7th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom) 7th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom) The 7th Armoured Brigade was an armoured brigade formation of the British Army. The brigade is also known as the 'Desert Rats', a nickname formerly held by the 7th Armoured Division, of which the brigade formed a part of during the Second World War until late 1941. The brigade was raised from garrison troops stationed in North Africa in 1938. It was initially known as the Light Armoured Brigade which was part of the Mobile Division in Egypt. When the Mobile Division became 7th Armoured Division, the Light Armoured Brigade became the 7th Armoured Brigade
42nd Armoured Division (United Kingdom) 42nd Armoured Division (United Kingdom) The 42nd Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army raised during the Second World War. The division was formed in late 1941 by converting the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. The 42nd Division was a 1st Line Territorial Army (TA) infantry formation that saw service in the Battle of France and was evacuated at Dunkirk in June 1940. The division was converted on 1 November 1941 into an armoured division. The division's first commander was Major-General Miles C. Dempsey. However, the division was not posted overseas and its divisional headquarters was disbanded