History
201 Guards Brigade was originally created as 22 Infantry Brigade in Egypt in February 1941. It was renamed 22nd Guards Brigade in March 1941, then to 200 Guards Brigade in January 1942, and 201 Guards Brigade in May 1942. It served in the Western Desert campaign with a number of parent formations but most of the time with 4th Indian Division and 1st Armoured Division. It fought at Tobruk in 1941 and then in the Gazala battles before it was captured at the fall of Tobruk in June 1942. It was reformed in August 1942 in Egypt and went onto serve in the Tunisian campaign, again with a number of different parent divisions.
In late July 1943, the brigade was assigned to 56th Division as a replacement for 168 Infantry Brigade which had been detached to serve with 50th Infantry Division in the Sicily campaign. It landed at Salerno on the 9th September as part of the second wave.
In early 1944, it became apparent that there were not enough Guards reinforcements in the Mediterranean theatre to keep three Guards Brigades up to strength. As the junior brigade, 201 Guards Brigade was chosen to be reduced to cadre to be transferred back to the UK where it would become responsible for the training of Guards recruits.
In March 1944, the brigade was withdrawn from the line and
The 2nd Battalion Scots Guards was reduced to cadre and accompanied the Brigade HQ back to the UK. The 6th Battalion Grenadier Guards was disbanded with personnel being transferred to 5th Battalion Grenadier Guards. The 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards was transferred to 24 Guards Brigade with 1st Battalion Irish Guards being moved to 201 Guards Brigade to return to the UK.
Higher Formations
| Formation | Dates |
|---|---|
| 56th Infantry Division | 25 July 1943 - 03 January 1944 |
| 10th Corps | 04 January 1944 - 06 January 1944 |
| 5th Infantry Division | 07 January 1944 - 02 March 1944 |
| 88th US Infantry Division | 03 March 1944 - 08 March 1944 |
| HQ AAI | 09 March 1944 - 25 March 1944 |
| No. 3 District | 26 March 1944 - 09 April 1944 |
Commanding Officers
| Dates | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| - | Brigadier J.A. Gascoigne | Wounded by sharpnel at Mieli - a splinter through left arm into lung and a splinter to right arm. |
| - | Lieutenant-Colonel W.H. Kingsmill MC | Resumed command of 6th Battalion Grenadier Guards. |
| - | Brigadier R.B.R. Colvin | Brigade Tac HQ hit by 120mm mortar and was badly shaken. |
| - | Lieutenant-Colonel W.H. Kingsmill MC | Resumed command of 6th Battalion Grenadier Guards. |
| - | Brigadier R.B.R. Colvin | Taken for medical tests. |
| - | Lieutenant-Colonel W.H. Kingsmill MC | Resumed command of 6th Battalion Grenadier Guards. |
| - | Brigadier R.B.R. Colvin |
Organisation
The brigade consisted of the following units during the Italian campaign:
6th Battalion Grenadier Guards (disbanded xx xx 1944)
3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards (left xx xx 1944 and joined 24 Guards Brigade)
2nd Battalion Scots Guards
1st Battalion Irish Guards (joined xx xx 1944)
42 Field Company Royal Engineers
5th Light Field Ambulance
Awards and Decorations
0 results0 results0 resultsNational Archives Files
| TNA File Name | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| WO 169/8984 | 201 Guards Brigade: HQ. | 1943 January- June, September |
| WO 169/8985 | 201 Guards Brigade: HQ. | 1943 October - December |
| WO 169/8986 | 201 Guards Brigade: Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Workshop (REME Wksp). | 1943 January - July, September - December |
| WO 170/636 | 201 Guards Brigade: H.Q. | 1944 January - March |
| WO 170/637 | 201 Guards Brigade: Ord. Fd. Pk. | 1944 February - April |
| WO 170/639 | 201 Guards Brigade: R.E.M.E. Wksp. | 1944 January - August |
| WO 204/1760 | 201 Guards Brigade: command and administration, employment and equipment. | 1943 May - 1945 March |