| Unit Name: | 242nd Brigade |
| Dates: | 1920 |
| Country: |  United Kingdom |
| Branch: | British Army |
| Type: | Infantry Brigade |
| Battles: | Occupation of Turkey |
| Notable Commanders: | Brig.-Gen. F.S. Montague-Bates |
242nd Brigade (242 Bde) was an infantry formation composed of British and Indian troops, which served in Turkey during the Occupation of Constantinople after World War I
242 Brigade was formed around Izmit, about 100 km east of Constantinople, on 30 March 1920 by General Headquarters of the British Army of Occupation. Under the command of Brigadier-General F.S. Montague-Bates,[1] 242 Bde initially comprised three Indian Army battalions, with a proportion of British Army support troops, all drawn from 28th Division, which was serving in Turkey at the time; a British infantry battalion (1st Gordon Highlanders, from the Army of Occupation in Germany)[2] was soon added. The brigade was formally attached to 28th Division from 6 June to 15 September 1920.[3] [4]
During its short existence, 242 Bde was constituted as follows:[3] [4]
Attached:
On 13 July the 20th Hussars took part in one of the last mounted actions by British cavalry, during an operation against Turkish nationalists.[4] [5]
During August Major-General Edmund Ironside took over command of the troops in the Izmit area (which became 'Ironside Force').[4] When Montague-Bates authorised a sortie over the River Sarkaria to protect his perimeter against attacks by Nationalist Turks, Ironside reprimanded him. One of Montague-Bates' staff reported that the two generals 'had heated words' and 'When Brigadier Bates came out of the meeting he was white with rage, said good-bye, and having collected his belongings left with hardly a word'. Montague-Bates returned to Constantinople and was sent home.[6] He was replaced in command of 242 Bde by Brigadier-General H.A.V. Cummins.[3]
In September 1920 the Greek Army took over the Izmit Front, which allowed the British Army of Occupation to be reduced. 242 Brigade was disbanded on 3 October and the troops dispersed, most of them joining 84th Brigade of 28th Division at Haydarpaşa.[3]