Australian Army reserve brigade
Military unit
The
11th Brigade
is an
Australian Army
brigade
which currently comprises most
Australian Army Reserve
units located in
Queensland
. The brigade was first formed in early 1912 following the introduction of the
compulsory training scheme
. Later, as part of the
3rd Division
and saw action during
World War I
on the
Western Front
as part of the
First Australian Imperial Force
. In the interwar years, the brigade was re-raised with its headquarters in Brisbane.
During
World War II
, it undertook garrison and defensive duties in north Queensland before deploying to
Dutch New Guinea
in 1943. In 1944?1945, the brigade took part in the fighting against the Japanese on
Bougainville
. In the postwar era, the 11th Brigade was raised and disbanded several times, before being raised in Townsville in 1987, where its headquarters is currently located. It forms part of the
2nd Division
, and consists of units based across Queensland and New South Wales.
History
[
edit
]
Formation and World War I
[
edit
]
The 11th Brigade traces its origins to 1912, when it was formed as a Militia brigade as part of the introduction of the
compulsory training scheme
, assigned to the
2nd Military District
. The brigade's constituent units were spread across various locations in New South Wales including
Penrith
,
Lithgow
,
Bathurst
,
Orange
,
Parkes
,
Dubbo
,
Liverpool
,
Goulburn
,
Wagga Wagga
and
Albury
.
During World War I, the 11th Brigade was raised in early 1916 as part of the
First Australian Imperial Force
. Forming part of the
3rd Division
,
the brigade was formed in Australia during the period shortly after the
Gallipoli Campaign
when the AIF was being expanded prior to its commitment to the fighting on the
Western Front
. On formation, the brigade consisted of four infantry battalions: the
41st
,
42nd
,
43rd
and
44th
.
Of these, the first two were drawn from Queensland, while the 43rd was recruited mainly from South Australia and the 44th came from Western Australia. In addition to these battalions, the brigade was supported by the 11th Field Ambulance, the 11th Trench Mortar Battery and the 11th Machine Gun Company (later part of the
3rd Machine Gun Battalion
).
[5]
Following the brigade's establishment, a brief period of training was undertaken in Queensland until May 1916 when the formation embarked for the United Kingdom where they concentrated with other elements of the 3rd Division in the
Salisbury Plain Training Area
for further training after July 1916. There, they undertook further training until November that year, when the troops of the 3rd Division began moving across the Channel to the Western Front.
The brigade's first commander was Brigadier General
Colin Rankin
. He was replaced by Brigadier General
James Cannan
in December 1916. Following its commitment to the Western Front, the 11th Brigade took part in many battles over the course of the next two years. These include: the
Third Battle of Ypres
, the
Battle of Broodseinde
, the
Battle of Passchendaele
, the
Second Battle of Morlancourt
, the
Battle of Hamel
and the
Hundred Days Offensive
.
[5]
Militia and interwar period
[
edit
]
While the AIF was deployed, a separate
Citizens Force
(later known as the Militia) formation remained in Australia. By 1918, an 11th Brigade had been established within the
2nd Military District
, consisting of the 41st (Blue Mountains), 42nd (Lachlan-Macquarie), 43rd (Werriwa), and 44th (Riverina) Infantry Battalions.
The AIF was formally disbanded in 1921, at which time it was decided to reorganise the Citizens Force to perpetuate the numerical designations of the AIF.
Forming part of the
1st Military District
,
the 11th Brigade was based in north Queensland at this time, with its headquarters in Brisbane.
[11]
It was raised as a mixed brigade and included one
light horse regiment
: the
2nd
, based in Ipswich.
In 1928, the brigade consisted of the
9th
,
31st
,
42nd
and
47th Battalions
.
By 1938, the brigade had been expanded and along with its infantry units it also included light horse regiments that had previously been assigned to the
1st Cavalry Brigade
: these were the
2nd/14th
,
5th
and
11th
, which were spread across depots in Brisbane and further afield in south-east Queensland such as
Goondiwindi
and
Kingaroy
.
World War II
[
edit
]
At the outbreak of World War II, the 11th Brigade consisted of four Queensland-based infantry battalions: the
26th
(
Hughenden
), 31st (
Townsville
), 42nd (
Rockhampton
) and
51st
(
Cairns
).
[16]
The early war years saw the brigade undertake short periods of continuous service to provide training to part-time soldiers called up under the compulsory service scheme.
[18]
In December 1941, at the outset of the war in the Pacific, the brigade was called up for full time service, and was allocated to the defence of northern Queensland. During this time, they were engaged with improving camp infrastructure, building defences and individual and collective training.
Later, the brigade was reorganised into a triangular formation, and the 42nd Battalion was transferred to the
29th Brigade
.
[5]
In early 1943, the brigade became part of the
4th Division
. The 31st and 51st Battalions were merged, forming the
31st/51st Battalion
, following a government decision to release some personnel back to war essential civilian industries.
[18]
The brigade was later reinforced by the 20th Motor Regiment, for a brief period between April and August 1944, before the
55th/53rd Battalion
joined the brigade in August 1944.
[16]
In the intervening period, the 11th Brigade, after amphibious warfare training, deployed to
Merauke
in
Dutch New Guinea
, under the command of Brigadier
John Stevenson
.
[5]
There, the brigade provided a garrison to defend the area in case of Japanese attack. In deploying to Merauke, the brigade became the only Militia formation to deploy outside Australian territory during the war.
As the war progressed, the threat to Merauke reduced as the Allies advanced north through New Guinea. As a result, the brigade was withdrawn from Merauke in August 1944, and after a period of leave concentrated at
Strathpine, Queensland
, where they undertook further training. In December 1944, the brigade deployed to
Bougainville
,
[18]
where Australian troops had taken over from US forces, which were subsequently redeployed to the Philippines.
The 11th Brigade relieved the US
148th Infantry Regiment
, and subsequently took part operations in the northern and central parts of the island. Following its deployment in
Bougainville
, the brigade was assigned to the
II Army Corps
. During this time, the brigade's three infantry battalions alternated between holding actions in the central sector, and the advance in the north. Several notable actions were fought at
Tsimba Ridge
and
Porton Plantation
before the 11th Brigade was relieved by the
23rd Brigade
in June 1945.
[18]
The brigade was moved back to Torokina after this, remaining there until the end of the war. In September 1945, the brigade was assigned to the
11th Division
and moved to
Rabaul
to carry out garrison duties.
Army Reserve
[
edit
]
Following the war, the wartime military was demobilised and the part-time Citizens Military Force was formed in 1948.
In the post-war period, the 11th Brigade was raised, disbanded and redesignated several times. After being re-formed in the immediate post war years, it was assigned to Northern Command in 1953.
The brigade was disbanded in 1960. It was re-raised in 1972 as the 11th Task Force, before being renamed the 11th Field Force Group in 1977. The brigade was re-established in 1987, based in Townsville.
[5]
At this time, the brigade was tasked with vital asset protection in northern Australia in the event of war.
In 2000, the brigade was allocated an area of responsibility including Cape York Peninsula.
In July 2007, a re-organisation of the 7th Brigade saw the transfer of the Brisbane-based
9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment
and the
25th/49th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment
to the 11th Brigade. At the same time, the brigade was transferred from the
1st Division
to the
2nd
.
In July 2008, the 31st and 42nd Battalions merged to form the
31st/42nd Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment
.
[30]
Under
Plan Beersheba
, the brigade is tasked with generating a
battlegroup
in support of the
3rd Brigade
, one year in every three.
[31]
The battlegroup is known as Battlegroup Cannan.
[32]
While the majority of the brigade's units are based in Queensland, headquartered either in Townsville or Brisbane, its cavalry unit, the
12th/16th Hunter River Lancers
, is based in Tamworth.
[33]
Between October 2010 and June 2011, a composite company designated "ANZAC Company", formed from 11th Brigade Reservists deployed to
Timor Leste
under
Operation Astute
.
The brigade led recovery efforts following
Tropical Cyclone Marcia
in early 2015, providing a Reserve response force at short notice from elements of 31/42 RQR, the 11th Combat Service Support Battalion and the 35th Field Squadron.
Organisation
[
edit
]
As of 2023 the 11th Brigade consists of the following units:
[33]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- Australian Military Forces (1912).
The Military Forces List of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1 January 1912
. Melbourne, Victoria: Government Printer.
OCLC
221429471
.
- Australian Military Forces (1918).
Officers' List of the Australian Military Forces, 1st August 1918
. Melbourne, Victoria: Government Printer.
OCLC
48935638
.
- Bean, Charles
(1941).
The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1916
. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914?1918. Vol. III (12th ed.). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial.
OCLC
220623454
.
- Boddy, S. (2012). "ANZAC Company in Timor Leste".
Australian Infantry Magazine
. Vol. Oct 2011 / Apr 2012. pp. 16?20.
ISSN
1447-5545
.
- Gailey, Harry A. (1991).
Bougainville, 1943?1945: The Forgotten Campaign
. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky.
ISBN
0-8131-9047-9
.
- Grey, Jeffrey
(2008).
A Military History of Australia
(3rd ed.). Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN
978-0-521-69791-0
.
- Hall, Richard John (1968).
The Australian Light Horse
. Blackburn, Victoria: W.D. Joynt & Co.
OCLC
59504
.
- Kuring, Ian (2004).
Redcoats to Cams: A History of Australian Infantry 1788?2001
. Loftus, New South Wales: Australian Military History Publications.
ISBN
1-876439-99-8
.
- McBean, Graham (12 July 2007).
"Historic transfer"
.
Army News: The Soldiers' Newspaper
(1170 ed.). Archived from
the original
on 9 September 2007
. Retrieved
16 March
2008
.
- McKenzie-Smith, Graham
(2018).
The Unit Guide: The Australian Army 1939–1945, Volume 2
. Warriewood, New South Wales: Big Sky Publishing.
ISBN
978-1-925675-146
.
- Mosby, Edward (2015). "The 11th Brigade Response to Tropical Cyclone Marcia".
Australian Infantry Magazine
. Vol. Apr/Oct 2015. pp. 60?65.
ISSN
1447-5545
.
- Palazzo, Albert (2002).
Defenders of Australia: The 3rd Australian Division 1916?1991
. Loftus, New South Wales: Australian Military Historical Publications.
ISBN
1-876439-03-3
.
- Palazzo, Albert (2001).
The Australian Army: A History of its Organisation 1901?2001
. Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.
ISBN
978-0-19-551506-0
.
External links
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