page_title: 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East
section_title: HQ North East
hierarchical_section_title: 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East / Current formation / HQ North East
caption_attribution_description: English: Updated (2020) structure of 4 Inf Bde graphic.
context_page_description: 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East, previously known as 4th Mechanized Brigade is a brigade formation of the British Army, currently based in Catterick, North Yorkshire as part of 1st Division. The brigade, now known as the 'Black Rats', was formed in 1939 and fought in the Second World War in the Western Desert Campaign in North Africa. The Black Rats were subsequently involved in the invasion of Sicily and fighting in Italy before taking part in the Battle of Normandy and the advance through Belgium, Holland and into Germany.
  More recently, the Brigade took part in the First Gulf War and completed a number of tours to the Balkans during the 1990s. The Black Rats have since deployed twice to Iraq and once before to Afghanistan for Operation Herrick 12 in 2010. The Brigade returned to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in October 2012 for Operation Herrick 17 to take over as the lead formation of British troops. The roulement tour saw the brigade working in support of the Afghan Army's 3/215 Brigade and elements of the Afghan National Police.
context_section_description: The Brigade also exercises command over all British Army Units based in the North East for the purposes of UK Operations, this also includes the cadets and forces of the region.  The regional element is referred to simply as 'HQ North-East', which covers the counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Teesside, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire.  Organisations and units which fall under this regional command include:
caption: Structure of 4 Inf Bde & HQ North East as of July 2020.
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