British Army 1952

v.1.0 March 3, 2002

Graham Watson

This is a summary of the deployment of regular units and formations fifty years ago. It can be seen that the British Army was engaged in several major conflicts around the world-Egypt, Malaya and Korea. In addition, the build-up of the British Army of the Rhine was taking place as NATO forces were established in Western Europe. These commitments left very few regular units in the United Kingdom: the defence of the home base had to be left to the Territorial Army. As always, units were in perpetual motion between garrisons and stations.

UNITED KINGDOM London DistrictRoyal Horse Guards, Windsor 2 Bn Grenadier Guards 1 Bn Coldstream Guards [ex Egypt] 2 Bn Scots Guards

Edinburgh1 Bn Seaforth Highlanders [replaced by 1 A&SH April 1952] 2 Bn Black Watch-reforming

Northern Ireland1 Bn South Staffordshire Regiment 2 Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers-reforming

Southern Command3rd Carabiniers, Tidworth [replaced by 3RTR, April 1952] 4th Hussars, Tidworth 7th Royal Tank Regiment, Tidworth 18 Field Regiment RA, Larkhill 23 Field Regiment RA coming home from Hong Kong 39 Medium Regiment RA 32 Assault Regiment RE, Perham Down 1 Bn Loyal Regiment [ex Egypt] 1 Bn Gloucestershire Regiment, Warminster 2 Bn Kings Royal Rifle Corps -reforming

Eastern Command48 Field Regiment RA, Colchester 49 Field Regiment RA, Canterbury 47 Coast Regiment RA, Dover 36 Army Engineer Regiment, Maidstone 1 Devonshire Regiment, Colchester

Western Command2 Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers-reforming

Northern Command2 Bn Green Howards-reforming

2 Bn York & Lancaster Regiment-reforming

AA Command 16 LAA Regiment RA 37 HAA Regiment RA 56 HAA Regiment RA 59 HAA Regiment RA 74 LAA Regiment RA

JAMAICA 1 Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers

GIBRALTAR 28 Coast Regiment RA 54 HAA Regiment RA Fortress Engineer Regiment Gibraltar Signal Squadron 1 Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment

MALTA 36 HAA Regiment RA 80 LAA Regiment RA Malta Signal Squadron 1 Bn Highland Light Infantry

TRIESTE British Element Trieste Signal Squadron 1 Bn Cameronians 1 Bn North Staffordshire Regiment 2 Bn Lancashire Fusiliers [joining upon re-formation]

AUSTRIA British Troops Austria Signal Squadron 1 Bn West Yorkshire Regiment 1 Bn Dorsetshire Regiment

BERLIN Berlin Signal Squadron 1 Bn Welsh Guards 1 Bn Royal Scots 1 Bn Durham Light Infantry

BRITISH ARMY OF THE RHINE Army troops 40 Engineer Stores Regiment, Willich [forming] HQ NORTHAG Signal Regiment [forming April 1952] 2 Line of Communications Signal Regiment 4 Line of Communications Signal Regiment [forming April 1952] 11 Air Formation Signal Regiment 1 Wireless Regiment 1 Air Support Signal Unit

I (BR) CORPS 15 Medium Regiment RA ?? 45 Field Regiment RA [ex Korea] 58 Medium Regiment RA ?? 94 Observation Regiment RA, Celle 1 Corps Signal Regiment 5 Army Group Royal Artillery 30 HAA Regiment RA 35 LAA Regiment RA 44 HAA Regiment RA 72 LAA Regiment RA 77 HAA Regiment RA 11 Engineer Group 37 Army Engineer Regiment 39 Corps Engineer Regiment

2ND INFANTRY DIVISION, Hilden 10 Hussars, Iserlohn 19 Field Regiment RA 40 Field Regiment RA 42 Field Regiment RA 22 LAA Regiment RA 23 Engineer Regiment, Dortmund 2 Divisional Signal Regiment

4 (Guards) Infantry Brigade, Hubblerath 2 Bn Grenadier Guards 1 Bn Irish Guards 1 Bn Welsh Guards to Berlin replaced by 2 Black Watch 4/52

5 Infantry Brigade, Iserlohn 1 Bn Queens Regiment 1 Bn Royal Fusiliers [replaced by 1 Leicesters 5/52] 1 Bn Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

6 Infantry Brigade, Munster 1 Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers 1 Bn Duke of Cornwalls Light Infantry 1 Bn Northamptonshire Regiment

6th ARMOURED DIVISION [HQ formed at Lubbecke, May 1952] 1 Kings Dragoon Guards, Neumunster 7th Hussars 1 Field Regiment RHA, Munster 10 Field Regiment RA, Detmold 12 LAA Regiment RA ?? 27 Engineer Regiment, Minden 6 Armoured Divisional Signal Regiment

20 Armoured Brigade, Detmold Royal Scots Greys, Osnabruck [replace by 3 Carabiniers 4/52] 2 Royal Tank Regiment, Detmold 6 Royal Tank Regiment, Detmold 1 Bn Somerset Light Infantry [replaced by 2 KRRC 1952]

61 Lorried Infantry Brigade, Minden 1 Duke of Wellingtons Regiment [replaced by 2 Foresters 1952] 1 Royal Hampshire Regiment 1 Essex Regiment

7TH ARMOURED DIVISION, Verden 11 Hussars, Wesendorf 15/19 Hussars, Hohne 3 Field Regiment RHA 6 Field Regiment RA 34 LAA Regiment RA 21 Engineer Regiment, Nienburg 7 Armoured Divisional Signal Regiment

7 Armoured Brigade, Soltau Queens Bays, Fallingbostel 8th Hussars, Luneburg [ex Korea] 17/21 Lancers, Fallingbostel

5 Royal Tank Regiment, 1 Bn Rifle Brigade, Celle

31 Lorried Infantry Brigade, Osnabruck 1 Bn Black Watch [replaced 1 Seaforth4/52] 1 Kings Own Royal Regiment 1 East Yorkshire Regiment

11TH ARMOURED DIVISION, Herford Life Guards, Wulfenbutel 3rd Hussars, Bielefeld 2 Field Regiment RHA, Hildesheim 5 Field Regiment RHA, Osnabruck 53 LAA Regiment RA, Lippstadt 26 Engineer Regiment, Hameln

11 Armoured Divisional Signal Regiment 33 Armoured Brigade, Paderborn [moves to Bad Lippspringe] 9 Lancers, Detmold 1 Royal Tank Regiment, Detmold 8 Royal Tank Regiment, Paderborn 1 Bn Kings Royal Rifle Corps

91 Lorried Infantry Brigade, Hilden 1 Bn Royal Lincolnshire Regiment 1 Bn Sherwood Foresters 1 Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers

CYPRUS 2 Wireless Regiment

LIBYA 43 LAA Regiment RA? 52 Observation Regiment RA? 35 Army Engineer Regiment Tripolitania Signal Squadron Cyrenaica Signal Squadron

25 Armoured Brigade [forming 1952] 4/7 Dragoon Guards 1 Bn Grenadier Guards 1 East Surrey Regiment joining during 1952-Royal Scots Greys, 14/20 Hussars

SUDAN Sudan Signal Squadron

Eritrea Signal Squadron 1 Bn South Wales Borderers 1 Bn South Lancashire Regiment

EGYPT Royal Dragoons 4 Royal Tank Regiment 43 LAA Regiment RA 71 HAA Regiment RA 42 Field Survey Regiment RE GHQ Middle East Land Forces Signal Regiment 3 Line of Communications Signal Regiment 4 Air Formation Signal Regiment

1ST INFANTRY DIVISION 4 Field Regiment RA 26 Field Regiment RA 22 Engineer Regiment 1 Infantry Divisional Signal Regiment

1 (Guards) Infantry Brigade [replaced by HQ 19 Infantry Brigade] 3 Bn Grenadier Guards 3 Bn Coldstream Guards

1 Bn Cameron Highlanders

2 Infantry Brigade 1 Bn Cheshire Regiment 1 Bn Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Bn Royal Berkshire Regiment

3 Infantry Brigade 1 Bn Lancashire Fusiliers 1 Bn East Lancashire Regiment 1 Bn Royal Sussex Regiment

3RD INFANTRY DIVISION 29 Field Regiment RA 33 Airborne Light Regiment RA 41 Field Regiment RA 25 Engineer Regiment 3 Infantry Divisional Signal Regiment

16 Parachute Brigade 1 Bn Parachute Regiment 2 Bn Parachute Regiment 3 Bn Parachute Regiment

32 (Guards) Infantry Brigade

1 Bn Coldstream Guards [to UK] 1 Bn Scots Guards 1 Bn Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment

39 Infantry Brigade 1 Bn The Buffs 1 Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 1 Bn Border Regiment

EAST AFRICA East Africa Command Signal Regiment Kings African Rifles

ADEN 51 Coast Regiment RA 64 Wing Signal Troop

FAR EAST LAND FORCES HQ Far East Land Forces Signal Regiment, Singapore 19 Air Formation Signal Regiment, Singapore

SINGAPORE

27 HAA Regiment RA 74 LAA Regiment RA Singapore Base Engineer Regiment Singapore District Signal Regiment 1 Bn Gordon Highlanders 1 Bn 2nd Gurkha Rifles

MALAYA 12 Lancers 13/18 Hussars 25 Field Regiment RA Malaya District Signal Regiment 1 Bn Manchester Regiment, Penang 22 SAS Regiment

18 Infantry Brigade 1 Bn Suffolk Regiment 1 Bn Worcestershire Regiment 1 Bn Royal West Kent Regiment

26 Infantry Brigade 1 Bn Green Howards 2 Bn 6th Gurkha Rifles 2 Bn 10th Gurkha Rifles

HQ 17th (Gurkha) INFANTRY DIVISION [forming]

HQ 48 Gurkha Brigade HQ 63 Gurkha Brigade HQ 99 Gurkha Brigade 2 Bn 2nd Gurkha Rifles 1 Bn 6th Gurkha Rifles 1 Bn 7th Gurkha Rifles 2 Bn 7th Gurkha Rifles 1 Bn 10th Gurkha Rifles

HONG KONG HQ 40th DIVISION 3 Royal Tank Regiment 23 Field Regiment RA 25 Field Regiment RA 32 Medium Regiment RA ?? 24 Engineer Regiment 50 Gurkha Engineer Regiment 40 Divisional Signal Regiment

HQ 27 Infantry Brigade HQ 35 Infantry Brigade 1 Bn Middlesex Regiment [to UK]

1 Bn Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders [to UK] 1 Bn Royal Northumberland Fusiliers

1 Bn Wiltshire Regiment 1 Bn Royal Ulster Rifles [joining ex Austria-1 Bn Dorsetshire Regiment]

KOREA HQ COMMONWEALTH DIVISION 5 Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards 14 Field Regiment RA 20 Field Regiment RA 61 Light Regiment RA 28 Engineer Regiment 1 Commonwealth Divisional Signal Regiment

28 Commonwealth Brigade 1 Bn Kings Own Scottish Borderers 1 Bn Kings Shropshire Light Infantry

29 Infantry Brigade 1 Bn Royal Norfolk Regiment 1 Bn Royal Leicestershire Regiment 1 Bn Welch Regiment [en route 1 Bn Kings Regiment, 1 Bn Black Watch]