35th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom)

35th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command in the British Territorial Army (TA) formed shortly before the outbreak of World War II. It defended the important naval base of Portsmouth during The Blitz.

Origins
35th Anti-Aircraft (AA) Brigade was formed on 1 April 1938 at Fareham, and was assigned to 5th AA Division from its formation on 1 September that year.

Order of Battle
On the outbreak of World War II, 35 AA Brigade comprised the following units of the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE):
 * 56th (Cornwall) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA
 * HQ at Falmouth
 * 165th (Cornwall) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Redruth
 * 201st (Cornwall) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Padstow
 * 202nd (Cornwall) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Par
 * 203rd (Cornwall) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Penzance


 * 57th (Wessex) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA
 * HQ at Portsmouth
 * 213th (Portsmouth) Anti-Aircraft Battery
 * 214th (Southsea) Anti-Aircraft Battery
 * 215th (Gosport & Fareham) Anti-Aircraft Battery
 * 216th (Isle of Wight & Cosham)) Anti-Aircraft Battery


 * 72nd (Hampshire) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA – Heavy AA unit formed in 1938 by conversion of 95th (Hampshire) Field Brigade, RA
 * HQ at Southampton
 * 217th (Hampshire Carabiniers) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Winchester
 * 218th (Hampshire Royal Horse Artillery) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Southampton
 * 310th Anti-Aircraft Battery – formed January 1939 at Parkstone, Dorset


 * 48th (Hampshire) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE – ''searchlight regiment organised in 1937 from Hampshire Fortress Engineers, RE
 * HQ at Portsmouth
 * 391st Anti-Aircraft Company at Portsmouth
 * 392nd Anti-Aircraft Company at East Cowes, Isle of Wight
 * 393rd Anti-Aircraft Company at Gosport
 * 394th Anti-Aircraft Company at Southampton


 * 35th Anti-Aircraft Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps

World War II
During 1940 the AA regiments of the RA were designated 'Heavy AA', and the RE units transferred to the RA as 'Searchlight Regiments'. During the Blitz, 35 AA Bde had the following composition:
 * 72 HAA Rgt RA – as above


 * 48 S/L Rgt RA – as above


 * 80th (Berkshire) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery - formed on 1938 by expansion of 264th (Berkshire) Field Battery of 66th (South Midland) Field Brigade, RA
 * HQ at Reading, Berkshire
 * 249 (Berkshire Royal Horse Artillery) at Reading
 * 250 (Reading) at Reading
 * 251 (Buckinghamshire) at Slough
 * 252 (City of Oxford) at Oxford


 * 118th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery – new regiment formed in December 1940

Together with the searchlights of 27th (Home Counties) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, 35 AA Bde was responsible for the air defence of the city and naval base of Portsmouth. It remained part of 5 AA Division until AA Command was reorganised and the divisions were scrapped in September 1942, after which it became part of 2 AA Group.

Postwar
When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, 35 AA Bde was reformed at Fareham as 61 AA Brigade (TA). Still forming part of 2 AA Group, it comprised the following units:
 * 393 (Mixed) (Hampshire) HAA Regiment at Southampton – new unit, shortly afterwards renumbered as 675 (M) (Hampshire) HAA Regiment. 'Mixed' indicated that members of the Women's Royal Army Corps were integrated into the unit


 * 524 (Bournemouth) Light AA Regiment at Bournemouth


 * 535 (Hampshire) LAA Regiment at Eastleigh – reconstituted from 35 LAA Regiment lost at the Fall of Singapore in 1942

However, the brigade was disbanded on 1 June 1948.

Online sources

 * British Army units from 1945 on


 * British Military History


 * Orders of Battle at Patriot Files


 * The Royal Artillery 1939–45


 * Graham Watson, The Territorial Army 1947