30th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade


The 30th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army from 1936 until 1955, which defended Tyneside and Sunderland during the Second World War.

Origins

The formation was raised as 30th Anti-Aircraft Group on 1 November 1936 at Sunderland forming part of 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division. Its initial order of battle was as follows:
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'. Brig F.C. Chaytor, OBE, MC, was appointed brigade commander on 1 November 1938. Anti-Aircraft Command was formed in April 1939 to control all the TA's AA units and formations. 30th AA Brigade transferred to the new 7th AA Division when that was formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in June 1939. As AA Command continued to expand, 62nd AA Regiment and 47th Searchlight Battalion moved to other brigades in 7 AA Division and were replaced by newly formed units.

Second World War

Mobilisation

On the outbreak of war 30th AA Brigade was mobilised to defend its home area of Tyneside and Sunderland, with the following order of battle:
Early in 1940, 37th AA Bn left to join the British Expeditionary Force in France. It was one of the last units to be evacuated, from Saint-Nazaire two weeks after the main Dunkirk evacuation.
In 1940, RA regiments equipped with 3-inch, 3.7-inch or 4.5-inch AA guns were designated Heavy Anti-Aircraft to distinguish them from the new Light Anti-Aircraft regiments, and RE AA battalions were transferred to the RA and designated Searchlight regiments.

The Blitz

Order of Battle 1940–41

During The Blitz, 30th Anti-Aircraft Brigade comprised both HAA and LAA artillery while the searchlight units in the area were controlled by 57th Anti-Aircraft Brigade:
  • 63rd HAA Regt – as above
  • * 176, 177, 178, 269 HAA Btys
  • 64th HAA Regt – as above
  • * 179, 180, 268 HAA Btys
  • * 431 Bty
  • 37th (Tyne Electrical Engineers) LAA Regt – duplicate of 37 AA Battalion RE, organised on 28 August 1939 as an LAA Regiment RA; left July 1941
  • * 123, 127, 222 LAA Btys
  • 38th LAA Rgt – new unit raised on 28 August 1939 in North Yorkshire; shared with 10th AA Division
  • 68th LAA Regt – new unit formed December 1940, joined by February 1941
  • * 203, 204, 205 LAA Btys
  • 7th AA Z Rgt – new unit raised in September 1940, equipped with Z Battery rocket launchers
  • * 106, 109, 110, 117 Z Btys

Mid-war

As the war progressed, many experienced prewar AA units were deployed overseas and replaced in Home Forces by newer units, often 'mixed' units including personnel from the Auxiliary Territorial Service or members of the Home Guard. 37 LAA Regt went first to Palestine in April 1942 and then moved on to North Africa; 63 HAA Regt went to Ceylon in May 1942; 38 LAA Regt went to North Africa in August 1942 and 64 HAA Regt to Tunisia in May 1943. 68 LAA Regiment joined 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division in April 1943 and served with it during the Normandy Campaign.

Order of Battle 1941–42

During this period the brigade was composed as follows:

Reorganisation

On 30 September 1942 the AA Divisions and Corps were dissolved and 30th Anti-Aircraft Brigade came under a new 6 AA Group covering Scotland and North East England and aligned with No. 13 Group RAF.

Order of Battle 1942–44

Under the new command structure, 30 AA Bde had the following composition:
  • 122nd HAA Rgt – from Orkney and Shetland Defences February 1944
  • * 397, 400, 401, 455 HAA Btys
  • 130th (M) HAA Rgt – from 42 AA Bde Summer 1943
  • * 442, 443, 448, 449 HAA Btys
  • 135th HAA Rgt – left Summer 1943
  • * 466, 467, 473, 494 HAA Btys
  • * 547 HAA Bty – joined November 1942
  • 149th (M) HAA Rgt – from 4 AA Group Summer 1943
  • * 506, 507, 512, 581 HAA Btys
  • 153rd HAA Rgt
  • * 509, 521 HAA Btys
  • * 513, 544 HAA Btys – joined December 1942
  • 170th (M) HAA Rgt – from 42 AA Bde April 1943; left Summer 1943
  • * 528, 554 567, 568 HAA Btys
  • 124th LAA Rgt – to 2 AA Group by March 1943
  • 53rd S/L Rgt
  • * 408, 409, 410, 565 S/L Btys
  • 21st AA 'Z' Rgt – new unit formed December 1942, joined April 1943
  • * 109, 110, 213 Z Btys

Later war

In March 1944, 30 AA Bde HQ was transferred to 2 AA Group in South East England. Here it had just two units under its command:

Order of Battle 1944–45

However, in April 1944 the brigade's reporting line changed again and it became part of 5 AA Group covering the East Coast and East Midlands. A number of its former units returned to its command, and over succeeding months it exchanged units with other brigades in 2 and 5 AA Groups.
  • 122nd HAA Rgt – to 3 AA Group May 1944
  • * 397, 400, 401 HAA Btys
  • 129th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – from 43 AA Bde July, returned August 1944
  • * 444, 445, 454, 455 HAA Btys
  • 130th HAA Rgt – to 43 AA Bde September 1944
  • * 442, 443, 448, 449 HAA Btys
  • 149th HAA Rgt
  • * 506, 507, 512 HAA Btys
  • 151st (Mixed) HAA Rgt – from 41 AA Bde August 1944
  • * 510, 511, 514, 516 HAA Btys
  • 158th (Mixed) HAA Rgt
  • * 540, 541, 572 HAA Btys
  • * 548 HAA Bty – disbanded December 1944
  • 183rd HAA Rgt – from 71 AA Bde November 1944
  • * 564, 591, 608, 640 HAA Btys
  • 187th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – from 57 AA Bde October 1944
  • * 626, 644, 645 HAA Btys
  • 128th LAA Rgt – from 3 AA Group November 1944
  • * 421, 422, 423 LAA Btys
  • 7 AA Area Mixed Rgt – from 43 AA Bde July 1944
  • * 106, 117, 228, 229 Z Btys
  • 21 AA Area Mixed Rgt
  • * 109, 110, 213 Z Btys
By October 1944, the brigade's 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. In addition, the brigade had a Mixed Signal Office Section of 1 officer, 5 male other ranks and 19 ATS, which was formally part of the Group signal unit.

War's end

By the end of 1944, 21st Army Group was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry, and AA Command was forced to disband several regiments and batteries, and release their personnel. At the same time the German Luftwaffe was suffering from such shortages of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious air attacks on the United Kingdom could be discounted, so the War Office began to convert surplus AA regiments into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties in North West Europe, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service. Being stationed in Eastern England, still threatened by V-1 flying bombs air-launched from the North Sea, 30 AA Brigade was less affected by these changes. Nevertheless, in January 1945, 128th LAA Rgt was converted into 628th Infantry Rgt, RA, and went to Europe, while 183rd HAA Rgt was sent to Antwerp to defend that city against bombardment by V-1s.

Order of Battle 1945

From mid-February 1945 until the end of the war, 30 AA Bde had the following composition:
  • 130th HAA Rgt – returned June 1945
  • 144th (M) HAA Rgt – joined June 1945
  • * 497, 498, 503 HAA Btys
  • * 504 HAA Bty – disbanded July 1945
  • 151 HAA Rgt
  • 158 HAA Rgt
  • 147th (Glasgow) LAA Rgt – detached to 41 AA Bde for agricultural work summer 1945
  • * 492, 493, 495 LAA Btys
  • 7 AA Area Mixed Rgt – disbanded April 1945
  • 21 AA Area Mixed Rgt – disbanded April 1945
  • 10 AA Area Maintenance HQ – ''joined May 1945''

Postwar

When the TA was reformed in 1947, 30th Anti-Aircraft Brigade's Regular Army units reformed 8 AA Bde at Newcastle, while the TA portion was renumbered a 56th Anti-Aircraft Brigade, with its HQ at Washington, Co Durham, and the following order of battle:
The brigade was part of 3rd Anti-Aircraft Group with its headquarters in Edinburgh.
654 LAA Regt was placed in suspended animation in May 1949, and 325 LAA Regt merged into another unit in January 1954. Then on 1 March 1954, 56th Anti-Aircraft Brigade HQ was disbanded at Seaburn, Sunderland.
In 1955 AA Command was disbanded and the air defence of the UK was reorganised. A new 30th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was formed as a TA HQ from the Regular Army's 1st Anti-Aircraft Brigade, based at Edenbridge, Kent, with no connection with Northumbria. It included 258th (Sussex Yeomanry) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery and 265th, 431st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 458th (Kent) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA, 565th & 570th LAA Regiments. It remained unchanged until several amalgamations and re-rolings in May 1961. The brigade disbanded on 1 May 1961.

External sources