The 22nd Brigade briefly existed as
Militia brigade that was partially formed in 1912, following the introduction of the
compulsory training scheme. At this time, it was assigned to the
5th Military District. The brigade's constituent units were spread across various locations in
Western Australia including
Fremantle,
Victoria Park,
Bunbury,
Cottesloe,
Subiaco,
Perth,
Guildford and
Geraldton. The brigade's battalions were sequentially numbered: 86th, 87th, 88th and 89th. The brigade was not raised as part of the
First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during
World War I, although it remained on the Australian Army's order of battle as a Militia formation in Australia during the war. It was not re-raised in the interwar years when the Militia was reorganised to replicate the numerical designations of the AIF in 1921. During World War II, the 22nd Brigade was re-raised as part of the all volunteer
Second Australian Imperial Force. Established on 15 July 1940 as part of the
8th Australian Division, the brigade's headquarters was opened at
Wallgrove, New South Wales. Under the command of Brigadier
Harold Taylor, the brigade consisted of three infantry battalions – the
2/18th,
2/19th and
2/20th – and was supported by the
2/10th Field Regiment, which was initially equipped with World War I-vintage
Ordnance QF 18-pounders. In August, after basic training was completed, the brigade concentrated around
Ingleburn to begin more involved collective training. A further move to
Bathurst in November 1940. Following a request from the British government, the 22nd Brigade, along with support troops – a force of over 5,000 personnel – were deployed to
Malaya in February 1941, as the likelihood of war with Japan grew. Upon arrival, the brigade was deployed as a reserve element, and was based around
Port Dickson,
Kuala Lumpur and
Malacca. Initially, it was planned to relieve the brigade after a few months, so that it could be redeployed to the Middle East, but this did not happen and ultimately the brigade was reinforced by the
27th Brigade. After this, the 22nd Brigade was released from the reserve role, as the 8th Division was allocated to the defence of eastern
Johore, and the brigade subsequently moved to
Jemaluang in August. The following month, forward positions were occupied around
Mersing and
Endau where the brigade began constructing fixed defences along the coast around potential landing areas. When the
Japanese invasion of Malaya began on 8 December 1941, the brigade was initially out of the action, as the fighting took place in other sectors. In mid-January 1942, the brigade was placed under the command of the Indian
III Corps, as the 8th Division's headquarters assumed control of actions and units along the western coast of Malaya, assuming the designation "Westforce", while the eastern forces came under 22nd Brigade as "Eastforce", assuming control of a battalion of
Dogras and
Jats as well as elements of the local Johore state forces. As the fighting intensified in the west, the 2/19th Battalion was detached from the 22nd Brigade to take part in the
Battle of Muar, during which its commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel
Charles Anderson, led an ad hoc force of Australian and Indian soldiers in a fighting withdrawal. For his actions, he was later awarded the
Victoria Cross. This led to the redeployment of the 2/18th Battalion to the Nithsdale Estate, while the 2/20th remained around Mersing, where they subsequently fought several minor actions against the advancing Japanese before a larger action took place around the Mersing River as the battalion fought to retain control of the vital road bridge. Ultimately, the Japanese gained the bridge and the brigade was ordered to withdraw to Jamaluang. Following a Japanese landing around Endau, the 2/18th Battalion carried out a successful ambush around Nithsdale, although this was followed by a further withdrawal to the crossroads around
Kota Tinggi. The 2/19th returned to the 22nd Brigade at this time, and it was joined by the 2nd Battalion,
Gordon Highlanders. Together they subsequently took up rearguard positions north of the causeway that led to Singapore, and held the line until 1 February, when they withdrew just before engineers blew up a large span to delay the advancing Japanese. On Singapore, the Australians were reinforced by elements of the newly arrived
2/4th Machine Gun Battalion, while the 2/19th received a large batch of barely trained recruits who had been hastily deployed from depots in Australia. Amidst hasty preparations for the defence of the island, the 22nd Brigade assumed defensive positions in the north-western sector of the island. Here their lines were longer than normal, and interspersed with mangroves and swamps that made the ground difficult to defend. After only a brief interlude, the Japanese began their assault on Singapore on the night of 8/9 February, with two division's crossing the Johore Strait and landing in the 22nd Brigade's area. Throughout the night, heavy fighting took place during the
Battle of Sarimbun Beach as the Japanese infiltrated the sector, bypassing outposts that became isolated and cutting off many of the defenders. Subsequently, the surviving members of the three 22nd Brigade battalions fell back towards the airfield at
Tengah. Further fighting took place around Bulim, where the 2/18th fought a delaying action along with remnants of the 2/19th and 2/20th Battalions, which were hastily reorganised as "Merritt Force". By 10 February, the 22nd Brigade had been pushed back to Ulu Pandan. Here, several ad hoc battalions were joined and reorganised for a counter-attack, although this ultimately did not come to fruition as the tempo of the Japanese advance disrupted and dislocated the defending troops. A further withdrawal followed after the Japanese destroyed one of the assembling ad hoc battalions. As the Allied perimeter continued shrink around the town, the 8th Division units were brought together around
Tanglin Barracks, where they remained until the garrison surrendered on 15 February. In the final stages of the fighting, Taylor was relieved of command due to exhaustion, with the commander of the 2/18th Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel
Arthur Varley, being promoted to brigadier. In the aftermath, the 22nd Brigade's surviving personnel were taken prisoner and subsequently sent to camps around south-east Asia and Japan. Conditions were harsh and many of the soldiers died in captivity before the survivors were liberated when the war ended in August 1945. ==Units==