The 38th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade (38 AA Bde) was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army formed just before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, which protected London and Southern England during

the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

and later converted into an infantry formation for the liberation of Europe.

Origins

The brigade headquarters was formed on 28 September 1938 by duplicating the

26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade 26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade (26 AA Bde) was an Air Defence formation of the British Army during the Second World War. It defended London during the Blitz. Origin German air raids by Zeppelin airships and Gotha bombers on London and othe ...

at the

Duke of York's Headquarters The Duke of York's Headquarters is a building in Chelsea, London, Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, England. In 1969 it was declared a listed building at Grade II*, due to its outstanding historic or architectural special i ...

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

, as part of the expansion of Britain's Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences before the Second World War. The brigade was composed of searchlight units of the

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 ...

(RA) and

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 ...

(RE) and formed part of 1st AA Division, which came under

Anti-Aircraft Command Anti-Aircraft Command (AA Command, or "Ack-Ack Command") was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the Territorial Army anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight formations and units defending the United Kingdom. Origin ...

the following year.Frederick, pp. 1050–1. The first brigade commander was

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

W.T.O. Crewdson (appointed 28 September 1938).

Mobilisation

The deterioration in international relations during 1939 led to a partial mobilisation of the TA in June, after which a proportion of TA AA units manned their war stations under a rotation system known as 'Couverture'. Full mobilisation of AA Command came in August 1939, ahead of the declaration of war on 3 September 1939. At this time the brigade had the following order of battle: * 26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Battalion (London Electrical Engineers), RE (TA) – ''from 26 AA Bde'' ** HQ, 303, 321 and 339 AA Companies at Duke of York's HQ, Chelsea ** 301 Company at

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, its ...

* 27th (London) Anti-Aircraft Battalion (London Electrical Engineers), RE (TA) – ''from 26 AA Bde'' ** HQ at

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

** 304, 305, 306 and 390 AA Companies at

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

* 75th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA) – ''formed May 1939''75 SL Rgt at RA 39–45
/ref>Litchfield, p. 180. ** HQ and 470, 471, 472 and 473 S/L Batteries at

Cowley, London Cowley is a village wikt:contiguous, contiguous with the town of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon. A largely suburban village with 16 listed buildings, Cowley is 15.4 miles (24.8 km) west of Charing Cross, bordered to the ...

* 38th AA Brigade Company,

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 ...

Blitz

90cm_Projector_Anti-Aircraft_Flickr_8616022073

In August 1940, the Royal Engineers AA battalions were transferred to the Royal Artillery and were termed Searchlight Regiments. By now, the 27th (London Electrical Engineers) had been transferred to 47 AA Bde covering

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, and had been exchanged with 35th (1st Surrey Rifles) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery.35 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45
/ref>Litchfield, p. 173.
/ref>Farndale, Annex D, p. 257.Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396. In October, 38 AA Bde was joined by the newly raised 79th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery.79 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45
/ref> During the Blitz of 1940–41, 38 Light AA Bde provided the searchlight component of 1 AA Division, directing the Heavy (HAA) and Light (LAA) anti-aircraft guns defending

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. 1st AA Division had established a control centre at the disused

Brompton Road tube station Brompton Road is a Closed London Underground stations, disused station on the Piccadilly line of the London Underground, located between Knightsbridge tube station, Knightsbridge and South Kensington tube station, South Kensington stations. It ...

, with an elaborate network of dedicated telephone lines linking the AA sites across the Inner Artillery Zone (IAZ), including many isolated searchlight positions.Routledge, pp. 388–9. The London IAZ extended from

Cheshunt Cheshunt (/ˈtʃɛzənt/ CHEZ-ənt) is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, situated within the London commuter belt approximately north of Central London. The town lies on the River Lea and Lee Navigation, bordering th ...

and

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Fo ...

in the east to

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

and

Mitcham Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It ...

in the south and to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and

Northolt Northolt is a town in North West London, England, spread across both sides of the A40 trunk road. It is west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the seven major towns that make up the London Borough of Ealing and a smaller part in th ...

in the west, with three brigades of guns deployed. Superimposed across the IAZ were the 73 searchlight sites controlled by 38th AA Bde. In the absence of inland radar coverage, 1st AA Division's Chief Signals Officer, Lt-Col G.C. Wickens, devised a system of 14 fixed base-lines of sound locators to detect night raids approaching the IAZ. These were linked by automatic telephone equipment to the Brompton operations room, where the angular plots were resolved to indicate grid squares where the HAA guns in range could fire an unseen barrage. Detachments of 75th Searchlight Regiment from 38th AA Bde were trained to operate the base lines. This 'Fixed Azimuth' system came into action in June 1940, in time for the opening of the night

Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, several ships of the Prussian, Imperia ...

on London. It was later replaced as searchlight control (SLC) and gunlaying (GL) radar systems were introduced. However, the performance of the AA defences in the early weeks of the Blitz was poor. AA Command moved 108 HAA guns to the IAZ from other divisions, and arranged 'fighter nights' when the guns remained silent and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF)

night fighter A night fighter (later known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor post-Second World War) is a largely historical term for a fighter aircraft, fighter or interceptor aircraft adapted or designed for effective use at night, during pe ...

s were allowed to operate over London with the searchlights. Gun-laying (GL) radar, modern sound-locators and larger (150 cm) searchlights were introduced as rapidly as possible, and by February 1941 Searchlight Control (SLC or 'Elsie') radar began to be issued, replacing the fixed azimuth system. The number of raiders shot down steadily increased until mid-May 1941, when the Luftwaffe scaled down its attacks.Pile's despatch.
/ref>

Order of Battle 1940–41

The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H35912

The composition of 38 LAA Bde during this period was as follows: * 26th (LEE) S/L Rgt ** 301, 302 S/L Btys – ''attached to 8 AA Division until Summer 1941'' ** 321, 339 S/L Btys * 35th (First Surrey Rifles) S/L Rgt – ''to 5 AA Division Summer 1941'' ** 340, 341, 343 S/L Btys ** 342 S/L Bty (attached to 5 AA Div) * 75th (Middlesex) S/L Rgt – ''converted into 75th LAA Rgt February 1941Farndale, Annex M. and joined 8 AA Division'' * 79th S/L Rgt ** 502, 503, 504 S/L Btys

Mid-War

The Blitz ended in May 1941, but there were occasional raids thereafter and AA Command continued to strengthen its defences. Newly formed units joining AA Command were increasingly 'mixed' ones into which women of the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the World War II, Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existe ...

were integrated. AA Command had a critical shortage of Light AA gun (LAA) units, and began a process of converting some S/L units to the role. At the same time, experienced units were posted away for service overseas. This led to a continual turnover of units, which accelerated in 1942 with the preparations for

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

.Routledge, pp. 399–404. The AA defences of Southern England were severely tested in the summer of 1942 by the ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

's'' 'hit-and-run' attacks along the South Coast, and there was much reorganisation, accounting for some of the turnover of units listed earlier. LAA units waiting to go overseas were sometimes lent back to AA Command to deal with the hit-and-run raiders.

Order of Battle 1941–42

From the autumn of 1941 onwards, the composition of 38 LAA Bde was as follows: * 26th (LEE) S/L Rgt – ''became Mixed July 1942; to 2 AA Group November 1942'' ** 301, 302, 321, 339 S/L Btys * 63rd (Queens) S/L Rgt, RA (TA) – ''joined Autumn 1941 from 5 AA Division; converted into 127th (Queens) LAA Rgt (with 416,420, 439 and 440 LAA Btys) January 1942 and transferred to 8 AA Division July 1942'' ** 438, 439, 440, 524 S/L Btys * 79th S/L Rgt ** 342 S/L Bty – ''from 35th (1st Surrey Rifles) S/L Rgt by May 1942; became Mixed July 1942'' ** 502, 503, 504 S/L Btys * 141st LAA Rgt – ''new unit formed July 1942; to 2 AA Group November 1942'' ** 451, 456, 466, 467 LAA Btys * 38 AA Bde Mixed Signal Office Section – ''part of 1 Company, 1 AA Division Mixed Signal Unit,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

(RCS)''

Later war

A reorganisation of AA Command in October 1942 saw the abolition of its hierarchy of divisions and corps, which were replaced by a single tier of AA Groups more closely aligned with the organisation of

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It operated throughout the Second World War, winning fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The ...

. 38 AA Brigade was assigned to a new 1 AA Group covering London, and in November was reorganised as an HAA and LAA gun brigade rather than as a 'Light' AA brigade primarily controlling searchlights. In January 1943 the brigade came under the command of 2 AA Group covering

South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England that are in the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, top level category for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the nine counties of england, ...

outside London.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 1 October 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/82.

Order of Battle 1942–44

During this period the brigade was constituted as follows (temporary attachments omitted):Order of Battle of AA Command, 27 April 1944, TNA file WO 212/85. * 100th HAA Rgt – ''joined December 1942; left AA Command January 1943, later to

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

(Operation Husky)''Routledge, p. 261. ** 304, 305, 321 HAA Btys * 105th HAA Rgt – ''left December 1942; later to

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established ...

''Joslen, p. 463.Order of Battle of the Forces in the United Kingdom, Part 2: 21 Army Group, 24 July 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/238. ** 326, 330, 333 HAA Btys * 131st HAA Rgt – ''from 4 AA Group May 1943; disbanded August 1943'' ** 310, 368, 376, 428 HAA Btys * 174th HAA Rgt – ''from 3 AA Group April 1943; to 21st Army Group May 1943'' ** 249, 331, 348 HAA Btys * 183rd (M) HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed October 1942'' ** 564, 591, 608 (M) HAA Btys ** 590 (M) HAA Bty – ''to 137th (M) HAA Rgt early 1943'' ** 640 (M) HAA Bty – ''new battery joined early 1943'' * 71st LAA Rgt – ''left December 1942; later to 21st Army Group'' ** 208, 209, 215 LAA Btys * 75th (Middlesex) LAA Rgt – ''rejoined December 1942; left AA Command January 1943, later to Operation Husky'' ** 233, 234, 303 LAA Btys * 84th LAA Rgt – ''from 35 AA Bde April 1943; to 5 AA Bde August 1943'' ** 201, 251, 448, 461 LAA Btys * 97th LAA Rgt – ''to 2 AA Group December 1942'' ** 221, 232, 301, 480 LAA Btys Loading Z battery Merseyside 1942 IWM H 21135

* 143rd LAA Rgt – ''from 71 AA Bde August 1943; to 102 AA Bde April 1944'' ** 403, 410, 413 LAA Btys ** 484 LAA Bty – ''disbanded by March 1944'' * 79th S/L Rgt – ''to 47 AA Bde by March 1944'' ** 502, 503, 504 S/L Btys * 93rd (M) S/L Rgt – ''new unit formed October 1942; to 47 AA Bde by March 1944'' ** 301 (M), 342 (M), 495 S/L Btys * 20th (M) AA 'Z' Rgt – ''equipped with Z Battery rocket-launchers; to 3 AA Group April 1943'' ** 194, 198 (M) Z Btys – ''left January 1943'' ** 111, 143, 220 (M) Z Btys – ''joined January 1943'' * 38 AA Bde Mixed Signal Office Section – ''initially part of 1 Mixed Signal Company, RCS, 1 AA Group, then 2 AA Group''

Operations Overlord and Diver

By early 1944 AA Command was being forced to release manpower to 21st Army Group for the planned Allied invasion of continental Europe (

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...

), and a number of AA batteries, regiments and formations had to be disbanded or merged. At the end of April 1944, 38 AA Bde consisted solely of 183rd (M) HAA Rgt and 22 AA Area Mixed Rgt (as 'Z' regiments were now termed). However, AA Command now brought in additional units from other parts of the UK to defend the Overlord embarkation ports. 47 AA Brigade in the

area of 2 AA Group was disbanded and 38 AA Bde took over much of its responsibilities, once again taking control of a number of S/L units across South East England. Shortly after

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, the Germans began launching V-1 flying bombs, codenamed 'Divers', against London. These presented AA Command's biggest challenge since the Blitz. Defences had been planned against this new form of attack (

Operation Diver Operation Diver was the British code name for the V-1 flying bomb campaign launched by the German in 1944 against London and other parts of Britain. Diver was the code name for the V-1, against which the defence consisted of anti-aircraft guns ...

), but it presented a severe problem for AA guns, and after two weeks' experience AA Command carried out a major reorganisation. In August, 38 AA Bde was transferred to the command of 6 AA Group, which had earlier been brought from Scotland to defend the Overlord build-up in the

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

–

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit whi ...

area. It returned to 2 AA Group in December.

Order of Battle 1944

During the rest of 1944, 38 AA Brigade's composition was as follows: * 179th (M) HAA Rgt – ''from 4 AA Group May 1944; to 3 AA Group November 1944'' ** 584, 606, 607 (M) HAA Btys * 183rd (M) HAA Rgt – ''to 102 AA Bde May 1944'' ** 564, 591, 608, 640 (M) HAA Btys * 88th LAA Rgt – ''from 4 AA Group May 1944; to 102 AA Bde July 1944'' ** 178, 289, 293 LAA Btys * 147th LAA Rgt – ''from unbrigaded December 1944; left January 1945'' ** 492, 493, 495 LAA Btys * 28th (Essex) S/L Rgt – ''from 47 AA Bde June 1944'' ** 309/311, 312, 438 S/L Btys * 38th (King's Rgt) S/L Rgt – ''from 27 (Home Counties) AA Bde May, returned June 1944'' ** 350, 351, 352 S/L Btys * 50th (Northamptonshire Rgt) SL Rgt – ''from 47 AA Bde June 1944'' ** 401, 402, 403 S/L Btys * 61st (South Lancashire Rgt) S/L Rgt – ''from 27 (Home Counties) AA Bde May, returned June 1944'' ** 432, 433, 434 S/L Btys * 93rd (M) S/L Rgt – ''returned from 47 AA Bde June 1944; to 1 AA Group January 1945'' ** 301, 342, 495 S/L Btys * 22nd AA Area Mixed Regiment – ''joined April 1944; left January 1945'' ** 194, 198 (M) Z Btys By October 1944, the brigade's HQ establishment was 10 officers, 8 male other ranks and 25 members of the ATS, together with a small number of attached drivers, cooks and mess orderlies (male and female). In addition, the brigade had a Mixed Signal Office Section of 5 male other ranks and 19 ATS, which was formally part of the Group signal unit.

Conversion

By the end of 1944,

was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry. At the same time the German ''

'' was suffering from such shortages of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious aerial attacks on the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

could be discounted. In January 1945 the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

began to reorganise surplus AA and coastal artillery regiments in the UK into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties in North West Europe, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service. A number of AA Brigade HQs in 2 AA Group were also converted: on 22 January 1945, HQ 38 AA Bde was converted into 304th Infantry Brigade under Brigadier C.A.H. Chadwick with the following units under command:Joslen, p. 400.304 Infantry Brigade at RA 39–45
/ref> * 630th (Essex) Infantry Regiment, RA, formed by 28th (Essex) S/L Rgt (''see above'') * 637th (Northamptonshire Regiment) Infantry Regiment, RA, formed by 50th (Northamptonshire Regiment) S/L Rgt (''see above'') * 638th (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Infantry Regiment, RA, formed by 53rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery. After infantry training, the brigade went to Norway in June 1945 to help oversee the surrender of the German occupying forces there.

Postwar

When the TA was reformed in 1947, 38 AA Bde was renumbered 64 AA Brigade, with the following order of battle:AA Bdes at British Army units 1945 on
/ref> * 451 (Chelsea) HAA Regiment * 497 (Hammersmith) HAA Regiment474–519 Regiments at British Army units 1945 on
/ref> * 499 (Mixed) HAA Regiment (Kensington) * 562 Searchlight Regiment ''(formerly 27 (London Electrical Engineers) S/L Regt)'' * 570 LAA Regiment (1st Surrey Rifles) ''(formerly 35 (1st Surrey Rifles) S/L Regt)''564–591 Regiments at British Army units 1945 on
When AA Command was disbanded in March 1955 the brigade was placed into suspended animation on 31 October, and formally disbanded at the end of 1957.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Maj L. F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol II: ''The Defeat of Germany'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Gen Sir

Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s. Military career Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farn ...

, ''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, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, . * * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, .
Gen Sir Frederick Pile's despatch: "The Anti-Aircraft Defence of the United Kingdom from 28th July, 1939, to 15th April, 1945" ''London Gazette'' 18 December 1947
* Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, .

External sources

British Army units from 1945 on

British Military History

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

* ttps://ra39-45.co.uk The Royal Artillery 1939–45
Graham Watson, ''The Territorial Army 1947''
{{British anti-aircraft brigades of the Second World War Military units and formations established in 1938 Air defence brigades of the British Army Anti-Aircraft brigades of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations in London Military units and formations in Chelsea, London