 On 31 December 1940 Lieut.Col.Sim went to Egypt and Maj.A.Gilroy (Black Watch), who would later command the 14th Infantry Brigade, took command of the battalion.The 14th Brigade was reformed around the 2nd Yorks and Lancs and 2nd Black Watch and under the command of Brig.B.H.Chappel DSO.The brigade spent its time building defenses on the island, but these were limited.