The 11th Signal and West Midlands Brigade is a signal formation of the British Army's 3rd UK Division. Its headquarters is located at

Venning Barracks Venning is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Annabel Venning (born 1973), British author and journalist * Dorothy Venning (1885–1942), British artist * Ivan Venning, Australian politician * John Venning (1776–1858), Engl ...

, in Donnington in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

History

The brigade was formed as 11th Signal Group in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1967. It became 11th Signal Brigade in 1982 and was redesignated 11th (ARRC) Signal Brigade in 1992 and reverted to 11th Signal Brigade in 1997. In November 2014, in accordance with the Army 2020 reorganisation, 11th Signal Brigade amalgamated with

143 (West Midlands) Brigade The 143rd Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars. In the First World War the brigade served on both Western Front and later the Italian Front. During the S ...

to create a new formation, based at

in Donnington, named 11th Signal and West Midlands Brigade, with an additional role as a regional brigade for army regular and reserve units in the West Midlands counties. A formation parade took place at Donnington on 15 November 2014.

Role

One of the brigade's responsibilities is to provide administrative support for around 8,000 Army personnel who are based in the region, as well as forming a vital link between the Army and its local communities. The brigade has five Regular Army signal regiments and five Army Reserve signal regiments. Under Army 2020, it is the Regional Point of Command for the West Midlands. In addition, it has command responsibilities for the Army Cadet Forces and some of the Army Reserve units in the region.

Structure

11th Signal Brigade

The current operational structure of the brigade, which is based at Venning Barracks, Donnington (to move to Beacon Barracks, Stafford), is: * 10th Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, at Basil Hill Barracks, Corsham ** 81 Signal Squadron, in Corsham (Army Reserve) * 32nd (Scottish) Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, HQ in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

(Army Reserve – Apps/Data support, paired with

16 Signal Regiment The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

in 1 (UK) Signal Brigade) * 39th (Skinners) Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, HQ in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

(Army Reserve – Apps/Data support, paired with 22 Signal Regiment in 1 (UK) Signal Brigade) * 7 Signal Group, at Venning Barracks, Donnington (to move to Kiwi Barracks, Bulford) ** 1st Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, at Beacon Barracks, Stafford (to move to Swinton Barracks, Perham Down to support

20th Armoured Infantry Brigade The 20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team, previously the 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade, is an armoured infantry brigade formation of the British Army, currently headquartered at Wing Barracks, Bulford, Wiltshire, as part of the 3rd (United Kingdo ...

) ** 15th Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, at

Blandford Camp Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this was abolished and it ...

(to move to Swinton Barracks, Perham Down to support

12th Armoured Infantry Brigade The 12th Armoured Brigade Combat team, formerly the 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade, is a regular brigade of the British Army which has been in almost continuous existence since 1899 and now forms part of 3rd Division (United Kingdom), 3rd (United ...

) ** 21st Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, at Azimghur Barracks, Colerne (to move to Catterick Garrison in 2020/21 to provide support to the Strike Brigade) ** 71st (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals, HQ in

Bexleyheath Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011. Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...

(Army Reserve – Paired with 3 Signal Regiment under

3 (UK) Division The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division is a regular army division of the British Army. It was created in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War, and was known as the ...

)

Headquarters West Midlands

This regional command now administers all units in the following counties;

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, and

West Midlands County West Midlands is a metropolitan county in the West Midlands Region, England, with a 2021 population of 2,919,600, making it the second most populous county in England after Greater London. It was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1 ...

. The following groups fall under administrative command of the group: * Headquarters West Midlands, at

, Donnington ** Birmingham University Officers' Training Corps (Army Reserve), at Montgomery House,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

** 11th Signal Brigade & Headquarters West Midlands Cadet Training Team, in Dawley Bank, Telford ** Derbyshire Army Cadet Force, in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

** Herefordshire and Worcestershire Army Cadet Force, at Sulva Barracks,

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

** Shropshire Army Cadet Force, at

Copthorne Barracks Copthorne Barracks was a British Army military installation in Copthorne, a suburb of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. History The barracks were built between 1877 and 1881 and initially included a hospital, married quarters, stabling and st ...

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

** Staffordshire and West Midlands (North Sector) Army Cadet Force, at Beacon Barracks, Stafford ** Warwickshire and West Midlands (South Sector) Army Cadet Force, in Harborne

References

External links

11th Signal Brigade and Headquarters West Midlands
{{Current British brigades Signal brigades of the British Army British Army Regional Points of Command Military units and formations established in 2014