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
23rd Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom) Brigadier W. F. Murrogh. The brigade had only a few light armoured vehicles during its existence as an Army Tank Brigade. It was reorganised and renamed the 23rd Armoured Brigade on 1 November 1940, when it was assigned to the new 8th Armoured Division (Major General Richard McCreery). As part of the reorganisation it was reinforced with the 1st Battalion, London Rifle Brigade, this motorised infantry battalion was renamed the 7th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) on 19 January 1941. It began to receive significant numbers of tanks as a consequence of its assignment to the 8th Armoured