| 6th Brigade 6th Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
 Post Second World War badge of 6th Infantry Brigade | |
| Active | 1908-1918 1923-1926 1939-1945 1947-1977 1981-1992 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Infantry Brigade |
| Size | Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | San Sebastian Barracks,Soest |
| Engagements | Second Boer War First World War Second World War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | William Bartholomew |
The6th Infantry Brigade was aregularinfantrybrigade of theBritish Army that was in existence during theSecond Boer War, theFirst World War and theSecond World War and later formed part ofBritish Army of the Rhine.
The brigade was a part of theNatal Field Force under the command of Major GeneralSir Geoffrey Barton.[1] It was composed as follows;
Following the end of the Boer war in 1902 the army was restructured, and a 3rd Infantry division was established permanently atBordon as part of the1st Army Corps, comprising the5th and 6th Infantry Brigades.[2][3]
The brigade was part of2nd Division. The brigade commanded the following units in the First World War:[4]
The following battalions were part of the brigade during 1915.
17th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Empire) joined the brigade fromthe 5th Brigade in February 1918.
At the outbreak of theSecond World War, in September 1939, the 6th Infantry Brigade was part of the2nd Infantry Division. In October, the brigade, under the command ofBrigadierNoel Irwin, moved with the rest of the division toFrance to become part of theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF). The brigade was involved in the shortBattle of France fighting at the Battles ofThe Dyle,St Omer-La Bassée and theretreat to andevacuation from Dunkirk in May–June 1940. With theinvasion of Burma by theImperial Japanese Army in early 1942 the brigade was shipped out toIndia with the 2nd Division where it would remain for the rest of the war, fighting in theBurma Campaign. It fought in theArakan and atKohima andMandalay.
The brigade was composed as follows;[5]
While an Independent Brigade Group fighting in the Arakan between 1 November 1942 and 2 June 1943, the following additional units were attached:[6]
The brigade was reformed from153rd Infantry Brigade in 1947[7] and then formed part ofBritish Army of the Rhine being based at St Sebastian Barracks inSoest in 1952.[8]
During the 1970s, the 6th Armoured Brigade was one of two "square" brigades assigned to3rd Armoured Division.[9] After being briefly converted to "Task Force Foxtrot" in the late 1970s,[10] the brigade was reinstated in 1981, assigned to 3rd Armoured Division[11] and was then reformed as an airmobile brigade at Salamanca Barracks in Soest from 1986 to 1988 and then reformed again as an armoured brigade from 1988 to 1992.[12]