The 1st Motor Brigade was a formation of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

during the interwar years and the early part of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Initially raised in 1921 as the 1st Cavalry Brigade in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, it was a part time formation of the

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. It consisted of three light horse regiments spread across several depots in the southeast part of the state. During World War II, the brigade was mobilized for defensive duties in December 1941, and assumed positions north of Brisbane to defend against a possible invasion. In early 1942, the brigade was converted into a motorized formation, and was redesignated as the 1st Motor Brigade. In July 1943, when the threat of invasion had passed, it was disbanded and its manpower reallocated to operational formations.

History

The brigade was formed as a part time unit of the

in 1921 and was designated as the 1st Cavalry Brigade. Headquartered in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Queensland, the brigade was raised from the previously existing

1st Light Horse Brigade The 1st Light Horse Brigade was a mounted infantry brigade of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), which served in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. The brigade was initially formed as a part-time militia formation in the early 1900s in ...

. Upon establishment, the brigade consisted of three light horse regiments: the 5th, 11th and 14th. These were based in Gympie, Toowoomba and

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

. It formed part of the 1st Cavalry Division, which was headquartered in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. By 1938, the brigade's three regiments had been transferred to the 11th Mixed Brigade, with the 2nd and 14th Light Horse Regiments being amalgamated. Plans drawn up before the war assigned the brigade a flank protection role to the north and south of Brisbane in the event of an invasion. During

, the 1st Cavalry Brigade was mobilized for full time service following Japan's entry into the war in December 1941. At this time, the brigade's headquarters was located at Fortitude Valley,

; its constituent units were converted into motorised units at this time, as part of an effort to motorize or mechanize Australia's mounted forces in the early war years. The brigade consisted of the 5th Motor Regiment, the 11th Motor Regiment and the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion at this time, and was spread between Gympie, Gatton, and Grovely. By February 1942, the brigade's headquarters had moved to Enoggera with the 5th and 11th Motor Regiments based around

Buderim Buderim ( ) is an urban centre on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a mountain which overlooks the southern Sunshine Coast communities. In the , the urban area of Buderim had a population of 54,483. The name "Buderim" i ...

and Caloundra. The brigade was converted into the 1st Motor Brigade in March – April 1942. After it was converted into a motor brigade, the brigade was reinforced by the 16th Motor Regiment, which was transferred to Gympie from New South Wales. At this time, the brigade was tasked with carrying out reconnaissance and defensive duties in the

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

–

Maroochy River The Maroochy River is a river in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises from the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range and flows east through Eumundi, before entering the sea at Cotton Tree, Maroochydore. Other populated centres in t ...

region, in the event of a Japanese invasion. This resulted in brigade headquarters being moved to

Cooroy Cooroy is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Noosa, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Cooroy had a population of 3,791 people. Geography Cooroy is inland from the northern Sunshine Coast hinterland about west of Noosa H ...

and then Gympie in April and May. The brigade was assigned to the

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *5th Division (Australia) * 5th Division (People's Republic of China) *5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) *5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Moto ...

, then transferred to the direct command of

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...

before later being transferred to the 1st Motor Division. In July 1942, the brigade's area of responsibility was widened to include Maryborough as part of a reorganization necessitated by the dispatch of the 7th Division to New Guinea to join the fighting along the

Kokoda Track The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanese ...

. The brigade was transferred again in November 1942, to the 3rd Armoured Division, headquartered at

Murgon Murgon is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Murgon had a population of 2,378 people. Geography Murgon is in the region of Queensland known as the South Burnett, the southern ...

; at this time, the brigade's main units were the 5th, 11th and 16th Motor Regiments. At the start of 1943, the 1st Motor Brigade moved to

Goomeri Goomeri ( ) is a rural town and locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Goomeri had a population of 664 people. Geography The town is located on the intersection of the Burnett, Bunya and Wide Bay Hi ...

. However, when the threat of invasion had passed, the brigade was disbanded in July 1943, having not seen any active service. The brigade's manpower was then reallocated to meet shortages in the Army's operational formations, with the volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force personnel being reassigned to several different infantry brigades, specifically the

18th 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

and 21st, while headquarters staff were transferred to the 25th Infantry Brigade's headquarters.

Brigade units

The following units served with the brigade during the war while it was a cavalry brigade: * 5th Light Horse * 11th Light Horse * 2nd/14th Light Horse * 2nd Light Horse * 5th Motor Regiment * 11th Motor Regiment *

2nd Reconnaissance Battalion The 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion (2nd Recon) is a reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. Located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the battalion falls under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Ma ...

The following units served with the brigade during the war following its conversion to a motor brigade: *

* 5th Motor Regiment * 11th Motor Regiment * 16th Motor Regiment *6th Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Australian Artillery *232nd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Australian Artillery *6th Field Squadron,

Royal Australian Engineers The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, be ...

References

{{Reflist Brigades of Australia Military units and formations established in 1921 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943 1921 establishments in Australia 1943 disestablishments in Australia

History

Brigade units

See also

References