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The 23rd Brigade was a
brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...
of the
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal 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 (CA), who ...
. It was briefly raised in 1912 as a
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 ...
formation providing training as part of the compulsory training scheme. Later, it was re-formed in July 1940 for service during the
Second World War 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 opposi ...
, the brigade was initially a formation of the
Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initia ...
assigned to the
8th Division 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 8th Division (Australia) * 8th Canadian Infantry Division * 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China) * 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Repu ...
; however, after its sub units were captured by the Japanese in 1942 it was reformed with
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 ...
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...
s and was mainly used in a garrison role around Darwin, in the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
, until late in the war when it was committed to the fighting against the Japanese on Bougainville. It was disbanded in 1946.


History


Early formation

The 23rd Brigade briefly existed as
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 ...
brigade that was partially formed in 1912, following the introduction of the compulsory training scheme. At this time, it was assigned to the
6th Military District 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
. The brigade's constituent units were spread across various locations in
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
including Lyell,
Zeehan Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan, and neighbouring mining towns of Dundas, Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greater ...
,
Burnie Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s. , Burnie had an urban popu ...
, Devonport, Deloraine,
Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...
, Launceston, Scottsdale,
Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
and Huon. The brigade consisted of four infantry
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...
s, numbered consecutively as the 90th, 91st, 92nd and 93rd. The formation was short lived, and was not raised as part of the
First Australian Imperial Force The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 15 Au ...
(AIF) during the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. It remained on the order of battle as a Militia formation during the war, but was not re-raised in the interwar years when the Militia was reorganised to replicate the numerical designations of the AIF in 1921.


Second World War

The brigade was re-formed in July 1940 at
Seymour, Victoria Seymour () is a historic railway township located in the Southern end of the Goulburn Valley in the Shire of Mitchell, Victoria, Australia and is located north of Melbourne. At the , Seymour had a population of 6,569. The township services ...
, for service during the
Second World War 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 opposi ...
, the 23rd Brigade was initially raised as a unit of the
Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initia ...
, attached to the
8th Division 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 8th Division (Australia) * 8th Canadian Infantry Division * 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China) * 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Repu ...
. Upon formation it consisted of three infantry battalions—the 2/21st, 2/22nd and 2/40th Battalions—although later both a pioneer (initially, the 2/3rd but then later the 2/4th) and a machine gun battalion (the 2/4th) were added to its establishment. These units were drawn from Victoria and Tasmania. The brigade's first commander was Brigadier Edmund Lind. In August 1940, the brigade concentrated around Bonegilla. When the 8th Division was sent to Malaya in early 1941, the 23rd Brigade remained in Australia. In March and April 1941, it deployed to Darwin until Japanese intentions became clearer. Nevertheless, ultimately its subunits experienced the same fate that befell the rest of the division. Broken up and sent piecemeal to reinforce the garrisons at
Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...
,
Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...
and on
Timor Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, ...
, the 2/21st, 2/22nd and 2/40th Battalions were all eventually destroyed or captured by the Japanese in early 1942. Outnumbered and lacking sufficient air and artillery support, these units were quickly overwhelmed. While some members were able to evade capture and eventually rejoined Australian forces in New Guinea, most were captured. Many died in Japanese captivity. The 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion was also hastily deployed, reinforcing the 8th Division in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
where it too was eventually captured. While its constituent battalions were deployed, the brigade's headquarters remained intact in Darwin, and consequently it was reinforced with replacement units from 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 ...
, beginning in December 1941. The brigade's constituent units initially included the 43rd Battalion and the 27th Battalion, while the 19th Machine Gun Regiment arrived to replace the 2/4th in January 1942. In March 1942, Brigadier
Ivan Dougherty Major General Sir Ivan Noel Dougherty, (6 April 1907 – 4 March 1998) was an Australian Army officer during the Second World War and early Cold War period. Education and early life Ivan Noel Dougherty was born on 6 April 1907 in Leadville, ...
assumed command of the brigade which was assigned to the 12th Division (Northern Territory Force). Later, the 8th Battalion was also assigned to the 23rd Brigade. Having been responsible for the forward defensive area around Darwin initially, in March 1942, the brigade re-deployed to Brookings Creek when the 3rd Brigade arrived, occupying a defensive position in depth. At this time it was assigned a US artillery regiment—the 147th—in support, and consisted of the 7th, 8th and 43rd Battalions. A reorganisation in mid-1942 saw the brigade move to Howard Springs, Northern Territory. Throughout 1942 and 1943, the brigade remained in the Northern Territory, undertaking defensive duties. There were several moves during this time, and the brigade's assigned units varied. In September 1943, the 23rd Brigade was relieved by the 12th. Brigade headquarters, along with the 7th and 8th Battalions were redeployed to
Watsonia, Victoria Watsonia is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Banyule local government area. Watsonia recorded a population of 5,352 at the . History Watsonia ...
, and then sent to the Atherton Tablelands 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 , establishe ...
, where the 27th Battalion rejoined the brigade. There, the 23rd formed part of the 3rd Division and undertook training prior to deployment overseas. In April 1944, the brigade deployed to Lae, in New Guinea, where they were assigned to the 11th Division. Training was undertaken at Bulolo, before the brigade was reassigned to the 3rd Division in July. Later in the year, under the command of Brigadier
Arnold Potts Brigadier Arnold William Potts, (16 September 1896 – 1 January 1968) was an Australian grazier and army officer who served in the First World War and led the 21st Brigade of the Second Australian Imperial Force during its defence of the Koko ...
, the brigade took part in the
Bougainville campaign The Bougainville campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan, named after the island of Bougainville. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allie ...
as part of
II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...
. Initially, they were used in a static role, garrisoning the Outer Islands, which they took control of from the US 93rd Infantry Division; at this time the 27th Battalion and brigade headquarters was deployed to Green Island, the 8th was on
Emirau Emirau Island, also called Emira, is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago located at . It is currently part of the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea. The local language is a dialect of the Mussau-Emira language. Emira is part of what on ...
and the 7th was on
Stirling Island Stirling Island (also Sterling Island) is the smaller island of the Treasury Islands, Solomon Islands. Geography Stirling is about long and located some south of Shortland. The estimated terrain elevation above sea level is . Stirling Island is ...
and at Munda. However, in April 1945 the brigade was committed to the fighting on Bougainville Island, where they took over responsibility for the central and northern sectors, engaging the Japanese in direct combat for the first time, carrying out patrolling operations and launching a number of small attacks. During one of these attacks, north of Ratsua, one of the 8th Battalion's members, Private Frank Partridge, performed the deeds that led to him being awarded the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...
. Following the end of hostilities, the brigade remained on Bougainville guarding Japanese prisoners as the demobilisation process began. Finally, in 1946 all its subordinate units were disbanded. In November 1945, command of the brigade transferred to Brigadier Noel Simpson. By January 1946, the brigade headquarters was located around Torokina, before moving to Fauro Island the following month. In early April, the brigade returned to Australia aboard HMAS ''Kanimbla'', arriving in Sydney, where its constituent units returned to their states of origin, while the brigade's cadre personnel returned to Watsonia for disbandment. The brigade headquarters' final entry in its war diary was made in early May 1946.


Notes


Bibliography

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External links


23rd Infantry Brigade war diary
Australian War Memorial {{Infantry formations of the Second Australian Imperial Force , state=collapsed Brigades of Australia Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946 1946 disestablishments in Australia Br