
• 1/6th Battalion, the East Surrey Regiment

11th Infantry Brigade (until June 1942)

• 2nd Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers
• 1st Battalion, the East Surrey Regiment
• 1st Battalion, the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
• 5th Battalion, the Northamptonshire Regiment (from January 1940)

12th Infantry Brigade

• 2nd Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers
• 1st Battalion, the South Lancashire Regiment (until June 1940)
• 1st Battalion, the Black Watch (until March 1940)
• 6th Battalion, the Black Watch (from March 1940)
• 1st Battalion, the Royal West Kent Regiment (from September 1940)

21st Tank Brigade (June 1942 - December 1943)

• 48th Royal Tank Regiment
• 12th Royal Tank Regiment
• 145th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps

28th Infantry Brigade (from December 1943)

• 2nd Battalion, the Somerset Light Infantry
• 2nd Battalion, the King's Regiment (Liverpool)
• 1st Battalion, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
• 2/4nd Battalion, the Hampshire Regiment

Support Units

• 2nd Bn. The Northumberland Fusiliers (Machine-Gun Battalion)
• 4th Reconnaissance Regt. Royal Armoured Corps

Current formation

It was reformed from 11th Armoured Division on 1 April 1956, and took on 20th Armoured Brigade Group from the disbanding 6th Armoured Division in May 1958. At the time the Division also incorporated the (Canadian) 4th Infantry Brigade and the 4th Guards Brigade. It was redesignated 4th Armoured Division on 1 January 1978, parenting Task Force Golf and Task Force Hotel, and from that day to 1 July 1993 it served as part of I (BR) Corps in Germany.

Currently the 4th Division is a regenerative division - a military district in all but name - that serves as the parent formation for units in Southern England.

The division's current insignia is a tiger. It is currently commanded by Major General PF Everson, from HQ at Steeles Road, Aldershot. Major General Everson reports to Lieutenant General Nick Parker, Commander Regional Forces, at HQ Land Command at Wilton. The Division is responsible for the administration of Aldershot Garrison and three Regional Brigades:

• 2nd (South East) Brigade
• 43rd (Wessex) Brigade
• 145th (South) Brigade

For administrative purposes, the following formations are also under the 'administrative control' of 4th Division:

• London District
• British Gurkhas Nepal
• British Garrison Brunei

Recent Commanders

Recent Commanders have been:

• 1996-1997 Major General NWF Richards
• 1998-2001 Major General TJ Sullivan
• 2001-2002 Major General AS Ritchie
• 2003-2004 Major General DL Judd
• 2004-2005 Major General JS Kerr
• 2006-present Major General P Everson

See also

• List of British divisions in World War I

External links

• 4th Division website
• The British Army in the Great War: The 4th Division
• British Regiments and Formations Site
• British Unit Histories