28th (Thames and Medway) Anti-Aircraft Brigade

28th (Thames & Medway) Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Active 1925–September 1948
Country  United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
Type Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Role Air Defence
Part of 1st AA Division
6th AA Division
Garrison/HQ Medway Towns
Engagements The Blitz

28th (Thames and Medway) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army created in 1925 to command anti-aircraft units in Kent and around the militarily important Medway Towns, which it defended during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz.

Origin

German air raids by Zeppelin airships and Gotha bombers on London and other British cities during World War I had shown the need for strong anti-aircraft (AA) defences in any future war. When the Territorial Army (TA) was reformed in the 1920s it included a number of dedicated AA units of the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE). At first these were concentrated in London under 26th and 27th Air Defence Brigades, but in 1925 55th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA was formed to defend the Medway Towns of North Kent. 28th Air Defence Brigade (ADB) was then formed at Tunbridge Wells. to command the AA defences in the area, even though it only had 55th AA Bde under its command, and that in turn consisted only of 163rd (Kent) AA Battery at Tunbridge Wells. (There were also 313 and 314 independent AA searchlight companies of the RE (TA) in Kent, but these were not formally subordinated to 28 ADB at this time.)[1][2][3][4]

At first, 28th ADB was subordinate to the Home Counties Area of Eastern Command, but as Britain's AA defences expanded during the 1930s, higher formations became necessary. 1st AA Division was formed to cover London and the Home Counties in 1935. The 28th AD Bde was reorganised as 28th (Thames & Medway) Anti-Aircraft Group, based at Kitchener Barracks, Chatham, and commanding all the gun and searchlight units in the area.[3][5][6]

Order of Battle

The composition of 28 AA Group in December 1935 was as follows:[3]

28th and other Anti-Aircraft Goups adopted the more normal formation title of 'Brigades' after the Royal Artillery redesignated its Brigades as 'Regiments' in 1938.

World War II

By 3 Sep 1939 the London and searchlight units had left 28th AA Brigade, which was now entirely composed of Heavy AA artillery regiments drawn from Kent. It was serving in 6 AA Division, which was formed in 1939 to take responsibility for air defence of the Thames Estuary, Essex and Kent.[6][8]

The 89th AA Regiment sailed for Egypt in December 1939.[6]

In 1940, AA units equipped with 3.7-inch and similar guns were redesignated 'Heavy Anti-Aircraft' (HAA), while units equipped with guns like the Bofors 40 mm gun were designated 'Light Anti-Aircraft' (LAA).

In the summer of 1940, the brigade was joined by 53rd (City of London) HAA Regiment, which had been evacuated (without guns) from Marseille after the Fall of France.[12]

During the Battle of Britain and subsequent night bombing campaign (The Blitz), 28 AA Bde was responsible for the defences on the south side of the Thames estuary including the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham and the Port of Dover.[13][14]

On 24 November 1940, 75th HAA Regiment was transferred to 62 AA Bde to defend the North Midlands,[6] but 28 AA Bde was strengthened by 90th HAA and 4th LAA regiments:

In February 1941, 53 (City of London) HAA Regiment moved to Croydon and transferred to the command of 48 AA Bde.[12] In November 1942, 55 (Kent) HAA Regiment sailed from the UK to the Middle East, where it joined Eighth Army,[9][20] while 58 (Kent) HAA Regiment went to North Africa with First Army.[10][21] In March 1944, 90th HAA and 4th LAA Regiments left AA Command and joined Second Army to prepare for the Normandy Landings (Operation Overlord).[16][17][22]

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, the Thames and Medway AA Brigade was reformed, now numbered as 54 (Thames and Medway) AA Brigade (the TA AA brigades were now numbered 51 and upwards, rather than 26 and upwards as in the 1930s; the wartime 54 AA Bde was renumbered 80). Once again, it had the two Kent HAA regiments under its command, now renumbered 455 and 458 rather than 55 and 58. It also had 564 Searchlight Regiment, the prewar 29 (Kent) Searchlight Regiment. It was based at Gillingham, Kent, and was subordinate to 1 AA Group (AA Command's corps and divisions had been disbanded in 1942 and a group structure introduced; 1 AA Group controlled the air defences of the London region). However, 54 AA Bde was disbanded the following year, completely disappearing in September 1948.[23][24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Litchfield, pp. 112–3.
  2. ↑ Monthly Army List 1925–35.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 1 AA Division 1936–39 at British Military History
  4. ↑ Titles and Designations 1927.
  5. ↑ Monthly Army List January 1936.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6 AA Division 1939 at British Military History
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Monthly Army List January 1939.
  8. ↑ AA Command at Patriot Files
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 55 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 58 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45
  11. ↑ 89 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 53 HAA Regt War Diary 1940–41, The National Archives, Kew (TNA) file WO 166/2343.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 6 AA Division 1940 at British Military History
  14. ↑ 6 AA Division at RA 39-45
  15. ↑ Litchfield, p. 177.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 90 HAA Regt at RA 39-45
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 4 LAA Regt at RA 39-45
  18. ↑ 3 SL Regt at RA 39-45
  19. ↑ Keith Brigstock 'Royal Artillery Searchlights', presentation to Royal Artillery Historical Society at Larkhill, 17 January 2007.
  20. ↑ Joslen, pp. 466–7, 484, 487.
  21. ↑ Joslen, pp. 465, 467.
  22. ↑ Joslen, p. 463.
  23. ↑ Graham Watson, The Territorial Army 1947 at Orbat.com
  24. ↑ AA Brigades 30–66 at British Army Units 1945 on

References

Online sources