231st Infantry Brigade

The 231st Infantry Brigade was a Second World War British Army unit, originally formed from the 1st Malta Brigade.It was composed of regular British Army battalions, was stationed on Malta at the start of the Second World War. After Rommel’s defeat at El Alamein, Malta lost some of its strategic significance and 231st Brigade, joined the 8th Army in North Africa, who were preparing for the invasion of Sicily, which was to be Brigades first of three amphibious assault landings of the war. After some hard fighting, including 2nd Devons at Regalbuto amongst the foothills of Mount Etna, the Germans were driven from Sicily and the Allies prepared to invade Italy. The Brigades second assault landing was at Porto San Venere on 7 September 1943. After this they were recalled home, along with the rest of 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, as they were now experienced amphibious assault troops, to prepare for the invasion of France. The third landing on Gold Beach was indeed the hardest and costliest of the assault landings and the battle of Normandy extracted a heavy toll on the Brigade. After Normandy they followed the armoured divisions across northern France to Belgium, where they assisted the Guards Armoured Division, in liberating Brussels, and on the Dutch border. They held Joe's Bridge in Lommel across the Escaut Canal at the start of XXX Corps, advance to Arnhem and was then present during the Nederrijn campaign in North West Europe.

Brigadier Roy Urquhart, made famous as commander of the 1st Airborne Division, was in command of this brigade during the Sicily landings.

It was transferred back to the United Kingdom in December 1944, to serve as a Training Brigade. At the same time, it switched the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment, for the 1/6th Battalion Queen's Regiment