1st (United Kingdom) Division
| Mobile Division 1st Armoured Division 1st British Armoured Division 1st (United Kingdom) Division |
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|---|---|
Insignia of the 1st Armoured Division.
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| Active | 1937–1945 1960–present |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
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| Branch |
 British Army
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| Type | Infantry Division |
| Size |
Second World War 14,964 men 343 tanks.Army 2020 size - around eight brigades, including 102 Logistics Brigade |
| Part of | Land Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Imphal Barracks, York, United Kingdom |
| Engagements |
First Gulf War Iraq War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Major General Giles Hill |
| Notable commanders |
Willoughby Norrie Herbert Lumsden Richard Hull Rupert Smith |
The 1st (United Kingdom) Division, formerly the 1st Armoured Division, is a division of the British Army, currently the only British division to be stationed in Germany. Originally formed in November 1937 as the Mobile Division, it saw extensive service during World War II and was disbanded afterwards; reconstituted in 1976, it remains in service. It should not be confused with the 1st Infantry Division, which saw service in World War II as a separate formation.
The division was formed in November 1937 on the initiative of General Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS). At the time, it was named The Mobile Division. The choice of General Officer Commanding reflected the tensions within the army. The Secretary of State for War (Leslie Hore-Belisha) wanted a Royal Tank Corps (RTC) officer as tanks would be the main force of the division but Montgomery-Massingberd wanted a cavalry officer. Supporters of Montgomery-Massingberd proposed that the tank element of the division should be formed from cavalry regiments equipped only with light tanks and that the tank brigade and its heavier tanks be removed from the division. The compromise was the appointment of Major-General Alan Brooke RA. When Brooke was promoted, his replacement was a cavalry officer.
The Mobile Division was formed with the 1st and 2nd Light Armoured Brigades, the 1st Army Tank Brigade, artillery, engineers and signals. Its paper strength was 620 armoured fighting vehicles but 7⁄8 of these were reconnaissance vehicles and some were simulated by trucks. The heavier tanks were in the tank brigade, which had obsolete medium tanks until cruiser tank deliveries began in December 1938. At the same time, the organization of the division was changed to a Light Armoured Brigade (three regiments with light and cruiser tanks), a Heavy Armoured Brigade (three regiments of cruiser tanks) and a Support Group (motorized rifle battalion, motorized artillery regiment and a company of engineers). In practice, with insufficient cruiser tanks to equip the division, there was no difference in numbers and type of tanks between the light and heavy brigades.
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