British Army brigades had traditionally been ad hoc formations known by the name of their commander or numbered as part of a division.

However, units involved in the Second Boer War in 1899–1900 were organised into sequentially numbered brigades that were frequently reassigned between divisions.

The rapid deterioration of the situation led the War Office to announce on 11 November 1899 that a 5th Division was to be formed and sent out.

[2][3][4] The 11th (Lancashire) Brigade was constituted as follows:[5] As well as Spion Kop and Tugela Heights, the brigade served at Trichard's Drift, Tabanyama, Vaal Krantz, Wessel's Nek, Waschbank, Botha's Pass, Alleman's Nek, Volkrust, Wakkerstroom, and the advance on Standerton.

However, after the defeat of the main Boer field armies and the development of guerrilla warfare, all the divisions and brigades were broken up to form ad hoc 'columns' and garrisons.

[12] In the Expeditionary Force established by the Haldane reforms, 11th Brigade at Colchester became part of 4th Division, and remained so until the outbreak of World War I.

[17] The brigade landed in North Africa at Algiers in November 1942 and fought with 78th Division throughout the Tunisian campaign which ended with the Axis surrender in May 1943.

[33][41] On 15 October 2007, Helmand Task Force 11 formed its planning cell at Aldershot Garrison, expanding into 11th Light Brigade in November 2007 for deployment to Afghanistan (Operation Herrick).

In addition to the unit level changes, several of the regional brigades formed under the initial Army 2020 programme were disbanded or reduced to Colonel-level commands.

Routinely deployed around the world, Security Force Assistance units contribute to conflict prevention and resilience at an early stage.

The brigade will learn to fight as a tactical recce-strike force and will take part in training packages in Kenya and the Baltics in 2025.