28th (Thames and Medway) Anti-Aircraft Brigade

28th (Thames and Medway) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army created in 1935 to command anti-aircraft units in Kent and around the militarily important Medway Towns, which it defended during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz.

Origin
The brigade was first organised as 28th (Thames and Medway) Anti-Aircraft Group on 15 December 1935 at Kitchener Barracks, Chatham, Kent. It formed part of 1st Anti-Aircraft Division, organised on the same date to control the increasing number of Territorial Army (TA) anti-aircraft and searchlight units.

Order of Battle
The original composition of the Group was as follows:
 * 55th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (TA) Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) gun unit raised in 1925
 * HQ at Fort Clarence, Rochester
 * 163rd (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Tunbridge Wells
 * 166th (City of Rochester) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Fort Clarence, Rochester
 * 205th (Chatham and Faversham) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Chatham


 * 58th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (TA) HAA gun unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 52nd (Kent) Medium Brigade, Royal Artillery
 * HQ at Erith
 * 206th (Erith) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Erith
 * 207th (Erith) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Erith
 * 208th (Bromley) Anti-Aircraft Battery at Penge


 * 61st (Finsbury Rifles) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, RA (TA). AA unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 11th London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles), affiliated to the Middlesex Regiment:
 * HQ at Pentonville
 * 170th Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battery at Finchley
 * 171st Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battery at Pentonville
 * 195th Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battery at Finchley
 * 272nd Anti-Aircraft Battery added later at Southgate


 * 29th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA). Formed in 1935 from the Kent and Middlesex Group Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Companies, Royal Engineers:
 * HQ at Marine School, Chatham
 * 313rd (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Company at Chatham
 * 314th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Company at Tonbridge
 * 322nd Anti-Aircraft Company at Greenhithe
 * 347th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Company at Sidcup


 * 32nd (7th City of London) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA). Searchlight unit formed in 1935 by conversion of 7th London Regiment (Post Office Rifles) affiliated to the Middlesex Regiment
 * HQ at Finsbury Square
 * 328th Anti-Aircraft Company at Finsbury Square
 * 329th Anti-Aircraft Company at Grove Park, Lewisham
 * 330th Anti-Aircraft Company at Grove Park
 * 331st Anti-Aircraft Company at Bexleyheath

28th and 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 3 Sep 1939 the London and searchlight units had left 28th AA Brigade, which was now entirely composed of Heavy AA artillery regiments drawn from Kent. It was serving in 6 AA Division, which was formed in 1939 to take responsibility for air defence of the Thames Estuary, Essex and Kent.


 * 55th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA
 * New 307th Battery formed at Tunbridge Wells
 * 205th Battery transferred to 89th HAA Regiment


 * 58th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA
 * New 264th Battery formed at Dartford


 * 75th (Home Counties)(Cinque Ports) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA). HAA Regiment raised in 1938.
 * HQ at Dover
 * 223rd (Cinque Ports) Battery at Folkestone
 * 233rd (Kent) Battery at Dover
 * 306th Battery at Ashford, Kent


 * 89th Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA). HAA Regiment raised in April 1939
 * HQ at Sittingbourne
 * 205th (Kent) Battery at Sittingbourne (from 55th (Kent) AA Regiment)
 * 234th (Kent) Battery at Deal, Kent
 * 235th (Kent) Battery at Margate

The 89th AA Regiment sailed for Egypt in December 1939.

In 1940, AA units equipped with 3.7-inch and similar guns were redesignated 'Heavy Anti-Aircraft' (HAA), while units equipped with guns like the Bofors 40 mm gun were designated 'Light Anti-Aircraft' (LAA).

During the Battle of Britain and subsequent night bombing campaign (The Blitz), 28 AA Bde was responsible for the defences on the south side of the Thames estuary including the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham and the Port of Dover.

On 24 November 1940, 75th HAA Regiment was transferred to 62 AA Bde to defend the North Midlands, but 28 AA Bde was strengthened by 90th HAA and 4th LAA regiments:


 * 90th HAA Regiment, RA (TA). HAA Regiment raised in April 1939.
 * HQ at Southgate
 * 272th Battery at Southgate
 * 284th Battery at Southgate
 * 285th Battery at Southgate


 * 4th (Ulster) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (SR). Supplementary Reserve regiment formed from 3rd (Ulster) Searchlight Regiment, which had served in France with the British Expeditionary Force and had been evacuated (without equipment) from Dunkirk.

In November 1942, 55 (Kent) HAA Regiment sailed from the UK to the Middle East, where it joined Eighth Army, while 58 (Kent) HAA Regiment went to North Africa with First Army. In March 1944, 90th HAA and 4th LAA Regiments left AA Command and joined Second Army to prepare for the Normandy Landings (Operation Overlord).

Postwar
When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, the Thames and Medway AA Brigade was reformed, now numbered as 54 (Thames and Medway) AA Brigade (the TA AA brigades were now numbered 51 and upwards, rather than 26 and upwards as in the 1930s). Once again, it had the two Kent HAA regiments under its command, now renumbered 455 and 458 rather than 55 and 58. It also had 564 Searchlight Regiment, the prewar 29 (Kent) Searchlight Regiment. It was based at Gillingham, Kent, 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). However, 54 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
 * The Royal Artillery 1939–45