[3] Following the conclusion of hostilities and the British victory in the Middle Eastern theatre, Britain intended to maintain a garrison to protect the canal.

[4][5] During the inter-war period, the Middle East and the canal gained further importance as oil production expanded, in addition to the development of aerial links between Britain and British India.

[6] This crisis prompted the deployment an ad hoc formation called the Mobile Force, based around the Cairo Cavalry Brigade, to Mersa Matruh in the Western Desert, 170 mi (270 km) west of Alexandria.

Due to rain and sandstorms, vehicles became stuck or were stricken by mechanical issues resulting in the moniker "Mobile Farce" being applied.

[b] The crisis also saw the UK and Egypt negotiate the Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936, which stated that the majority of the British military were to be confined to the canal zone except in emergencies.

A joint declaration on 2 January 1937, by Italy and Britain, to maintain the status quo around the Mediterranean, momentarily eased the situation between both countries.

[8][9][c] During the same year, the political situation in Europe escalated as Germany annexed Austria and then focused its attention on the German-dominated territory within Czechoslovakia.

As Italy was closely aligned with Germany, British forces moved to Mersa Matruh and authorization was provided to form a mobile division in Egypt.

[11][12] In September 1938, due to the tensions between Britain and the Axis Powers and a concern that Italy could invade Egypt, the Cairo Cavalry Brigade was ordered to Mersa Matruh.

[7][d] Once there, the brigade was reinforced by the 1st Battalion, Royal Tank Corps, as well as artillery, engineers, medical, and logistical units and became known as the Mobile Force.

[15] When tensions subsided, due to the Munich Agreement on 30 September, the force moved to Cairo where it was joined by is first infantry unit, the 1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (1st KRRC).

[12] In the meantime, on 27 September, Major-General Percy Hobart was reassigned from being the Director of Military Training and ordered to Egypt to form an armoured formation.

Field training was limited by vehicle shortages and tanks restricted on how many miles they could traverse due to the same issues that the Mobile Force had encountered six months prior.

[17][18][f] When tensions in Europe reached a boiling point, in late August and just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September, the division was again deployed into the Western Desert.

In November, Hobart was dismissed by General Archibald Wavell (Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command and who oversaw Wilson) and ordered back to the UK.

[20] Major-General Michael O'Moore Creagh, the Inspector of the Royal Armoured Corps, was given command of the division on 4 December 1939 as Hobart's replacement.

Training continued for the majority, while the 11th Hussars moved close to the Frontier Wire on the Egypt-Libyan border, where they started reconnaissance of Italian positions.

[1][27][28] Most sources concur that the jerboa design was created during Creagh's tenure; that he felt something representative was needed to be added to the white circle and chose the desert rat.

[1][29] Rea Leakey, who was the division's intelligence officer (GSO 3) at the time, claimed in his memoir that he and Hobart conversed about his pet jerboa.

George Forty, who edited the memoir, included a contradictory note that disputed Leakey's version of events and explained the story surrounding Creagh and his wife at the zoo.

While more of the division's tank units were initially moved forward, it was decided to avoid mechanical attrition and the majority were pulled back to the Mersa Matruh area.

This left one tank regiment along with the 1st KRRC, joined by two additional infantry battalions, and several batteries from the division's artillery to monitor a 60 mi (97 km) section of the border.

The division protected the flank of the initial attack, then provided more direct support over the following days and assisted in the capture of a large number of Italian troops.

[45] On 27 June 1942, elements of the 7th Armoured Division, along with units of the 3rd The King's Own Hussars, suffered one of the worst friendly fire incidents when they were attacked by a group of Royal Air Force (RAF) Vickers Wellington medium bombers during a two-hour raid near Mersa Matruh, Egypt.

[46] The Western Desert Force later became HQ XIII Corps, one of the major parts of the British Eighth Army which, from August 1942 was commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Montgomery.

In late April, towards the end of the campaign, the 7th Armoured Division was transferred to IX Corps of the British First Army for the assault on Medjez El Bab.

[49] The division was not an assault force in the invasion of Sicily, instead remaining in Homs, Syria for training in amphibious warfare, but did participate in the early stages of the Italian campaign.

Due to a change in plan, elements of the division engaged tanks of the Panzer-Lehr-Division and the Heavy SS-Panzer Battalion 101 in the Battle of Villers-Bocage and were repulsed.

After the Battle of the Falaise Gap, which saw most of the German Army in Normandy destroyed, the 7th Armoured Division then took part in the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine.

In November 1944, Lloyd-Verney was relieved by Major General Lyne, after he "was unable to cure the division's bad habits well enough to satisfy Montgomery and Dempsey".