31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade

31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Active 1936–1948
Country  United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
Type Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Role Air Defence
Part of 2nd AA Division
7th AA Division
10th AA Division
5 AA Group
21st Army Group
Garrison/HQ Retford
York
Tadcaster
Immingham
Engagements The Blitz
North West Europe campaign

The 31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade (31 AA Bde) was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army from 1936 until 1948. During World War II it defended West Yorkshire and later participated in the North West Europe campaign.

Origins

The formation was raised as 31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Group on 1 November 1936 at Retford forming part of 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division. Its initial order of battle was as follows:[1]

Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) unit formed at Leeds in 1936 by conversion of 7th (Leeds Rifles) Bn West Yorkshire Regiment

HAA unit formed at Rotherham in 1936 by conversion of 5th Bn York and Lancaster Regiment

Searchlight unit formed at Huddersfield in 1936 by conversion of 5th Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Searchlight unit formed at Grimsby in 1936 by conversion of 5th Bn Lincolnshire Regiment

In 1938 the RA replaced its traditional unit designation 'Brigade' by the modern 'Regiment', which allowed the 'AA Groups' to take the more usual formation title of 'Brigades'. Anti-Aircraft Command was formed in April 1939 to control all the TA's AA units and formations. 31st AA Bde transferred to the new 7th AA Division when that was formed in Newcastle in June 1939.[2] As AA Command continued to expand, existing units moved to other brigades and were replaced by newly formed units.

World War II

On the outbreak of war 31 AA Bde was based at York and was mobilised to defend West Yorkshire, with the following order of battle:[2][3]

In 1940, RA regiments equipped with 3-inch or 3.7-inch AA guns were designated Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) to distinguish them from the new Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) regiments, and RE AA battalions were transferred to the RA and designated Searchlight regiments.

During The Blitz, 31 AA Bde remained responsible for AA defence of the West Yorkshire towns and cities, and was transferred to a new 10th AA Division (covering Yorkshire and Humberside) on 1 November 1940. At this period it was composed of LAA and S/L units:[5][6]

On 30 September 1942 the AA Divisions and Corps were dissolved and a new 5th AA Group assumed responsibility for North-East England, including 31 AA Bde.[5][11]

North West Europe

Early in 1944, 31 AA Bde under the command of Brigadier E. Coley was earmarked for overseas service with 21st Army Group in Operation Overlord. At the time the brigade was headquartered at Tadcaster, later at nearby Newton Kyme, in North Yorkshire as part of 5 AA Group with the following searchlight units under command:[12]

The regiments re-equipped their AA LMG sections with twin Browning machine guns and carried out 'Bullseye' exercises over North East England with the Night fighters of No. 264 Squadron RAF. On 15 April, 41 S/L Rgt received orders to mobilise for overseas service, followed on 1 June by 31 Bde HQ and 42 and 58 S/L Rgts. 31 Brigade HQ moved to its concentration area at Addlestone in Surrey and came under the orders of 21st Army Group on 21 June (D + 15).[13][14]

However, embarkation would not follow for several months, during which the HQ staff had to undergo three weeks of Battle Training at Perranporth in Cornwall, and then run S/L training in Wiltshire.The Brigade HQ finally landed at Arromanches on 2 October, having been preceded by 41 S/L Rgt and the Royal Corps of Signals section of 42 S/L Rgt, which had embarked in August and had been deployed defending US Army installations round the port of Cherbourg and later along the River Seine.[15][16]

The brigade proceeded to Brussels, where it was given the task of setting up a practice camp for training operators on the new new Mk VIII centimentric Searchlight Control (SLC or 'Elsie') radar. It was also ordered to begin trials on SLC radar for tracking enemy mortar fire.[17][18][19] 41 S/L regiment had been detached from the brigade and was employed in the 'Anti-Diver' role against V-1 flying bombs heading towards Antwerp, while 42 S/L Rgt was under US command in Antwerp itself, and 54 S/L Rgt was still training in England. This meant that apart from its Signals and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers sections, the only troops under the brigade's command were a detachment of 41 S/L Rgt personnel attached for the counter-mortar trials. On 18 November a premature explosion while firing a captured German 81 mm mortar killed 5 men (including 3 from 41 S/L) and wounded four men of 41 S/L. Lieutenant Gilbert Rabbetts of 41 S/L 'acted with great gallantry, rapidly removing wounded to hospital, though himself badly wounded' and was later awarded the MBE.[17][20]

31 AA Brigade remained with 21st Army Group until the end of the war in Europe.[21]

Postwar

When the TA was reformed in 1947, 31 AA Bde was renumbered as 57 AA Bde', with its HQ at Immingham, and the following order of battle:[22][23]

However, the brigade was disbanded by 27 September 1948.

AA Command was disbanded and the air defence of the UK was reorganised in 1955. A new 31 AA Bde was formed as a TA HQ from the Regular Army's 8 AA Bde, based at Gosforth. It was disbanded in 1961.[22]

Notes

References

External sources