71st Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)

71st Brigade 71st Infantry Brigade 71st Independent Infantry Brigade 71st Infantry Brigade
Insignia of the 53rd (Welsh) Division, Second World War
Active	1915-1919 1940-1946
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Brigade
Disbanded	1946

The 71st Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army that saw active service during both the First and Second world wars.

The 71st Brigade was raised following the outbreak of war, from men volunteering for Kitchener's New Armies. It was initially part of the 24th Division, but on 11 October 1915 it transferred to the 6th Division, swapping with the 17th Brigade. It fought on the Western Front.

The 71st Infantry Brigade was reformed in the Second World War on 28 November 1940, by the redesignation of the Headquarters of 3rd London Infantry Brigade. On 12 December it was again redesignated 71st Independent Infantry Brigade. The new 71st Brigade consisted of three infantry battalions raised earlier in the year specifically for war service, the 7th King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) and 8th and 9th York and Lancaster Regiment The battalions were all transferred to British India on 14 June 1942 and the brigade ceased to be independent and was again redesignated 71st Infantry Brigade On the same date, the battalions in the brigade were replaced by the 1st Battalion (a Regular unit) of the East Lancashire Regiment and 1st (also Regular) and 13th (a war service battalion) Highland Light Infantry (the 13th were later replaced by 1st Ox and Bucks). Again on 14 June brigade became part of the 42nd Armoured Division, previously the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division.