page_title: 168th (2nd London) Brigade
section_title: Second World War
hierarchical_section_title: 168th (2nd London) Brigade / Second World War
caption_attribution_description: English: The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 Bren gun carrier, bearing the name 'Father O'Flynn' of the London Irish Rifles, Sussex, winter 1939/40.
context_page_description: The 168th (2nd London) Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army that saw service during both the First and the Second World Wars. Throughout its existence, serving under many different titles and designations, the brigade was an integral part of the 56th Infantry Division. It served on the Western Front during First World War and in the Italian Campaign during the Second World War. It was finally disbanded in the 1960s.
context_section_description: The brigade, together with the rest of the division and most of the rest of the Territorial Army, was mobilised between late August and early September 1939. On 1 September 1939 Poland was invaded by the German Army, and two days before the Second World War officially began, when both Britain and France declaring war on Germany. Inadequately armed and equipped, the brigade began home defence and training duties and, as some units were understrength, had to be brought up to their War Establishment strength through large drafts of militiamen (essentially conscripts who had only just completed basic training in late October 1939).
  The division was not sent to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France, but instead moved to Kent in April 1940, joining XII Corps. When most of the BEF was forced to retreat to Dunkirk during the disastrous Battle of France in mid-1940 the division assumed a defensive posture and alternated between coastal defence duties and training to repel an expected German invasion which never arrived, due mainly to events that happened in the Battle of Britain and the German invasion of the Soviet Union in mid-1941.
  In June 1940 the division was reorganised as a standard infantry division with the arrival of a third brigade, the 35th Infantry, from the 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division, which had fought in France and suffered severe losses. On 18 November 1940 the division was redesignated 56th (London) Infantry Division and on 28 November the 2nd London Infantry Brigade was renumbered as the 168th (London) Infantry Brigade. November 1940 also saw another change to the 168th Brigade, with both the 1st Battalion, Queen's Westminsters and 1st Battalion, London Rifle Brigade being posted elsewhere. They were replaced in the brigade by 1st Battalion, London Irish Rifles, previously from the 167th (London) Infantry Brigade and the 18th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, a battalion raised specifically for war service only, created a few months before in June–July. The 18th were posted elsewhere in mid-February 1941 and replaced by 10th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, another unit raised for war service, created in September 1940. Prior to being the 10th Battalion, it was the 50th (Holding) Battalion. The 18th Royal Fusiliers was later transferred to the Royal Artillery in late 1941 and converted into 100th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA and became the light anti-aircraft regiment for the 56th Division when it joined in February 1942 and served for the rest of the war.
  The 168th Brigade and the rest of 56th Division, now composed largely of a mixture of pre-war Territorials, Regulars and wartime volunteers, moved to Suffolk in June 1942 where they were inspected by General Sir Bernard Paget, at the time Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces. Another guest was His Majesty King George VI. On 25 August 1942, the 56th Division left the United Kingdom and moved to the Middle East where it served with the 5th Infantry Division in III Corps, part of the British Tenth Army under Persia and Iraq Command. The division was ordered to move to Egypt in March 1943 and thence forward to Libya, and the front, in April.
  On 8 April 1943, however, the 168th Brigade was detached from the 56th Division and initially became an independent brigade group, with 90th (City of London) Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery and 501st (London) Field Company, Royal Engineers, both under command. On 29 May 1943, the brigade was transferred to the understrength 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, which had suffered heavy casualties and lost the 150th Brigade the previous summer in Battle of Gazala. In July 1943, with the 50th Division, the 168th Brigade fought in the invasion of Sicily, landing on D-Day+3, yet the brigade suffered comparatively light casualties in the short campaign (10th Royal Berkshires had suffered 109 casualties, 26 of them KIA whereas 1st London Irish had 160, with 40 KIA).
  In October the 50th Infantry Division, along with the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and 7th Armoured Division, was chosen by General Bernard 
caption: Bren gun carrier, bearing the name 'Father O'Flynn' of the 1st Battalion, London Irish Rifles, Sussex, during the winter of 1939.
exif: {}