| 42nd Armoured Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 November 1941–17 October 1943 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Allegiance | Allies |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Armoured |
| Size | 13,235 men[1] 227 tanks[nb 1][nb 2] |
The 42nd Armoured Division was a First Line Territorial Army formation during the Second World War. It was formed by converting an infantry division into an armoured role. It was never deployed overseas and was disbanded before seeing combat.
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The division was formed by converting the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division,[3] a First Line Territorial Army infantry formation,[4] on 1 November 1941 into an Armoured Division.[3] The division was not posted overseas[5] and its divisional headquarters was disbanded on 17 October 1943;[3] the division's infantry was assigned to the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division and its armour to the 79th Armoured Division.[5]
Two men served as the General Officer Commanding of the 42nd Armoured Division:
(on Formation in 1941)
On 1 November 1941, the 10th Armoured Brigade was converted from the 125th Infantry Brigade and was attached to the 42nd Armoured Division. It comprised the 108th Regt Royal Armoured Corps and the 145th Regt RAC. On 25 July 1942, the brigade was converted again into the 10th Tank Brigade and finally disbanded on the 25th November 1943. The 10th Armoured Brigade did not see active service as a unit.