54th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom)

54th Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Active	1 September 1939–9 September 1948
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Territorial Army
Type	Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Role	Air Defence
Part of	4th AA Division 11th AA Division 4th AA Group
Garrison/HQ	Sutton Coldfield
Engagements	The Blitz

The 54th Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) formed just before the outbreak of World War II. It was engaged in defending the West Midlands of England during the war.

Mobilisation

As tensions rose at the time of the Munich Crisis, Britain's AA defences were strengthened and 4th AA Division was formed in 1938 within Western Command. In 1939 all TA AA formations, comprising units of the Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE), were brought under a new Anti-Aircraft Command covering the whole country. On the outbreak of war a new 54th AA Brigade was being formed in 4 AA Division to provide searchlight cover straddling the South Midlands Area of Southern Command and the West Lancashire Area of Western Command. The brigade was formally raised on 1 September 1939 at Sutton Coldfield near Birmingham.^{[1] [2]} Its units had already mobilised on 22 August.^[3]

Order of Battle

On formation it had the following composition:^[1][4][5]

• 41st (5th North Staffordshire Regiment) AA Battalion, RE – infantry battalion converted to searchlights in 1936
  • HQ 362–365 AA Cos at Stoke-on-Trent
• 45th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) AA Bn, RE – infantry battalion converted to searchlights in 1936
  • HQ, 378–382 AA Cos at Thorpe Street, Birmingham
• 59th (Warwickshire) Searchlight Regiment, RA – new unit formed from a battery of 45 AA Bn in 1938
  • HQ, 399, 427, 428 Btys at Birmingham
• 61st (South Lancashire Regiment) Searchlight Regiment, RA – infantry battalion converted to searchlights in 1938
  • HQ, 432–434 Btys at St Helens

On 1 August 1940 the AA battalions of the RE were transferred to the RA, in which they were designated 'Searchlight Regiments'.^[6][7]

In the reorganisation of AA Command in November 1940, 54 AA Bde assumed responsibility for searchlight provision for the Gun Defence Areas of the West Midlands under a new 11th AA Division. At this time it only had two regiments under command:^{[1][8][9] [10][11]}

• 45th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery – as above
• 80th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery – new unit formed in October 1940^[12]

In October 1942 AA Command reorganised its structure, replacing the AA Divisions with AA Groups coinciding with RAF Fighter Command's Groups. 54 AA Bde came under 4 AA Group covering North-West England and North Wales.^[13]

Postwar: change of designation

When the TA was reformed in 1947, the former 28th (Thames and Medway) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was renumbered as 54th Anti-Aircraft Brigade.

The previous 54th Brigade at Sutton Coldfield was redesignated 80th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (TA). The brigade came under 4 AA Group with the following composition:^{[14][15][16][17]}

• 469 (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA at Kings Heath, Birmingham
• 495 (Birmingham) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA at Sheldon, Birmingham
• 580 (5th Bn The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (the former 45 S/L Regiment) at Birmingham
• 594 (Warwickshire) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (the former 59 S/L Regiment) at Birmingham

However, the brigade was disbanded on 9 September 1948.^[16]

Notes

1. 4 AA Division 1939 at British Military History
2. Routledge, Table LVIII, p. 376.
3. 41 AA Bn War Diary, August 1939, The National Archives (TNA), Kew file WO 166/3059.
4. AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files
5. Routledge, Table LX, p. 378.
6. Litchfield.
7. S/L Index at RA 39–45
8. 11 AA Division British Military History
9. 11 AA Division at RA 39–45
10. Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.
11. Farndale, Annex D, p. 258.
12. 80 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45
13. AA Command 1940 at British Military History
14. Litchfield, Appendix 5.
15. Watson, TA 1947.
16. 67–106 AA Bdes at British Army 1945 on
17. 30–66 AA Bdes at British Army 1945 on

References

• Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, ISBN 1-85753-080-2.

• Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0.

• Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, ISBN 1-85753-099-3.

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