46th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

46th Brigade 46th Infantry Brigade
15th Division insignia, First World War
Active	1914-1919 1939-1946
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Kitchener's Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Brigade
Part of	15th (Scottish) Infantry Division
Engagements	World War I Western Front World War II Battle of Normandy Operation Epsom Hill 112 Operation Bluecoat

The 46th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service in both World War I and World War II with 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division.

History

First World War

The brigade was raised, as 46th Brigade, in 1914 as part of Kitchener's New Armies shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. With the 15th (Scottish) Division, the brigade saw active service on the Western Front in Belgium and France.

The brigade command the following units in World War I:^[1]

• 7th (Service) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers (until May 1916)^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• 8th (Service) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers (until May 1916)^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• 10th (Service) Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
• 12th (Service) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (left February 1918)
• 1/4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (from November 1915 until February 1916)
• 1/4th (Ross Highland) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) (from November 1915 until January 1916)
• 7th/8th (Service) Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers (from May 1916)^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• 46th Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps (formed 11 February 1916, moved to 15th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 17 March 1918)
• 10th/11th (Service) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (from May 1916 until February 1918)
• 46th Trench Mortar Battery (formed May 1916)
• 9th (Service) Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) (from February 1918 until May 1918)
• 4th/5th Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
• 1/9th (Highlanders) Battalion, Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) (from June 1918)

Second World War

The brigade was reformed just before World War II, as the 46th Infantry Brigade. The brigade was a 2nd Line Territorial Army formation and was part of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, which was the duplicate of the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division and served in the Second World War. The brigade itself was formed as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 157th Infantry Brigade. It remained in the United Kingdom training for most of the war, crossing the channel to Normandy on 13 June 1944.

• 10th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (until 1 November 1941)
• 11th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (until 19 November 1941)
• 2nd Battalion, Glasgow Highlanders
• 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (from 15 November 1941)
• 7th Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (from 18 November 1941 to 23 March 1942, later became 5th Battalion, Parachute Regiment)
• 4th Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (from 24 March 1942 to 16 November 1942)
• 10th Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) (from 19 November 1942 to 27 December 1942)
• 9th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (from 28 December 1942)^[2]

Notes

1. In May 1916 the 7th and 8th battalions of the King's Own Scottish Borderers merged to form the 7th/8th Battalion.

References

1. "15th (Scottish) Division". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
2. http://www.cgsc.edu/CARL/nafziger/939BXIE.pdf