14th Brigade (Australia)
| 14th Brigade (Australia) | |
|---|---|
Soldiers of the 54th Battalion at Peronne, September 1918
|
|
| Active | 1916–1943 |
| Country |
 Australia
|
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~3,500 – 4,000 men |
| Engagements | |
The 14th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army. Originally raised for service during World War I, the brigade was assigned to the 5th Division and served on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918 before being disbanded. It was later re-raised as part of the Australia's part-time military forces during the inter-war years. During World War II it was a Militia formation and it took part briefly in the New Guinea campaign before being disbanded in mid-1943.
Raised in mid-1916 in Egypt as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) after the Gallipoli Campaign, the 14th Brigade was formed from a cadre of experienced personnel drawn from the 1st Brigade who had fought at Gallipoli, and reinforced by new recruits from Australia. With a strength of around 3,500 to 4,000 men who were organised into four infantry battalions – the 53rd, 54th, 55th and 56th Battalions – the brigade was assigned to the 5th Division. The brigade also later raised the 14th Australian Machine Gun Company and the 14th Australian Trench Mortar Battery, although the machine-gunners were later removed from the brigade and formed into the Australian 5th Machine Gun Battalion in February 1918.
In mid-1916, the AIF's infantry divisions were transferred to France, to join the fighting along the Western Front. As a result, after a short period of training in the desert, the 14th Brigade was transferred to Europe along with the rest of the 5th Division, which had the distinction of being the first Australian division committed to the fighting on the Western Front when it took part in the Battle of Fromelles in July. Conceived as a diversion to the Somme, the battle proved disastrous for the Australians and, due to the heavy casualties the division suffered, it was later described as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history".
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