It was formed from the 1st Cavalry Division, a 1st Line Yeomanry unit of the Territorial Army (TA) which had previously been serving in Palestine.

The divisional sign was a fox's mask, representing the hunting tradition of the formation's cavalry and Yeomanry units.

The division was originally under command of HQ British Troops Palestine and Transjordan, but transferred to Ninth Army when the headquarters was redesignated on 1 November 1941.

Also the Queens Bays at Sabratha [10] 5th Royal Tank Regiment became part of 25th Armd Bde Gp in Cyrenaica from December 1954 to March 1957 [1].

5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was at Wavell Barracks, Benghazi from December 1965, operating armoured cars, with "A" Squadron at Ziyyi Camp in Cyprus, until the end of 1967.