42nd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

42nd Brigade 42 Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North West
Insignia of 42 (North West) Brigade.
Active	1899-1902 1907-1918 1939-1944 1991-
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Regular and Territorial Army
Part of	1st (United Kingdom) Division
Garrison/HQ	Fulwood Barracks, Preston
Engagements	Second Boer War First World War Second World War

The 42nd Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North West, also known as 42 (North West) Brigade, is a brigade of the British Army.

The brigade first saw action during the Second Boer War.

The brigade was reformed in August 1914 during World War I as the 42nd Brigade, raised from the first wave of men volunteering for Kitchener's Army. The 42nd Brigade was a component formation of the 14th (Light) Division and originally consisted of light infantry regiments but, as the war progressed and casualties mounted, the brigades' original battalions were replaced by non-light infantry regiments.

The brigade was re-formed during World War II as a security force to protect lines of communication in North Africa. In November 1943, the brigade HQ was redesignated as the HQ of the 57th Infantry Division for deception purposes. The brigade was disbanded in July 1944.

Headquarters 42 (North West) Brigade was reformed at Fulwood Barracks in 1991, so perpetuating the memory of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division, and became the regional military headquarters for North West England.

Under Army 2020, it was renamed 42nd Infantry Brigade and became the regional point of command for the North West of England.

The brigade today provides the Regional Point of Command for the British Army in the region of North West England and the Isle of Man. Its headquarters are situated at Fulwood Barracks in Preston.

Units include: