29th (East Anglian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade

29th (East Anglian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army before and during World War II. It defended Kent during The Blitz.

Origin
29th (East Anglian) Anti-Aircraft Group was organised in January 1936 at RAF North Weald, Essex, as part of 1st Anti-Aircraft Division. Its original composition was as follows:


 * 59th (The Essex Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (TA): a Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) gun unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 5th Battalion, Essex Regiment.
 * HQ at Walthamstow
 * 164th Anti-Aircraft Battery at Walthamstow
 * 167th Anti-Aircraft Battery att Leyton
 * 193rd Anti-Aircraft Battery at Leigh-on-Sea


 * 28th (Essex) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA): a searchlight unit formed in 1935 from Essex Group AA Companies, Royal Engineers.
 * HQ at Brentwood
 * 309th (Essex) Anti-Aircraft Company at Harlow
 * 310th (Essex) Anti-Aircraft Company at Epping
 * 311th (Essex) Anti-Aircraft Company at Brentwood
 * 312th (Essex) Anti-Aircraft Company at Upminster


 * 33rd (St Pancras) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA): a searchlight unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 19th London Regiment (St Pancras).
 * HQ at Camden Town
 * 332nd Anti-Aircraft Company at Camden Town
 * 333rd Anti-Aircraft Company at Camden Town
 * 334th Anti-Aircraft Company at Camden Town


 * 36th (Middlesex) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA): a searchlight unit raised in 1936.
 * HQ at Hendon
 * 317th Anti-Aircraft Company at Hendon
 * 345th Anti-Aircraft Company at Hendon
 * 346th Anti-Aircraft Company at Hendon

29th and the 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 the time war was declared on 3 September 1939, 29th AA Bde had been transferred to 6th AA Division, which was formed in 1939 to take responsibility for air defence of the Thames Estuary, Essex and Kent. At this point the brigade was entirely composed of searchlight units:


 * 28th (Essex) AA Bn RE: see above.


 * 29th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers: a searchlight unit with a similar history to 28th (Essex).


 * 73rd (Kent Fortress AA Bn RE: a new searchlight unit formed in April 1939 by conversion of the three Electric Light and Works Companies of the Kent Fortress Royal Engineers, and incorporating 322 AA Company from 29th (Kent) AA Bn and 331 AA Company from 32nd (7th City of London) AA Bn; it was based at Bexleyheath.


 * 74th (Essex Fortress) AA Bn RE: a new searchlight unit formed in April 1939 by conversion of the Essex Fortress Company, RE, based at Tottenham and incorporating 310 AA Company from 28th (Essex) AA Bn and 335 AA Company from 33rd (St Pancras) AA Bn.


 * 29th AA Bde Company Royal Army Service Corps.

During August 1940 the AA Battalions were transferred from the Royal Engineers to the Royal Artillery, when they were designated Searchlight Regiments. At this time AA Command was heavily engaged in the Battle of Britain, in which 29 AA Bde was responsible for guarding Kent. This was soon followed by the night-bombing campaign of The Blitz, in which searchlights were a key element in the defences. At his time 29 Bde consisted of two units:


 * 28th (Essex) S/L Regt RA.


 * 74th (Essex Fortress) S/L Regt RA.

In November 1940 the brigade was joined by the newly-formed 48th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. This regiment was sent overseas in December 1941, arriving in Java where it was captured by the Japanese.

By the end of 1944, however, the German Luftwaffe was suffering from such shortages of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious aerial attacks on the United Kingdom could be discounted. At the same time 21st Army Group fighting in North West Europe was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry. In January 1945 the War Office began to reorganise surplus anti-aircraft and coastal artillery regiments in the UK into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service.


 * 28th (Essex) Searchlight Regiment became 630th (Essex) Infantry Regiment, Royal Artillery in January 1945 and served with the liberation forces in Norway.


 * 74th (Essex Fortress) Searchlight Regiment had already been converted to 74th (Essex Fortress) Garrison Regiment in November 1944. It then became 613th Infantry Regiment, Royal Artillery in February 1945 and served in North West Europe.

Postwar
When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, the East Anglian AA Brigade was reformed, numbered as 55 (East Anglian) AA Brigade (the TA AA brigades were now numbered 51 and upwards, rather than 26 and upwards as in the 1930s). It was based at Barking, Essex, 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). At this time the brigade comprised the following units from Essex:


 * 600th HAA Regiment (the former 65th Searchlight Regiment, RA (The Essex Regiment)).


 * 563rd Searchlight Regiment, RA (28th Essex): see above.


 * 517th LAA Regiment, RA (Essex)

However, 55 AA Bde was disbanded the following year, completely disappearing in September 1948.

External sources

 * British Army units 1945 on


 * British Military History


 * Orbat.com


 * Orders of Battle at Patriot Files


 * Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth (Regiments.org)


 * The Royal Artillery 1939–45