This article supplements the 7th Armoured Division article by providing order of battle information for the division through various periods of the Second World War as the organization of an armoured division was changed by the War Office. Due to the experience gained in the Middle East these changes were sometimes present in the armoured divisions there before the War Office mandated organization. Parallel changes were made in the organization in the armoured brigades. The Division frequently did not match any organization scheme due to the lack of units in the Middle East.
Organization I (May 1939) reflected the Infantry tank — Cruiser tank thinking in the British Army.
Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt)1st Royal Tank Regiment
6th Royal Tank Regiment
Light Armoured Brigade (Egypt)7th Hussars
8th Hussars
11th Hussars
7th Support Group (joined 22 January 1940 on organization II)
Engineers and Anti-Aircraft units not assigned
M Battery detached from 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (anti-tank)
C Battery detached from 4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps
2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade
Division Troops
7th Armoured Division Signals Regiment Royal Corps of Signals
Organization II of April 1940, had homogenised the armoured brigades. Organization III of October 1940 moved infantry into each armoured brigade (not applied) and formed a division reconnaissance regiment of armoured cars.
4th Armoured Brigade (formerly the Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt) )
7th Hussars
2nd Royal Tank Regiment
6th Royal Tank Regiment
7th Armoured Brigade (formerly the Light Armoured Brigade (Egypt))
3rd Hussars
8th Hussars
7th Support Group
M Battery 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
C Battery 4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps
2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade
Divisional TroopsEngineers still not assigned
7th Armoured Division Signals Regiment
11th Hussars (reconnaissance)
3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (less M Battery) (attached)
4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (less C Battery) (attached)
2nd (Cheshire) Field Squadron Royal Engineers (attached)
141st Field Park Troop R.E. (attached)
Organization IV (February 1942) reorganized divisions into one armoured brigade group and one motorised brigade group, each with attached artillery and engineers. Organization VI (August 1942) was the essentially same as organization V which was applied in the U.K. only, applied in the Middle East two months later. This returned supporting arms to division control, with an increase in all types of artillery. The 7th Armoured Division initially had two Armoured Brigades, of different organizations.
4th Armoured Brigade (left 3 March 1943 still organized as a Brigade Group)4th/8th Hussars
Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons)
1st Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps
3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (returned to 7th Division 3 March 1943)
Troop from 42nd Battery, 15th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
Troop from 21st Field Squadron R.E.
5th, 58th Support Companies R.A.S.C.
14th Light Field Ambulance R.A.M.C.
22nd Armoured Brigade (joined 26 July 1942)1st Royal Tank Regiment
5th Royal Tank Regiment
4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
1st Battalion Rifle Brigade
131st Lorried Infantry Brigade (joined 1 November 1942)
1/5th Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
1/6th Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
1/7th Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
Division Troops7th Division Signals
11th Hussars (in reserve)
1st Household Cavalry Regiment (attached)
44th Reconnaissance Regiment (attached from 44th Division with two troops of Scorpion Tanks)
2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry (attached)
Royal Artillery
4th Field Regiment (joined 16 September—left 10 December 1942)
97th (Kent Yeomanry) Field Regiment (joined 13 September—left 1 December 1942)
65th (Suffolk & Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment (joined 13 September 1942)
15th (Isle of Man) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (joined 2 August 1942)
Royal Engineers
4th Field Squadron (joined 24 August 1942)
21st Field Squadron
143rd Field Park Squadron
R.A.M.C.
2nd Light Field Ambulance
Organization VII introduced little change, the attachment of a machine gun company to the infantry brigade, and the replacement of armoured cars with tanks in the reconnaissance regiment.
22nd Armoured Brigade1st Royal Tank Regiment
5th Royal Tank Regiment
4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade
131st Infantry Brigade1/5th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
1/6th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
1/7th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
'C' Company, 1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment (Machine Gun) (joined 1 August 1943)
Divisional Troops7th Division Signals
11th Hussars (left 3 November 1943)
Royal Artillery
3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
5th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (joined 1 December 1942)
15th (Isle of Man) Light AA Regiment Royal Artillery
65th (Suffolk & Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti Tank Regiment
24th Field Regiment (attached)
69th Medium Regiment (attached)
146th (Pembroke & Cardiganshire) Field Regiment (attached)
Royal Engineers
4th Field Squadron
621st Field Squadron
143rd Field Park Squadron
Organization VIII, consolidated the continuing changes in formations, increasing the reconnaissance regiment strength, moving the machine gun company to division troops and adding a bridging troop of engineers.
22nd Armoured Brigade1st Royal Tank Regiment
5th Royal Tank Regiment
4th County of London Yeomanry (left 29 July 1944)
5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards (joined 29 July 1944)
1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade
131st Infantry Brigade1/5th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
1/6th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) (left 3 December 1944)
1/7th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) (left 3 December 1944)
2nd Battalion, Devonshire Regiment (joined 1 December 1944)
9th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (joined 2 December 1944)
Divisional Troops7th Division Signals
8th Hussars (joined 16 December 1943)
3rd Independent Machine Gun Company
Royal Artillery
3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
5th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
15th (Isle of Man) Light AA Regiment Royal Artillery
65th (Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti Tank Regiment Royal Artillery
Royal Engineers
4th Field Squadron
621st Field Squadron
143rd Field Park Squadron
7th Bridging Troop
R.A.S.C.
58th Armoured Brigade Company
67th Infantry Brigade Company
507th Armoured Divisional Troops Company
133rd Armoured Divisional Transport Company
R.A.M.C.
2nd Light Field Ambulance
131st Light Field Ambulance
29th Field Dressing Station
70th Field Hygiene Section
134th Mobile Dental Unit Army Dental Corps
These other brigades served with the Division.
1st Army Tank Brigade (29 July-9 November 1941)
1st Armoured Brigade (4 January-8 February 1942)
7th Mortorised Brigade (9 February-11 September 1942)
210st Guards Mortor Brigade (1 March-1 April 1943)
155th Infantry Brigade (3-20 April 1945)
