7th Brigade | |
---|---|
Active | 1915 – Present |
Country | Australia |
Allegiance | HM Queen Elizabeth II |
Branch | Australian Army |
Type | Combined Arms |
Size | 3,500 personnel |
Part of | Forces Command |
Garrison/HQ | Brisbane, Queensland |
Engagements |
World War I World War II |
Insignia | |
Unit Colour Patch |
World War I
World War II
7th Brigade is a combined arms formation or brigade of the Australian Army. The brigade was first raised in 1915 as part of the First Australian Imperial Force and saw action at Gallipoli and on the Western Front during World War I. Following the end of the war the brigade was disbanded before being re-raised in 1921 as part of the Citizens Force (later known as the Militia). During World War II the brigade took part in the fighting against the Japanese in New Guinea and on Bougainville. Today, the 7th Brigade is part of Forces Command and is based in Brisbane, Queensland and is composed mainly of units of the Regular Army. While the brigade has not deployed as a whole unit since World War II, component units have deployed on operations to East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 7th Brigade was formed in early 1915 as part of the First Australian Imperial Force, which was raised for overseas service during World War I. Consisting of four infantry battalions raised in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia—the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th Battalions—the brigade was assigned to the 2nd Division in July 1915. After being deployed to Egypt, the brigade was sent to the Gallipoli peninsula in September 1915 as reinforcements for the Allied force that had landed there on 25 April, and were attached to the New Zealand and Australian Division, occupying positions north-east of Anzac Cove. The next several months were spent defending the beachhead, until the order to evacuate was given in mid-December, when the entire force was withdrawn from the peninsula.