The 33rd (Western) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of

Anti-Aircraft Command Anti-Aircraft Command (AA Command, or "Ack-Ack Command") was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the Territorial Army anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight formations and units defending the United Kingdom. Origin ...

of the Territorial Army, part of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, formed shortly before the outbreak of 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 opposin ...

. It defended

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

and

West Lancashire West Lancashire is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The council is based in Ormskirk, and the largest town in the borough is Skelmersdale. At the 2011 Census, the population of the borough was 110,685 ...

during

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

Origin

The 33rd (Western) Anti-Aircraft Group (later Brigade) was formed on 1 November 1936 at the Drill Hall,

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, as part of 2nd AA Division, with the following AA units of the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

(RA) and

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

(RE) under command:Frederick, pp. 1049–51. * 65th (The Manchester Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA (TA) – ''Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) unit formed at

Hulme Hulme () is an inner city area and Ward (politics), electoral ward of Manchester, England, immediately south of Manchester city centre. It has a significant industrial heritage. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, the nam ...

in 1936 by conversion of 6th/7th Battalion

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th ...

'' ** 181, 182, 183, 196 AA Batteries * 38th (The King's Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''Searchlight (S/L) unit formed at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1936 by conversion of 6th (Rifles) Battalion,

King's Regiment (Liverpool) The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 and numbered as the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot in 1751. Unlike most British Army infantry regiments, which we ...

'' ** 350, 351, 352, 353 AA Companies * 39th (The Lancashire Fusiliers) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''S/L unit formed at

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

in 1936 by conversion of 7th Battalion,

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 28 ...

'' ** 354, 355, 356, 357 AA Companies * 41st (The North Staffordshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''S/L unit formed at

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

in 1936 by conversion of 5th Battalion,

North Staffordshire Regiment The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was created on 21 April 1758 from the 2nd Battali ...

'' ** 362, 363, 364, 365 AA Companies * 62nd (4th Bn The Loyal (North Lancashire) Regiment) Searchlight Regiment – ''S/L unit formed at Preston in 1938 by conversion of 4th Battalion,

Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Reg ...

'' ** 435, 436, 437, S/L Batteries The 33rd AA Brigade was reassigned to 4th AA Division when that formation was created in Western Command on 1 September 1938. AA Command took over all TA air defences in 1939. From its formation, 33 AA Bde was commanded by Brigadier R.S. Ellis. By early 1939 its headquarters was at 'Crossacres',

Woolton Woolton (; ) is an affluent suburb of Liverpool, England. It is located southeast of the city and is bordered by Allerton, Gateacre, Halewood, and Hunt's Cross. At the 2011 Census, the population was 12,921. Overview Originally a standalone vi ...

.''Monthly Army Lists'' 1937–39.

Second World War

Mobilisation

AA Command mobilised in August 1939, and its units were already at their war stations on the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939. 33rd AA Brigade was responsible for the air defence of

and West

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, controlling the following units: Liverpool Blitz D 5983

* 70th (3rd West Lancashire) AA Regiment, RA – ''HAA unit formed in 1937 by conversion of 89th (3rd West Lancashire) Field Brigade, RA'' ** HQ at Tramway Road,

Aigburth Aigburth () is a suburb of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Garston, Mossley Hill, and Toxteth. Etymology The name Aigburth comes from Old Norse ''eik'' and ''berg'', meaning ''oak-tree hill''. T ...

, Liverpool ** 211 (13th West Lancashire) AA Battery at Aigburth ** 212 (27th West Lancashire) AA Battery at Aigburth ** 216 (14th West Lancashire) AA Battery at

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...

** 309 AA Battery at

Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Bootle (UK Parliament constituency), Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. Histo ...

, Liverpool * 81st AA Regiment, RA – ''HAA unit formed in 1938 by conversion of 60th (6th Cheshire & Shropshire) Medium Brigade, RA'' ** HQ, 253, 254 (Cheshire) AA Batteries at

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

** 255 (Cheshire) AA Battery at

Stalybridge Stalybridge () is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 23,731 at the 2011 Census. Historic counties of England, Historically divided between Cheshire and Lancashire, it is east of Manchester city centre and no ...

* 93rd AA Regiment, RA – ''New HAA unit raised in 1939'' ** HQ, 288, 289 AA Batteries at Oxton,

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

** 267 (Wirral) AA Battery at West Birkenhead – ''from 70th (3rd West Lancs) AA Rgt'' ** 290 AA Battery at Chester * 38th (The King's Regiment) AA Battalion, RE – ''As above'' ** HQ, 350, 351, 352, 353 AA Companies at Liverpool * 62nd (4th Bn Loyals) Searchlight Regiment – ''As above'' ** HQ, 435, 436, 437 S/L Batteries at Preston * 33rd AA Brigade Company,

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

(RASC)

Phoney War and Battle of Britain

During the early part of the war the brigade's searchlight regiments were transferred to other formations and were replaced by new HAA and Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) regiments. By the end of the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

33 AA Bde had the following units under command: * 103 HAA Regiment – ''formed May 1940''Farndale, Annex M. * 106 HAA Regiment – ''formed August 1940'' * 33 LAA Regiment (132 LAA Battery) – ''from Western Command at Liverpool'' * 42 LAA Regiment – ''formed September 1939 from batteries of 17 and 36 LAA Regts'' * Part of 65 LAA Regiment – ''formed November 1940''

The Blitz

While the Battle of Britain raged over the skies of Southern England by day, there were also night raids on industrial cities, and Liverpool was heavily attacked for four nights in a row from 28 August. The night raids continued into the following Spring, during which period the city and its docks along the

Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

became the most heavily bombed area of Britain outside London. The campaign became known as the

Liverpool Blitz The Liverpool Blitz was the heavy and sustained bombing of the English city of Liverpool and its surrounding area, during the Second World War by the German ''Luftwaffe''. Liverpool was the most heavily bombed area of the country, outside Lo ...

, with particularly heavy attacks at Christmas 1940 (the Christmas Blitz), in April 1941, and again in May (the

May Blitz May Blitz was a Canadian-British hard rock power trio that was active in the early 1970s. The group was formed in 1969 by bassist Terry Poole and drummer Keith Baker, the rhythm section of the blues-rock trio Bakerloo, both of whom l ...

Order of Battle 1940–41

By the end of the Blitz the brigade had the following units under command:Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 212/79. * 1st HAA Rgt – ''Regular Army mobile regiment, transferred from 1st AA Bde at

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

; part of

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

Reserve'' ** 1, 2, 17 HAA Btys ** 1 HAA Rgt Signals Section,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

(RCS) ** 1 HAA Rgt Section, RASC ** 1 HAA Rgt Workshop,

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...

* 93rd HAA Rgt ** 267, 288, 289, 290 HAA Btys * 103rd HAA Rgt ** 322, 323, 324 HAA Btys ** 420 Bty (joined between 27 June and 11 July 1941) * 107th HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed September 1940, partly from 103rd HAA Rgt'' ** 334, 335, 337, 390 HAA Btys * 33rd LAA Rgt ** 67, 68, 132 LAA Btys * 4th AA 'Z' Rgt – ''new unit equipped with

Z Battery A Z Battery was a short range anti-aircraft weapon system, launching diameter rockets from ground-based single and multiple launchers, for the air defence of Great Britain in the Second World War. The rocket motors were later adapted with a ne ...

rocket projectors, formed in 4 AA Division September 1940'' ** 104, 108, 122, 132, 139 Z Btys

Mid-War

The Blitz ended in May 1941, but occasional raids continued.Pile's despatch.
/ref> Newly formed units joining AA Command were increasingly 'mixed' ones into which women of the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

were integrated. Some of these were armed with

rocket projectiles that were partly manned by members of the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

. At the same time, experienced units were posted away for service overseas. This continual turnover of units accelerated in 1942 with the preparations for

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

and the need to relocate guns to counter the

Baedeker Blitz The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of aerial attacks in April and May 1942 by the German ''Luftwaffe'' on English cities during the Second World War. The name derives from Baedeker, a series of German tourist guide books, includ ...

and the ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

''s hit-and-run attacks against South Coast towns.

Order of Battle 1941–42

During this period the division was composed as follows (temporary detachments omitted):Farndale, Annex M. * 1st HAA Rgt – ''as above; to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

July 1941'' * 93rd HAA Rgt – ''as above; to 44 AA Bde June 1942'' ** 267, 288, 289 HAA Btys * 95th HAA Rgt – ''joined September 1942; left for

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

October 1942'' ** 204, 293, 240 HAA Btys * 103rd HAA Rgt – ''as above; left for mobile training May 1942'' ** 322, 323, 324 HAA Btys ** 420 HAA Bty – ''joined July 1941; left April 1942'' * 107th HAA Rgt – ''as above; left December 1941'' * 117th HAA Rgt – ''joined autumn, to 70 AA Bde December 1941, returned May, left for

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

and

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

Defences (OSDEF) late August 1942'' ** 370, 371 HAA Btys ** 358 Bty – ''joined May, left July 1942'' ** 369, 392 HAA Btys – ''left early August 1942'' * 137th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed November, joined December 1941, to 1 AA Group October 1942'' ** 476, 481 (M) HA Btys ** 477 (M) HAA Bty – ''to 142nd (Mixed) HAA Rgt January 1942'' ** 487 (M) HAA Bty – ''from 142nd (M) HAA Rgt January 1942'' Mobile Z battery 1941 IWM H 10791

* 149th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed February, joined April 1942'' ** 506, 507, 512 (M) HAA Btys * 154th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed March, joined May 1942'' ** 522, 526 (M) HAA Btys ** 560 (M) HAA Bty – ''joined June 1942'' ** 550 (M) HAA Bty – ''joined August 1942'' * 29th LAA Rgt – ''joined autumn 1941, to 10 AA Division February 1942'' ** 108, 121, 237 LAA Btys * 33rd LAA Rgt – ''as above; to 2 AA Division autumn 1941'' * 63rd LAA Rgt – ''from 70 AA Bde August 1942'' ** 188, 189, 190, 457 LAA Btys * 98th LAA Rgt – ''new unit formed December 1941, joined February, to 5 AA Division May 1942'' ** 304, 305, 306, 481 LAA Btys * 134th LAA Rgt – ''new unit formed February, joined June, to 57 AA Bde August 1942'' ** 192, 275, 287 LAA Btys ** 230 LAA Bty – ''left July 1942'' ** 475 LAA Bty – ''joined July 1942'' * 4th AA 'Z' Rgt – ''as above; to 70 AA Bde summer, rejoined autumn 1941, to 57 AA Bde August 1942'' ** 194, 132, 139, 172 Z Btys * 33 AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section (part of No 2 Company, 4 AA Division Mixed Signal Unit, RCS)

Later war

A reorganisation of AA Command in October 1942 saw the AA divisions disbanded and replaced by a smaller number of AA Groups more closely aligned with the organisation of

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...

. 33 AA Brigade came under a new 4 AA Group covering

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

and the

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 1 October 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/82.

Order of Battle 1942–44

By this time the brigade was composed solely of HAA regiments following the redeployment of LAA guns to the South Coast. It was only in early 1943 that the brigade was reinforced:Order of Battle of AA Command, 1 August 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/84. * 93rd HAA Rgt – ''returned by October 1942; left for Middle East Forces (MEF) by mid-March 1943''Joslen, pp. 484–5. ** 267, 288, 289, 290 HAA Btys * 149th (M) HAA Rgt – ''to 53 AA Bde May 1943'' ** 506, 507, 512, 587 (M) HAA Btys * 154th (M) HAA Rgt – ''to 2 AA Group October 1943'' * 522, 526, 590 (M) HAA Btys * 550 (M) HAA Bty – ''left December 1942'' * 552 (M) HAA Bty – ''joined January 1943'' * 157th (M) HAA Rgt – ''from 2 AA Group October 1943'' ** 505, 539, 550, 551 (M) HAA Btys * 179th (M) HAA Rgt – ''from 2 AA Group October 1943'' ** 584, 606, 607, 641 (M) HAA Btys * 184th (M) HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed November 1942, joined April 1943; to 44 AA Bde by August 1943'' ** 616, 617, 625, 627 (M) HAA Btys * 190th (M) HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed January 1943, joined May 1943'' ** 642, 664, 665, 667 (M) HAA Btys * 4th (M) AA 'Z' Rgt – ''returned May 1943'' ** 104, 132, 214 Z Btys ** 230 Z Bty – ''left end 1943'' * 14th (M) AA 'Z' Rgt – ''from 1 AA Group May 1943'' ** 108, 172, 201, 202, 226 Z Btys

Order of Battle 1944

In March 1944 the number of brigade HQs in 4 AA Group was reduced, and 33 AA Bde HQ was temporarily given additional responsibilities until these units were redistributed, mainly to the south of England to cover the embarkation ports for

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

:Order of Battle of AA Command, 27 April 1944, TNA file WO 212/85. * 157th (M) HAA Rgt – ''as above'' * 159th (M) HAA Rgt – ''joined March, to 6 AA Group August 1944'' ** 542, 543, 563, 614 (M) HAA Btys * 167th (M) HAA Rgt – ''joined March 1944; to 1 AA Group May 1944'' ** 464, 562, 610 (M) HAA Btys * 179th (M) HAA Rgt – ''as above; to 2 AA Group May 1944'' * 190th (M) HAA Rgt – ''as above; to 61 AA Bde May 1944'' * 196th HAA Rgt – ''from OSDEF June 1944; disbanded July 1944'' ** 351, 661, 662 HAA Btys * 88th LAA Rgt – ''joined March, to 2 AA Group May 1944'' ** 178, 289, 293 LAA Btys * 4th AA Area Mixed Rgt – ''redesignated 1944'' * 13th AA Area Mixed Rgt – ''joined March 1944'' ** 122, 203, 204, 205, 216 Z Btys * 14th AA Area Mixed Rgt – ''redesignated 1944'' By October 1944, AA Command was being forced to release manpower to

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...

fighting in North West Europe and 33 AA was reduced to one HAA regiment (157th; replaced by 169th – 566, 571, 576 (M) HAA Btys – in December) and its three AA Area Mixed regiments. At this date its own HQ establishment was 9 officers, 8 male other ranks and 25 members of the ATS, together with a small number of attached drivers, cooks and mess orderlies (male and female). In addition, the brigade had a Mixed Signal Office Section of 5 male other ranks and 19 ATS, which was formally part of the Group signal unit.

War's end

As the war neared its end there was a continued run-down of AA Command: 4 AA Group was disbanded in mid-March 1945, and 33 AA Bde transferred to the command of 5 AA Group. By this time, the brigade consisted solely of the rocket batteries of the three AA Area Mixed Rgts, and as these were disbanded in April. were disbanded during March and April, the brigade HQ soon had nothing to command. In May 1945, after the end of the war in Europe (

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

), it was given control of 12 Area AA Maintenance HQ to administer the

demobilisation Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...

process, with 37th (Tyne Electrical Engineers) and 69th (3rd City of London) S/L Rgts added in June. By November it was commanding a number of returned Regular Army units, together with others awaiting demobilisation: * 2nd HAA Rgt – ''returned from MEF'' ** 16, 20, 28 HAA Btys * 4th HAA Rgt – ''returned from MEF'' ** 5, 6, 258 HAA Btys * 7th HAA Rgt – ''returned from Siege of Malta'' ** 10, 13, 27 HAA Btys * 130th HAA Rgt ** 442, 443, 448 HAA Btys * 69th (3rd City of London) S/L Rgt ** 354, 456, 457 S/L Btys

Postwar

On 1 January 1947, 33 AA Bde's Regular Army units reformed 9 AA Bde in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, while the TA portion was renumbered as 59th Anti-Aircraft Brigade in the reformed TA, constituting part of 4 AA Group based at Warrington:Litchfield, Appendix 5.AA Brigades 30–66 at British Army Units from 1945 on
/ref> * Brigade HQ at Woolton, Liverpool * 360 HAA Regt – ''formerly 81 HAA Regt; see above'' * 493 HAA Regt, Birkenhead – ''formerly 93 HAA Regt; see above'' * 515 (Isle of Man) LAA Regt,

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

–''formerly 15 (Isle of Man) LAA Regt'' * 521 LAA Regt, Chester – ''formerly 21 LAA Regt; merged into 349 Regt 30 September 1950'' * 596 (South Lancashire) LAA Regt, St Helens – ''from 612 (South Lancashire) Infantry Regt RA, formerly 61 Searchlight Regt and originally

5th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment The 5th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment, was a unit of the British Army's Reserve Forces first established in St Helens, Merseyside, in 1860. It served as infantry in some of the bitterest fighting on the Western Front in World War I and ...

'' AA Command was disbanded on 10 March 1955 and there was a series of reductions and mergers in the TA's AA units. 59 AA Brigade was itself placed in suspended animation on 31 October 1955 and formally disbanded on 31 December 1957.

A new brigade

A new 33rd AA Bde was formed on 1 November 1955 at

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...

, London, by redesignation of X AA Bde (formerly 63 AA Bde). It had no links with Western Command or Merseyside. This brigade was reorganised on 1 May 1961, becoming 33 Artillery Brigade in

56th (London) Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. ...

Footnotes

Notes

References

Basil Collier, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1957.
* Gen Sir

Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s. Military career Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farnda ...

, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, . * ''Monthly Army List''. * * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, .
Sir Frederick Pile's despatch: "The Anti-Aircraft Defence of the United Kingdom from 28th July, 1939, to 15th April, 1945" ''London Gazette'' 18 December 1947
* Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, .

Online sources

British Army units from 1945 on

British Military History

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

The Royal Artillery 1939–45

{{British anti-aircraft brigades of the Second World War Military units and formations established in 1936 Air defence brigades of the British Army Anti-Aircraft brigades of the British Army in World War II B033 Military units and formations in Liverpool Military units and formations disestablished in 1957