Following the end of the
Second Boer War in 1902, the army was restructured and the 1st Guards Brigade was established permanently as part of the
1st Division in the
1st Army Corps, stationed at
Aldershot Garrison.
First World War Initially designated as the
1st (Guards) Brigade, the brigade was part of
1st Division during the
First World War. Upon creation of the
Guards Division in August 1915, the 1st Battalion,
Coldstream Guards and 1st Battalion,
Scots Guards moved to
2nd Guards Brigade, and the brigade was redesignated as the
1st Brigade. It was with the 1st Division on the
Western Front throughout the war. It saw action at the
Battle of Mons and subsequent
Great Retreat, the
First Battle of the Marne, the
First Battle of the Aisne, the
First Battle of Ypres, the
Battle of Loos, the
Battle of Aubers Ridge, the
Battle of the Somme, the
Battle of Passchendaele, the
Battle of Pozières and the
Battle of Épehy, part of the final
Hundred Days Offensive, which broke the back of the
German Army, leading to an
Armistice.
Order of battle The brigade was composed as follows during the war: • 1st Battalion,
Coldstream Guards (until August 1915) • 1st Battalion,
Scots Guards (until August 1915) • 1st Battalion,
Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) • 2nd Battalion,
Royal Munster Fusiliers (until August 1914) • 1st Battalion,
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (from September 1914) • 1/14th Battalion,
London Regiment (from November 1914, left February 1916) • 10th (Service) Battalion,
Gloucestershire Regiment (from August 1915, disbanded February 1918) • 8th (Service) Battalion,
Royal Berkshire Regiment (from August 1915, left February 1918) • 1st Machine Gun Company,
Machine Gun Corps (formed 26 January 1916, moved to 1st Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 28 February 1918) • 1st Trench Mortar Battery (formed 27 November 1915) • 1st Battalion,
Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (from February 1918)
Second World War Remaining active during the
interwar period as the
1st (Guards) Brigade, the brigade, still part of the 1st Infantry Division, was sent to France in September 1939 during the
Second World War as part of the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and it later took part in the
Battle of France in May–June 1940 and the subsequent
Battle of Dunkirk and were
evacuated to England, spending the next few years on home defence anticipating a
German invasion of England. reviews the 2nd Battalion,
Coldstream Guards at
Bachy, France, December 1939. On 11 April 1942, the brigade was redesignated and reorganised as
1st Independent Brigade Group (Guards), with its own support units, until August when it was transferred to the
78th Infantry Division. In late 1942, it took part in the
North African Campaign in
Operation Torch: the
Allied landings in
French North Africa, arriving in
Algiers in November 1942. • 3rd Battalion,
Grenadier Guards • 2nd Battalion,
Coldstream Guards • 2nd Battalion,
Hampshire Regiment (until 1 June 1941, rejoined 10 September 1941 until 25 November 1942, rejoined 18 February 1943, left finally 22 February 1943) • 1st Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company (disbanded 31 December 1940) • 8th Battalion,
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (from 25 December 1942 until 16 February 1943) • 3rd Battalion,
Welsh Guards (from 1 March 1943) • 1st Battalion,
Welch Regiment (from 9 March 1945 until 29 June 1945) Between 11 April 1942 and 7 August 1942, the following units formed the 1st Independent Brigade Group (Guards): By the mid-1980s, the British Army force earmarked as part of the UKMF to reinforce LANDJUT had shrunk to the 1st Infantry Brigade, as it had become. In 1991, just before the end of the
Cold War, the brigade's structure was as follows.
1st (United Kingdom Mobile Force) Infantry Brigade, at
Jellalabad Barracks, Tidworth Camp • Headquarters 1st Infantry Brigade and 215 Signal Squadron,
Royal Corps of Signals, at
Jellalabad Barracks, Tidworth Camp • United Kingdom Mobile Force Battle Casualty Replacements Group • 601 Tactical Air Control Post (Forward Air Control) • 602 Tactical Air Control Post (Forward Air Control) • 610 Tactical Air Control Post (Forward Air Control) — RAF personnel •
13th/18th (Queen Mary's Own) Royal Hussars, at
Assaye Barracks, Tidworth Camp (Armoured Reconnaissance, 1 Sqn detached to AMF (L)) • C Squadron,
Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own), at
Bhurtpore Barracks, Tidworth Camp (Armoured) •
1st Battalion, Queen's Regiment, at
Mooltan Barracks, Tidworth Camp (Mechanised) •
1st Battalion, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, at
Kiwi Barracks, Bulford (Mechanised) •
1st Battalion, The Light Infantry, at
Lucknow Barracks,
Tidworth (Mechanised) •
26th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, at
Baker Barracks, Thorney Island (Field Artillery) •
22nd Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, at
Swinton Barracks, Perham Down • 66 Transport Squadron,
Royal Corps of Transport, at
Jellalabad Barracks,
Tidworth • 158 Provost Company,
Royal Military Police, at Bulford Camp •
No. 656 Squadron, Army Air Corps, at
AAC Netheravon End of the Cold War After the end of the
Cold War, the brigade was reassigned to the new
3rd (UK) Division and subsequently became a Mechanised Brigade. In 1996, it was deployed to the
Former Republic of Yugoslavia, with
Multi-National Division (South-West); in 2000, it was deployed to
Sierra Leone and, in 2002, to
Kosovo. It was deployed again in 2014, commanded by
Brigadier Rupert Jones.
Army 2020 Under
Army 2020, it was renamed the 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade and remained at Tidworth Camp, forming part of the Reaction Force as part of the
3rd (UK) Division. Under the programme, the Brigade consisted of the following units: •
1st Armoured Infantry Brigade, at
Delhi Barracks, Tidworth Garrison. The Brigade then consisted of the following units: •
1st Armoured Infantry Brigade, at
Delhi Barracks, Tidworth Garrison (to become 1st Strike Brigade in 2021). •
Strike Experimentation Group, at
Battlesbury Barracks, Warminster Garrison (a developmental command, overseen by HQ 1st AI Bde) • Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR), at
Ward Barracks, Bulford Garrison (Armoured Cavalry, equipped with
FV107 Scimitar tracked armoured reconnaissance vehicles) •
Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeth's Own) (RL), at Cambrai Barracks,
Catterick Garrison (Armoured Cavalry, equipped with FV107 Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicles) • 1st Battalion,
Scots Guards (1 SG), at Mons Barracks,
Aldershot Garrison (Mechanised Infantry, equipped with
Mastiff protected mobility vehicles) •
The Highlanders, 4th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS), at
Bourlon Barracks, Catterick (Mechanised Infantry, equipped with Mastiff protected mobility vehicles) • 3rd Battalion,
The Rifles (3 RIFLES), at
Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh (Mechanised Infantry, equipped with Mastiff protected mobility vehicles)
Future Soldier On 1 July, under the
Future Soldier programme, the brigade merged with
1st Artillery Brigade to form
1st Deep Recce Strike Brigade Combat Team. ==Brigade commanders==