After the war, the brigade and the division were disbanded in 1919. However, the brigade was reformed, as the
53rd Infantry Brigade, on 18 September 1939, after the outbreak of the Second World War, in the
Territorial Army from the redesignation of the
163rd Infantry Brigade, originally part of the
54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division. The brigade was assigned to the
18th Infantry Division, a duplicate of the 54th Division. During the early years of the war, the brigade remained with the 18th Division in the
United Kingdom, mainly on training duties and on home defence and anticipating a
German invasion. However, the invasion never arrived. In late 1941, the brigade was sent, with the rest of the 18th Division, overseas, initially to the
Middle East but later to Singapore after Japan entered the war in December. The brigade landed first and fought in the short but bitter and violent
Battle of Singapore where they were forced to surrender to the
Imperial Japanese Army and became
prisoners for the next three years, and received extremely harsh and degrading treatment.
Order of battle • 5th Battalion,
Royal Norfolk Regiment • 6th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment • 7th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
(until 1 November 1939) • 2nd Battalion,
Cambridgeshire Regiment (from 1 November 1939) • 53rd Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company
(formed 23 September, disbanded 14 December 1940) ==References==