9th Brigade (Australia)

9th Brigade
Troops from the 34th Battalion – part of the 9th Brigade – at Picardie, 21 August 1918
Active	1916–Present
Country	Australia
Branch	Army
Size	100 (Active) 1,400 (Reserve) 40 (Civilian)
Part of	2nd Division
Garrison/HQ	Keswick, South Australia
Engagements	World War I Western Front

World War I

The 9th Brigade is an Reserve formation of the Australian Army headquartered at Keswick Barracks in Keswick, South Australia, with elements located in Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

The 9th Brigade was originally formed as part of the First Australian Imperial Force for service during the First World War. Consisting of four infantry battalions—the 33rd, 34th, 35th and 36th Battalions—the brigade was formed in 1916 and attached to the 3rd Division. After training in Australia, the brigade was shipped to England before being committed to the fighting on the Western Front in France and Belgium in November 1916. Its first major battle came mid-1917 when it took part in the Battle of Messines. Later in the year, it fought during the Battle of Passchendaele before taking part in defensive operations during the German Spring Offensive in early 1918. In April it was involved in the Allied counterattack at the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux before taking part in the final offensive of the war, the Hundred Days Offensive. During this time, the 9th Brigade's casualties had been so high, that one of its battalions—the 36th—had to be disbanded in order to reinforce the others.