The 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group was a

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

formation of the

Far East Strategic Reserve The British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve (commonly referred to as the ''Far East Strategic Reserve'' or the ''FESR'') was a joint military force of the British, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces. Created in the 1950s and based i ...

, based in Malaysia from 1955 to 1971 of which elements participated in the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...

, Indonesia Confrontation and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

History

The 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group was formed in Malaya on 16 September 1955 with a combination of forces from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Its main elements were three infantry battalions from Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand and a British field artillery regiment with an Australian battery. The Brigade's operational role was as the 'Immediate Reaction Force' for the South East Asia Treaty Organisation. The brigade was initially dispersed to various sites throughout Northern Malaya, including

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

Ipoh Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...

and Taiping. This provided logistical challenges, and after

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Independence in 1957, Bukit Terendak close to

Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...

was chosen as the new home for the Brigade. Terendak would house the entire brigade with its infantry battalions and support units, military hospital, airstrip, married quarters areas and shopping precinct. Terendak was of substantial size and covered several square miles with its southwestern border being the Straits of Malacca Construction and occupation of Terendak was completed by August 1962, with the Brigade in place in its entirety. This brought all units of the Brigade together and under one roof. During the 1960s elements of the Brigade, either units or components of units would be detached for short periods from 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group to other commands or formations for operations in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo or South Vietnam. From 1970 due to the changing winds of politics in London and Canberra the Brigade started to wind down and units were either disbanded or moved to other locations and on 31 October 1971 the Brigade ceased to exist when it relocated to Singapore and was renamed 28 ANZUK Infantry Brigade on 1 November 1971. Terendak was handed over to the Malaysian Army where it remains in use today.

Commanders

Command of the brigade was shared by the three contributing nations, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Order of battle

* Headquarters 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade **28 Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Def and Emp PL **28 Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group LAD **28 Commonwealth Brigade Group Signal Squadron (1956 to 1957) **28 (Commonwealth) Signal Squadron (1957 to 1959) **208 Signal Squadron (Commonwealth) (1959 to 1970) *Artillery **

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

***14th Light Regiment, Royal Artillery, Terendak (1968 to 1969) ****Headquarters Battery ****No 1 Battery ****No 5 Battery **

Royal Australian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, normally referred to as the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), is a Regiment of the Australian Army descended from the original colonial artillery units prior to Australia's federation. Australia's f ...

***101st Battery (1959 to 1961) ***103rd Battery (1961 to 1963) ***102nd Battery (1964 to 1966) ***'A' Battery(1965–1967) ***107th Battery (1967 to 1969) *Engineers **11 Independent Field Squadron (1954 to 1970) **410 Plant Troop (1954 to 1962) *Medical **16 Field Ambulance, Penang (c1957) **16 Commonwealth Field Ambulance, Terandak (c1960's) **103 Australian Army Dental Section *Infantry **Australian Battalion ***

2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 2nd Battalion (Amphibious), The Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR (Amphib)) is an amphibious reconnaissance battalion of the Australian Army part of the 1st Division Amphibious Task Group based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville. 2 RAR was ...

(1956 to 1957) ***

3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is the armoured infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Kapyong Lines, Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade (Armoured Amphibious). 3 RAR traces its lineage to 1945 and has seen ...

(1957 to 1959) ***

1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and since ...

(1959 to 1960) ***

(1961 to 1963) ***

(1963 to 1965) ***

4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (4 RAR) was an infantry battalion (later a special forces unit) of the Australian Army, forming part of the Royal Australian Regiment and eventually Special Operations Command. The battalion was form ...

(1965 to 1967) *** 8th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1967 to 1969) ***

(1969 to 1971) **New Zealand Battalion ***1st Battalion,

Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the parent administrative regiment and corps of regular and reserve infantry battalions in the New Zealand Army. It was originally formed in 1947 with a singular Regular regiment and multiple reserve ...

(1958 to 1959) ***2nd Battalion,

(1959 to 1961) ***1st Battalion,

(1961 to 1964) ***1st Battalion,

(1964 to 1971) **British Battalion ***1st Battalion,

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Ma ...

(1954 to 1956) ***1st Battalion,

Royal Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most oth ...

(1956 to 1958) ***1st Battalion,

The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire R ...

(1957 to 1959) ***1st Battalion, 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot) (1959 to 1961) ***1st Battalion,

King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somers ...

(1961 to 1964) ***1st Battalion,

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

(1964 to 1966) ***1st Battalion,

King's Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I, World War II and Korea ...

(1967 to 1968) ***3rd Battalion,

The Light Infantry The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. The regiment was one of four 'large' regiments formed after the 1966 Defence White Paper through the amalgamation of units of the Light Infantry Bri ...

(1968 to Apr 1969) *Transport **3 Squadron

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

, Ipoh & Terandak (1952 to 1965) **3 Squadron

Royal Corps of Transport The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) was a British Army Corps established to manage all matters in relation to the transport of men and material for the Army and the wider defence forces. It was formed in 1965 and disbanded in 1993; its units and tr ...

, Terandak (1965 to 1969) *Ordnance **28 Brigade Ordnance Field Park, Taiping (c1957) **28 Commonwealth Brigade Ordnance Field Park, Terandak (c1960's) *Workshop **2 Infantry Workshop, Taiping & Terandak (1955 to 1970) *Military Police ** 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Provost Unit28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Provost Unit – Malaya, Borneo, and Singapore
accessed June 2008 *Pay **257 Field Cash Office *Postal ** 368 Postal Unit

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

, Terendak

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group Military alliances involving Australia Military alliances involving New Zealand Military alliances involving the United Kingdom 20th-century military alliances Military units and formations of the New Zealand Army Military units and formations established in 1955 Military units and formations disestablished in 1971

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

1955 establishments in Malaya