During the first two years of World War II, South Africa raised a variety of

military units Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation' ...

. In order to cope with protection of vulnerable points and guarding

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

, the First Reserve Brigade was formed on 29 February 1940 initially with six

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 are ...

s but later expanded to twelve battalions before being broken up at the end of 1943.The Patriot Files
/ref>

Formation and function

The First Reserve

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. Br ...

was a South African second-line military unit raised in 1940, with brigade headquarters in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

under

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

T Scott, who died in August 1941. He was succeeded by Colonel BC Judd

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. The brigade drafted men of 'B' and 'C' Medical Categories primarily for guard duties at

aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

s. Ex-servicemen and others above the age of 35 but under 60 were accepted, and the brigade was run on a normal Active Citizen Force basis or fulI-time, as authorised. Detachments of the 1st Special Service Reserve Battalion were absorbed as full-time

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...

s. On 11 July 1940 the SA Internment Battalion was absorbed and redesignated 6th Battalion, 1st Reserve Brigade, with Lt-Col Whelehen as battalion commander. Its primary responsibility was the security of internment camps at Baviaanspoort, which had 150 guards. The brigade was organised with the 1st Battalion (the former 1st Special Service Reserve Battalion) in the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

, with headquarters at

Roberts Heights Thaba Tshwane is a military base (or military area) in Pretoria, South Africa. Units and facilities The oldest building in the complex is the South African Garrison Institute, what is now known as the Army College. Lord Kitchener laid the corn ...

the 2nd Battalion in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

Province with its

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, the 3rd (

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

) in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

, the 4th (Johannesburg) on the

Witwatersrand The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...

and in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

and the 5th (East London) in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

Province. Later battalions were the 7th, in the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

district and the Orange Free State, and the 8th, on a basis similar to that of the 6th. By 1942, after 2,800 men out of a total of 6,061 had been reclassified and transferred to other units, the brigade organisation was dissolved. The following year four more battalions were formed, some serving in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, while the 1st, 4th, 5th and 8th Battalions were broken up. Battalion commanders up to 1943 were: *1st: Lt-Col G Allen MC *2nd: Lt-Col EW Woon DSO MC *3rd: Lt-Col J. Lauth DSO VD *4th: Lt-Col G. Durham, DSO ED *5th: Lt-Col JM Grant *6th: Lt-Col F Morland MC *7th: Lt-Col HF Champion AFC *8th: Lt-Col

Hendrik Prinsloo Hendrik Frederik Prinsloo, OBE, ED (18 August 1890 – 20 November 1966) was a South African army officer. As a 12-year-old boy, he was interned by the British in a concentration camp during the Anglo-Boer War but served alongside the British ...

, remembered for the humanitarian manner in which he, as

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

, ran the Zonderwater Italian POW camp. *12th: Lt-Col Dudley Frank Smitheman

, ED At the end of the war the need for the battalions fell away and they were disbanded.

References

* {{SA Army Units Infantry brigades of South Africa in World War II Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945