36th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)


The 36th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of British Army that fought in World War I, as part of 12th Division, on the Western Front. The brigade also fought in World War II, again with 12th Division and later with 78th Battleaxe Division in France, Tunisia and Italy.

First World War

The 36th Brigade fought throughout the First World War with the 12th Division on the Western Front. During the First World War the brigade was part of the New Army, also known as Kitchener's New Armies, and disbanded after the war ended.

Order of battle

Reformed during the Second World War as the 36th Infantry Brigade on 7 October 1939, this time as part of the Territorial Army, and attached to the 12th Infantry Division, duplicate of the 44th Infantry Division. The brigade was formed as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 132nd Infantry Brigade. It fought in the Battle of France in May 1940 where it was overrun by the German Army and dispersed and suffered very heavy casualties, due mainly to the division having none of its support units and the infantrymen having had little training. Reformed in the United Kingdom, it was redesignated 36th Independent Infantry Brigade from 22 June 1940, when the 12th Division was disbanded, until 22 June 1942 when it was assigned to the 78th Battleaxe Infantry Division and served in the North African Campaign, in Operation Husky and the Italian Campaign, in particular the Battle of Monte Cassino and later Gothic Line, followed by the Spring 1945 offensive in Italy.

Order of battle

The 36th Infantry Brigade was constituted as follows during the war:
The following officers commanded the brigade during the war: