13th Brigade (Australia)
Encyclopedia
The 13th Brigade is an Army Reserve
formation of the Australian Army
headquartered at Perth, Western Australia
and its various units have depots in Geraldton
, Kalgoorlie
, Albany
and Katanning
as well as Joondalup
and Rockingham
in the metro area. The 13th Brigade was first created in early 1916 and has been recreated multiple times since. The current brigade was formed in 1988 and is tasked with the protection of Western Australia.
in December 1915 a decision was made to create three additional Australian divisions. It was decided that half of each of the battalions of the first four brigades would be used as the nucleus of the new battalions to be formed. The 3rd Infantry Brigade
was divided as follows to form the 13th Infantry Brigade, 4th Australian Division
. The 13th Brigade sailed from Alexandria
for France
on 30 March 1916 and by 20 May 1916, was established in a sector of the line at Petillon
, France. The 13th Brigade is best known for their actions in retaking Villers-Bretonneux
during the Second Battle of the Somme. Following the end of the war the battalion of 13 Brigade where returned home and disbanded.
n coastline from the feared Japan
ese invasion.
All units are part of the Army Reserve
.
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
formation of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
headquartered at Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and its various units have depots in Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
, Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
, Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
and Katanning
Katanning, Western Australia
Katanning is a town located 277 km south east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Southern Highway. At the 2006 census, Katanning had a population of 3,808.-History:...
as well as Joondalup
Joondalup, Western Australia
Joondalup is a regional metropolitan city within Perth, Western Australia, approximately north of Perth's central business district.It acts as the primary urban centre in Perth's outer northern suburbs.-History:...
and Rockingham
Rockingham, Western Australia
Rockingham is a suburb and primary centre in Western Australia south-west of the Perth city centre and south of Fremantle. It has a beachside location at Mangles Bay, the southern extremity of Cockburn Sound. To its north stretches the maritime and resource-industry installations of Kwinana and...
in the metro area. The 13th Brigade was first created in early 1916 and has been recreated multiple times since. The current brigade was formed in 1988 and is tasked with the protection of Western Australia.
World War I
Following the evacuation of GallipoliBattle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
in December 1915 a decision was made to create three additional Australian divisions. It was decided that half of each of the battalions of the first four brigades would be used as the nucleus of the new battalions to be formed. The 3rd Infantry Brigade
Australian 3rd Brigade
The 3rd Brigade is a combined arms brigade of the Australian Army, based around the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment . It was originally formed in 1914 for service during World War I, taking part in the fighting at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in Europe...
was divided as follows to form the 13th Infantry Brigade, 4th Australian Division
Australian 4th Division (World War I)
The Australian 4th Division was formed in the First World War during the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force infantry brigades in February 1916. In addition to the experienced 4th Brigade were added the new 12th and 13th Brigades...
. The 13th Brigade sailed from Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on 30 March 1916 and by 20 May 1916, was established in a sector of the line at Petillon
Pétillon
Pétillon may refer to:* Pétillon metro station, Brussels* René Pétillon , French satirical and political cartoonist* Léon Pétillon , governor-general of Belgian Congo...
, France. The 13th Brigade is best known for their actions in retaking Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.-History - World War I:...
during the Second Battle of the Somme. Following the end of the war the battalion of 13 Brigade where returned home and disbanded.
World War II
The brigade was reformed in 1939 in response to the outbreak of the Second World War, up until 1942 the brigade was practically the only army unit in place to protect the Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n coastline from the feared Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese invasion.
Current Units
Units of the 13th Brigade currently include:- 11th/28th Battalion, Royal Western Australia Regiment11th/28th Battalion, Royal Western Australia RegimentThe 11th/28th Battalion, Royal Western Australia Regiment is a Reserve infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Located in Western Australia, it is one of the two battalions of the Royal Western Australia Regiment, and forms the infantry component of the 13th Brigade.-History:The 11th/28th...
- 16th Battalion, Royal Western Australia Regiment16th Battalion, Royal Western Australia RegimentThe 16th Battalion, Royal Western Australia Regiment is an Australian Army reserve infantry battalion located in Western Australia and one of the two battalions of the Royal Western Australia Regiment.-History:...
- 13th Field Squadron13 Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers13 Field Squadron is a Reserve unit of the Royal Australian Engineers of the Australian Army. 13 Field Squadron provide the combat engineering capability of the Western Australia based reserve 13th Brigade.-History:...
, Royal Australian EngineersRoyal Australian EngineersThe Royal Australian Engineers is a corps of the Australian Army . The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, behind the Staff Cadets, Armoured and Artillery Corps... - 'A' Squadron, 10th Light Horse Regiment
- 13th Combat Services Support Battalion
- 109 Signals SquadronRoyal Australian Corps of SignalsThe Royal Australian Corps of Signals is one of the 'arms' of the Australian Army. It is responsible for installing, maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems...
- 7th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery
All units are part of the Army Reserve
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
.