History of the 7th Armoured Division
May 1945 to September 1947
May 45 – 7th Armoured Division from 12th Corps to 8th Corps District Jun 45 – HQ Borgard Barracks Itzehoe to 21st Army Group Belgium Jun 45 to Berlin Jul 45 to 1st Corps District Mar 46 – HQ Shiel Barracks Verden Aug 46 formed 7th Armoured Division District Jun 47 to Hannover District Sep 47
General Officers Commanding: Major-General Lewis Owen Lyne CB DSO then Major-General George ‘Pip’ Philip Bradley Roberts MC DSO who became commander Hannover District
Jun 47 – 7th Armoured Division District – HQ Bad Rothenfelde near Münster
8 King’s Royal Irish Hussars – Marmsdorf (Hamburg) to Wachen (Kiel) to Schenefeld (Hamburg) to Berlin Jul 45 to Richmond Barracks Itzehoe Oct 45 to Lingen Jul 46 to 7th Armoured Brigade Jan 47
11 Hussars (Prince Albert’s Own) – Brunsbuttelkoog
RHQ + B Squadron + D Squadron St Margarethen and Buttel – C Squadron Brunsbuttel handed over to 2 Royal Tank Regiment then RHQ + A Squadron + C Squadron Kellinghausen – B Squadron + D Squadron Bad Bramstedt to Berlin July 45 to Cardigan Barracks Jever near Wilhelmshaven Mar 46 to Delmenhorst Apr 47 to Osnabrück Feb 48
COs: Lieutenant Colonel W Wainman DSO MC later Lieutenant Colonel P Payne Gallwey DSO
3 Company Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (Machine Gun)
263 Forward Delivery Squadron RAC
CRA:
3 Regiment RHA – unknown to Crerar Barracks Oldenburg Apr 47 to Caithness Barracks Verden Apr 48
5 Regiment RHA – Dodesheide Camp Osnabruck to UK 1948
65 (Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment RA – Hamburg to Itzehoe to 11th Armoured Division Jun 45
15 (Isle of Man) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA
CRE:
4 Field Company RE
621 Field Company RE
143 Field Park Company RE
7 Bridging Platoon RE
7 Divisional Signals
COs: Lieutenant Colonel PC Williams then Major AW Barron MC then Lieutenant Colonel GDT Harris OBE then Lieutenant Colonel LCC Harrison MC
507 (Divisional Transport) Coy RASC
58 (Armoured Brigade) Coy RASC
67 (Infantry Brigade) Coy RASC
22 Armoured Brigade Ordnance Field Park Coy RAOC
131 Infantry Brigade Ordnance Field Park Coy RAOC
7 Mobile Laundry and Bath Unit RAOC
131 Infantry Brigade Workshop REME
2 Armoured Brigade Workshop REME
with Light Aid Detachments and a Light AA Workshop
2 Light Field Ambulance RAMC
131 Light Field Ambulance RAMC
29 Field Dressing Station RAMC
70 Field Hygiene Section RAMC
134 Mobile Dental Unit RAMC
Royal Army Chaplaincy Service
7 Divisional Provost Company CMP
7 Divisional Postal Unit
May 45 – 257 Anti-Tank Battery RA from 6th Airborne Division – North of Hamburg
May 45 – 7th Armoured Workshops REME – Itzehoe to Künsebeck near Bielefeld
Jun 45 – 21 Anti-Tank Regiment RA from Guards Armoured Division to 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division late 45
Jun 45 – 1 Battalion Grenadier Guards from 5th Guards Brigade – Braunschweig area to Berlin Jul 45 to 5th Guards Brigade Aug 45
May 46 – 7 Royal Tank Regiment from 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division – Lothian Barracks Detmold to UK Sep 46
Jun 46 – 1 Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) from 146th Infantry Brigade – Caspari Barracks Delmenhorst
Jan 47 – 1 Royal Dragoons from 5th Infantry Division – Northampton Barracks Wolfenbuttel
Jul 45 – 42 Armoured Engineer Regiment from 1st Armoured Engineer Brigade renamed 32 Assault Engineer Regiment 1947 to Perham Down UK 1948
CO: Lieutenant Colonel WRG Walker
11 Armoured Engineer Squadron RE disbanded Jul 47
27 Armoured Engineer Squadron RE disbanded 1947
203 Armoured Engineer Park Squadron RE renamed 631 Armoured Engineer Park Squadron RE Feb 46
Feb 46 – CRE: Lieutenant Colonel GL Galloway
1 Field Squadron RE from 1 Armoured Engineer Regiment Italy
209 Field Company RE renamed 209 Field Squadron RE
210 Field Company RE renamed 629 Field Squadron RE renamed 29 Field Squadron RE Nov 46 disbanded Dec 47
211 Field Park Company RE renamed 145 Field Park Squadron RE
Jan 47 – 4 Field Squadron RE formed from 209 Field Squadron RE
Jun 47 – 7th Armoured Division District formed – HQ Bad Rothenfelde near Munster
CRE: Colonel DCT Swan
Nov 47 – 29 Field Squadron formed from 629 Field Squadron disbanded Dec 47
Dec 47 – 7th Armoured Division RE formed 1 Engineer Training Establishment – Hameln Commander: Colonel RPG Anderson
1 Field Squadron RE disbanded Mar 48
4 Field Squadron RE formed disbanded May 48
1948 – 29 Field Squadron RE reforms
Nov 47 – 45 Field Park Squadron RE formed from 145 Field Park Squadron RE disbanded Dec 47
May 45 – 160th (South Wales) Infantry Brigade – HQ unknown to 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division May 45
Commander: Brigadier CFC Coleman
4 Battalion Welch Regiment
2 Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment
6 Battalion Royal Fusliers
May 45 – 22nd Armoured Brigade – HQ Warendorf renamed 7th Armoured Brigade Jan 47 to 7th Armoured Division District Jun 47 to Hannover District Sep 47
Commander: Brigadier ADR Wingfield 11 (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars – Brunsbuttel to Hamburg to Berlin Jul 45 to Cardigan Barracks Jever near Wilhelmshaven 1946 to Delmenhorst Apr 47 to Osnabrück Feb 48
COs: Lieutenant Colonel W Wainman DSO MC later Lt Col P Payne Gallwey DSO
1 Royal Tank Regiment – Peterborough Barracks Gluckstadt to Moll Belgium Jul 45 to Berlin Aug 45 returned Mar 46 to Schleswig-Holstein to Hobart Barracks Detmold Jul 46
5 Royal Tank Regiment – Hamburg to Wilster west of Itzehoe to Newcastle Barracks Hamm Jun 46 to Rotenburg 1947
5 Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards – Pinneberg to Itzehoe (Muhlenbarbek) to Bendorf Jan 46 to York Barracks Münster Jul 46 to Barker Barracks Paderborn late 48
107 Regiment Royal Horse Artillery disbanded Jun 45
1 Battalion Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own) – Gluckstadt to Osnabruck Jan 47
Jan 47 – 8 King’s Royal Irish Hussars from 7th Armoured Division – Lingen to UK 1947
May 45 – 131st Infantry Brigade – HQ Kellingshausen near Bad Bramstedt to Bristol Barracks Luneburg to Berlin Jul 45 to Melle near Osnabrück Mar 46 renamed 31st Infantry Brigade Feb 47 to 7th Armoured Division District Jun 47 to Hannover District Apr 48
Commanders: Brigadier JMK Spurling then Lieutenant Colonel J Freeland then Brigadier JMK Spurling then Brigadier DS Gordon DSO Nov 45
1/5 Battalion Queen’s Royal Regiment
2 Battalion Devonshire Regiment – Quickborn to Freiderichstadt Jun 45 to Berlin Jul 45 to 5th Infantry Division Mar 46
9 Battalion Durham Light Infantry to 56th Infantry Brigade Nov 45
CO: Lieutenant Colonel AB Brown
Mar 46 – 1 Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment from 160th (South Wales) Infantry Brigade to Scloss Neuhaus Jul 46
May 46 – 1 Battalion Leicestershire Regiment from 147th Infantry Brigade – Lingen
CO: Lieutenant Colonel AL (Toby) Novis MC from Jul 45
Jun 45 – 13th Infantry Brigade – HQ unknown to Berlin attached from 5th Infantry Division returned Mar 46
2 Battalion Cameronians 2 Battalion Wiltshire Regiment
5 Battalion Essex Regiment
252 Field Company RE
Information sources
Thanks go to the Polar Bear Association for "The Polar Bear News" a weekly newspaper for the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division published in Iserlohn from Oct 45 to Oct 46
British Army Units 1945 on - Orders of Battle - WW2Talk
The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers volume X + XI by the institution of Royal Engineers
Sapper Magazine
The Royal Corps of Signals a History of its Antecedents and Development (circa 1800-1955) by Major General RFH Nalder CB OBE
The Royal Corps of Signals Unit Histories (1920-2001) by Cliff Lord and Graham E Watson
Wire Magazine
The British Army in Germany an Organizational History 1947-2004 by Graham E Watson and Richard A Rinald