Squadron History

Between 1920 and 1959, 6 Infantry Brigade was supported by personnel from 2nd Division Signals. However in the late 1950s, it was decided that Brigades should have their own independent signals units, and hence 206 Signal Squadron was formed to serve 6 Infantry Brigade.

With the integration of Headquarters and Signal units in 1964, the Squadron was redesigned 6 Infantry Brigade Headquarter and Signal Squadron and assumed the additional responsibility for administration of the Brigade Headquarters. Then in September 1970, a change in the Brigade orbat led to the formation of 6 Armoured Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron. At this time the Brigade consisted of 4/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, The Queen Royal Irish Hussars, 2nd Battalion The Queens Regiment and 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Rangers.

On the 1st January 1971, the Brigade came under the operational command of 4th Division thus ending a long association with 2nd Division which had begun in 1811. In early June 1973, the emblem changed from the cross keys and bayonet of the 2nd Division, to the Black Rhinoceros.

Due to further reorganisation, 6 Armoured Brigade was subsumed by the 3rd Armoured Division. 206 Signal Squadron was reabsorbed into 3 Armoured Divisional Headquarter and Signal Regiment in November 1977 and became 4 Squadron with responsibility for the communications of both Division Task Forces. The Squadron was reformed in January 1981 to support 6 Armoured Brigade. In November 1983 the Brigade became an airmobile formation before reverting back to an armoured brigade in 1988. Finally, 206 Signal Squadron was integrated into 3(UK) Division Headquarters and Signal Regiment in December 1992.

The Squadron was initially formed with the troops: Mons, Cambrai and Inkerman. This latterly changed to Mons, Cambrai and Normandy all three troops taking their names from famous battles fought by units of 3 Division and its predecessors.

The battle of Mons on 24 August 1914, was the first battle fought by British forces in Western Europe since Waterloo. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the speed and accuracy of British marksmen forced the Germans to temporarily halt their advance, thus allowing British forces to withdraw.

At 0600hours on 20 November 1917, 380 British tanks moved towards the front line near Cambrai. German troops fled in terror as a hole 6 miles wide and 400 yards deep was torn in the Hindenberg line. This was the dramatic introduction of the tank which hailed a new dimension of manoeuvre warfare.

The battle of Normandy took place on 6 June 1944, the greatest military operation in history succeeded in landing 155,000 men of the Allied army on to the shores of Northern France in order to defeat the German forces in NW Europe. 3 Division were the first ashore at Sword beach, one of five beaches in Operation Overlord. The success of the Normandy Campaign was a key factor leading to the Allied victory defeat in the Second World War.

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