The 32nd (Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command in Britain's Territorial Army (TA) from 1936 to 1955, charged with defending the East Midlands of England.

Origin The formation was raised on 1 November 1936 at Normanton House, Derby, as 32nd (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft Group, forming part of 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division. It comprised anti-aircraft (AA) 'brigades' of the Royal Artillery (RA) and AA battalions of the Royal Engineers (RE), but when the RA redesignated its brigades as regiments in 1938, the group adopted the more usual title of 32nd (Midland) Ant-Aircraft Brigade in November 1938. On first formation the brigade comprised the following units:Frederick, pp. 1049–51. 69th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade RA (TA) – Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) unit formed at Birmingham in 1936 by conversion of the 6th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment HQ, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 199th Anti-Aircraft Batteries 40th (The Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – Searchlight unit formed at Chesterfield in 1936 by conversion of the 6th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters HQ, 358th, 359th, 360th, 361st Anti-Aircraft Companies 42nd (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – Searchlight unit formed at Nottingham in 1936 by conversion of 7th (Robin Hood Rifles) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters HQ, 366th, 367th, 368th, 369th Anti-Aircraft Companies 44th (The Leicestershire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – Searchlight unit formed at Leicester in 1936 by conversion of the 4th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment HQ, 374th, 375th, 376th, 377th Anti-Aircraft Companies 45th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – Searchlight unit formed at Birmingham in 1936 by conversion of the 5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment HQ, 378th, 379th, 380th, 381st Anti-Aircraft Companies

All these units had previously been infantry battalions of the former 46th (North Midland) Division, which had been converted into 2 AA Division in 1935.TA 1927 and Army Lists.

Second World War Mobilisation With the continued expansion of AA defences, especially after the Munich Crisis of 1938, new formations appeared, culminating in the creation of Anti-Aircraft Command, responsible for all TA air defence units in the UK. As a result of this expansion, some existing units transferred from 32 AA Bde to the new formations, while newly formed units replaced them, although the brigade remained within 2 AA Division. On the outbreak of war its order of battle was as follows:AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot FilesRoutledge, Table LVIII, p. 376; Table LX, p. 378. 68 AA Regiment RA – HAA unit formed in 1936 by conversion of 62nd Field Brigade, Royal Artillery, also from 46th Division 200 & 220 (Derby) AA Btys at Derby 276 & 277 AA Btys at Nottingham 42 (Robin Hoods) AA Battalion RE – see above 44 (Leicester) AA Battalion RE – see above 50 (Northamptonshire Regiment) AA Battalion RE – formed in 1937 by conversion of 4th Bn Northamptonshire Regiment 400, 401, 402, 403 AA Coys 32nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps

Battle of Britain and Blitz In 1940 the RE AA battalions were transferred to the RA, and that summer the AA regiments of the RA were redesignated Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) to distinguish them from the new Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) units being formed.

Order of Battle 1940–41

During The Blitz of 1940–41, 32 AA Bde controlled the following AA units defending the East Midlands:2 AA Division at RA 39–45Routledge, Table LXV, p. 396.Farndale, Annex D, p. 259.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 212/79. 78 (1st East Anglian) HAA Regiment (part) – formed in 1937 by conversion of 84th (1st East Anglian) Field Brigade, RA; split into detachments during Battle of Britain; concentrated into 40 AA Bde by May 194178 HAA at RA 39–45Norfolk Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org retrieved 12 August 2014 113 HAA Regiment (part) – new unit raised November 1940;Farndale, Annex M, pp. 334–6.113 HAA at RA 39–45 split into detachments during Blitz; concentrated into new 66 AA Bde by May 1941 359, 362, 366, 391 HAA Btys 27 LAA Regiment – raised in Northern Command before September 1939;27 LAA at RA 39–45 'left July 1941 for Eighth ArmyJoslen, p. 486.Routledge, p. 135. 107, 113, 149 LAA Btys 38 LAA Regiment (part) – raised in Northern Command before September 1939 64 LAA Regiment (part) – raised November 1940 41st (5th North Staffordshire Regiment) Searchlight Regiment – formed at Stoke-on-Trent in 1936 by conversion of 5th Bn North Staffordshire Regiment from 46 Division41 S/L at RA 39–45 362, 363, 364, 365 S/L Btys 44 Searchlight Regiment – see above 374, 375, 376, 377 S/L Btys 58 (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment – formed in 1938 as a duplicate of 36 (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment 344, 425, 426 S/L Btys 511 S/L Bty – attached to 10 AA Division

Mid-War The Blitz ended in May 1941, but occasional raids continued.Pile's despatch.Collier, Chapter XVII. The brigade's order of battle was now predominantly composed of searchlight (S/L) units. AA Command redeployed its S/L units during the summer of 1941 into 'Indicator Belts' of radar-controlled S/L clusters covering approaches to the RAF's Night-fighter sectors, repeated by similar belts covering AA Command's Gun Defence Areas (GDAs). Inside each belt was a 20-mile deep 'Killer Belt' of single S/Ls cooperating with night-fighters patrolling defined 'boxes'. The pattern was designed to ensure that raids penetrating deeply towards the Midlands GDAs would cross more than one belt, and the GDAs had more S/Ls at close spacing. The number of LAA units to protect Vital Points such as airfields was growing, albeit slowly.Routledge, pp. 398–400.

In June 1941, Lieutenant-Colonel T.R. Anderson, MC, who had seen active service on the Western Front and in Mesopotamia during the First World War, and had commanded 2 S/L Rgt during the Battle of France, was promoted to brigadier to command 32 AA Bde. During his command he worked closely with Group Captain Basil Embry commanding RAF Wittering Sector to defend the industrial Midlands, but died on 7 August 1943, which Embry attributed to overwork.Farndale, p. 19.Imperial War Museum War Memorial Register Ref 26603.Spink & Sons catalogue entry for auction of Anderson's medals and memorabilia.

Newly formed units joining AA Command were increasingly 'mixed' ones into which women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service were integrated. At the same time, experienced units were posted away for service overseas. This led to a continual turnover of units, which accelerated in 1942 with the preparations for Operation Torch.Routledge, pp. 399–404.

Order of Battle 1941–42 During this period the division was composed as follows (temporary detachments omitted):Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 2 December 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/80.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 14 May 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/81.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 1 October 1942, TNA file WO 212/82. 136th HAA Rgt – new regiment formed October 1941 182, 409 (Suffolk), 432 HAA Btys 198 HAA Bty – to new 165 HAA Rgt July 1942 468 HAA Bty – joined from 78th (1st East Anglian) HAA Rgt July 1942 64th LAA Rgt – from 66 AA Bde Autumn 1941; to War Office control for Operation Torch August 1942Joslen, p. 465.Routledge, p. 184.Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 14 August 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/7 and WO 33/1927. 191, 193, 285 LAA Btys 458 LAA Bty – new battery joined February 1942; to new 138th LAA Rgt July 1942 120th LAA Rgt – converted from 86th S/L Rgt; joined September 1942 11, 393, 394, 395 LAA Btys 134th LAA Rgt – new regiment joined April 1942; left June 1942 192, 230, 275, 287 LAA Btys 41st S/L Rgt 362, 363, 364 S/L Btys 365 S/L Bty – to 83rd S/L Rgt January 1942 44th S/L Rgt – to 66 AA Bde December 1941 374, 375, 376, 377 S/L Btys 58th S/L Rgt 344, 425, 426 S/L Btys 511 S/L Bty – to 30th (Surrey) S/L Rgt January 1942 60th (Middlesex) S/L Rgt – from 41 AA Bde January 1942; left and converted to 126th LAA Rgt March 1942 371, 429, 430, 431 S/L Btys 65th (Essex Regiment) S/L Rgt – from 41 AA Bde Autumn 1941 444, 445, 446 S/L Btys 32 AA Bde Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section (part of No 2 Company, 2 AA Division Mixed Signal Unit, Royal Corps of Signals)

When the AA Divisions were disbanded in 1942, 32 AA Bde came under the command of 5 AA Group, based in Nottingham,Routledge, Map 36. and remained with it until the end of its wartime service.

Late war At the end of 1942, 120th LAA Rgt left for mobile training, and in the early part of 1943 41st (5NSR) S/L Rgt moved to the Humber defences and 58th (Middlesex) S/L Rgt left for 41 AA Bde. Although 43rd (5th Duke of Wellington's Regiment) S/L Rgt joined, by March 1943 32 AA Bde had been reduced to one battery of 136th HAA Rgt (the others being distributed to other brigades) and the six S/L batteries of 43 and 65 S/L Rgts. All these units had left by August 1943, after which the brigade was entirely composed of Mixed (M) units, including some armed with Z Battery rocket projectiles that were partly manned by members of the Home Guard.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 13 March 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/83.Routledge, p. 400.

Order of Battle 1943–44

From August 1943 the brigade had the following composition:Order of Battle of AA Command, 1 August 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/84.Order of Battle of AA Command, 27 April 1944, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/85. 127th HAA Rgt – from 2 AA Group Autumn 1943; to 40 AA Bde November 1943 396, 411, 422, 433 HAA Btys 139th (M) HAA Rgt – to 63 AA Bde February 1944 483, 484, 485, 518 (M) HAA Btys 161st (M) HAA Rgt – from 63 AA Bde August 1943 447, 478, 558 (M) HAA Btys 593 (M) HAA Bty – left by April 1944 172nd (M) HAA Rgt – to 63 AA Bde August 1943; returned February 1944; to 65 AA Bde May 1944 517, 570, 573 (M) HAA Btys 582 (M) HAA Bty – joined by February, left by March 1944 668 (M) HAA Btys – left by March 1944 81st LAA Rgt – from 8 AA Group March, to 2 AA Group April 1944 199, 261, 307 LAA Btys 15th (M) 'Z' AA Rgt 120, 180, 181, 219 (M) 'Z' Btys 16th (M) 'Z' AA Rgt – joined from 39 AA Bde April 1943 126, 195, 227 (M) 'Z' Btys

'Z' AA Rgts were redesignated AA Area Mixed Rgts in April 1944

Order of Battle 1944–45

The composition of 32 AA Bde remained stable during the summer of 1944. Then in October there was a further reorganisation: 161st (M) HAA Rgt 447, 478, 558 (M) HAA Btys 182nd (M) HAA Rgt 588, 592, 594 (M) HAA Btys 6th AA Area Mixed Rgt 146, 183, 209 (M) 'Z' Btys 15th AA Area Mixed Rgt 120, 180, 181, 219 (M) 'Z' Btys 16th AA Area Mixed Rgt 126, 195, 227 (M) 'Z' Btys 32nd AA Area Mixed Rgt 170, 20, 207, 225 (M) 'Z' Btys

By this time, the brigade's HQ establishment was 8 officers, 7 male other ranks and 22 members of the ATS, together with a small number of attached drivers, cooks and mess orderlies (male and female). In addition, the brigade had a Mixed Signal Office Section of 5 male other ranks and 19 ATS, which was formally part of the Group signal unit.AA Command Organisation Table, October–November 1944, TNA file WO 212/148.

Disbandment