The 5th Brigade traces its origins to 1912, when it was formed as a militia brigade as part of the introduction of the
compulsory training scheme, assigned to the
2nd Military District. At this time, the brigade's constituent units had training depots located around
New South Wales including
Mosman,
Neutral Bay,
North Sydney,
Chatswood,
Hunter's Bay,
Hornsby,
Granville, and
Parramatta. Following the outbreak of the
First World War, the 5th Brigade was re-raised in mid-1915 as part of the
Australian Imperial Force (AIF) from volunteers for overseas service. Upon formation it consisted of four
infantry battalions—the
17th,
18th,
19th and
20th Battalions. Assigned to the
2nd Division, the majority of its personnel were drawn from men that had previously served in
New Guinea with the
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force. After formation, the brigade departed Australia, embarking for Egypt, in May 1915, and after a period of training, were dispatched to
Gallipoli in August as reinforcements for the 1st Division, which had been there since April. The brigade subsequently took part in the
August Offensive, as the Allies sought to break the deadlock that had descended on the peninsula. After the offensive failed, the 5th Brigade remained at Gallipoli, undertaking mainly defensive tasks until they were evacuated in December 1915 and withdrawn back to Egypt. In early 1916, the brigade was sent to France as part of the large-scale transfer of the AIF's infantry divisions to the European battlefield. For the next two-and-a-half years the 5th Brigade fought on the
Western Front, taking part in numerous battles. In July 1916, they were committed to the
Battle of Pozières, after which the brigade was moved to Belgium before returning to the Somme. In May 1917, as the Germans withdrew to the
Hindenburg Line, the brigade took part in the
Battle of Lagnicourt in April 1917 and then the
Second Battle of Bullecourt in May. Later in the year they were heavily committed, joining actions at
Menin Road in September 1917 and
Pelcappelle in October. In early 1918, the Germans launched the
Spring Offensive, during which the 5th Brigade fought a series of defensive actions in the Somme Valley, before taking part in the
final Allied offensive that eventually brought about an end to the war. During this time they were involved in the battles at
Amiens in August,
Mont St Quentin in September, and
Montbrehain in October. at this time it consisted of the
4th, 20th,
36th and
54th Battalions, and was once again force assigned to the 2nd Division. In January 1944, the brigade moved to Queensland to begin preparing for operations in New Guinea. These plans were not enacted and the brigade was disbanded in June 1944 as part of the reallocation of manpower and resources undertaken by the Army at the time to reinforce operational units that were already deployed. In 1948, the CMF was established once more, albeit on a limited scale and the 5th Brigade was re-raised as part of the 2nd Division. In 1960, with the introduction of the
Pentropic divisional structure, the brigade ceased to exist as it was decided to move away from the traditional triangular formation. The Pentropic structure was abandoned in 1965, however, and the Army returned to the previous tropical establishment. The brigade was reformed at this time, albeit under the guise of the "5th Task Force", and consisted of three battalions—
3 RNSWR,
4 RNSWR and
17 RNSWR. The 8th Brigade was later re-roled as a training brigade, after which many former 8th Brigade units, including its engineers, were transferred to the 5th Brigade. == Organisation ==