44th Anti-Aircraft Brigade

44th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (44 AA Bde) was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). Formed in 1938, it was responsible for protecting Manchester and later the Isle of Wight during the Second World War. It was reformed postwar under a new title, and continued until 1955.

Origin With the expansion of Britain's Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences in the late 1930s, new formations were created to command the growing number of Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE) AA gun and searchlight (S/L) units. 44th AA Brigade was raised on 29 September 1938 at Manchester. It formed part of 4th AA Division, which was responsible for defending North West England. The first brigade commander (appointed 22 October 1938) was Brigadier Gerald Rickards, DSO, MC.Frederick, pp. 1050–1.AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.Monthly Army List, May 1939.Rickards at Generals of World War IIFarndale, Annex J.Robert Palmer, A Concise History of Anti-Aircraft Command (History and Personnel) at British Military History.

Mobilisation At the time the brigade was formed, the TA's AA units were in a state of mobilisation because of the Munich crisis, although they were soon stood down. In February 1939 the TA's AA defences came under the control of a new Anti-Aircraft Command. In June, as international tensions grew in the run-up to the Second World War, a partial mobilisation of AA Command was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA gun and searchlight positions. AA Command mobilised fully on 24 August, ahead of the official declaration of war on 3 September.Routledge, pp. 65–6 & 371; Table LVIII, p. 376.

Order of Battle 1939–40

The composition of the brigade upon mobilisation in August 1939 was as follows:44 AA Bde War Diary, 1939–41, The National Archives (TNA), Kew file WO 166/2282.Routledge, Table LX, p. 378. 65th (The Manchester Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA) – Heavy AA (HAA) unit formed at Hulme in 1936 by conversion of 6th/7th Battalion Manchester RegimentLitchfield, p. 131. HQ, 181st, 182nd, 183rd and 192nd AA Batteries, RA 81st Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA) – HAA unit formed at Stockport and Stalybridge in 1938 by conversion of 60th (6th Cheshire and Shropshire) Medium Brigade, RALitchfield, p. 31. HQ, 253, 254, 255 (Cheshire) AA Batteries, RA 80th Independent Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, RA – new Light AA (LAA) unit 39th (The Lancashire Fusiliers) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – Searchlight (S/L) unit formed at Salford in 1936 by conversion of 7th Bn Lancashire FusiliersLitchfield, p. 133.39 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. HQ, 354th, 355th, 356th and 357th AA Companies, RE 62nd (The Loyals) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA) – S/L unit formed at Preston (later Lytham) in 1936 by conversion of 4th Bn The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)Litchfield, p. 134.62 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. HQ, 435th, 436th and 437th S/L Btys, RA 71st (East Lancashire) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA) – new S/L unit raised in Manchester in 1938Litchfield, p. 135.71 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45. HQ, 462nd, 463rd and 464th S/L Btys, RA 44th AA Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) (TA)

Phoney War When the code word to mobilise was issued on 24 August, 65th AA Rgt was returning from a practice camp at Burrowhead in Scotland and went straight to its war stations. 39th S/L Bn and one battery of 62nd S/L Bn had transport standing by and were able to return immediately from their couverture deployment with 2 AA Division in East Yorkshire to man their war stations. 81st AA Regiment manned two HAA battery sites and also deployed Lewis guns as LAA cover for the Vital Point (VP) of the Metropolitan-Vickers factory at Trafford Park. 80th LAA Bty and 71st S/L Rgt also manned VPs. By midnight the brigade was disposed as follows:

HAA guns 65th AA Rgt 181 Bty – 2 x 3-inch 183 Bty – 4 x static 3.7-inch 196 Bty – 2 x 3-inch 81st AA Rgt 253 Bty – 2 x 3-inch 254 Bty – 4 x 3-inch LAA guns 80th LAA Bty – 1 x Bofors 40 mm gun and 12 x Lewis guns at Kearsley Power Station 81st HAA Rgt – 15 x Lewis guns at Metropolitan-Vickers 71st S/L Rgt – 8 x Lewis guns at the Clayton Aniline Company S/Ls 71st S/L Rgt – 4 x lights

In the next 24 hours more HAA gun sites were reported ready for action, around 60 S/Ls were deployed and the number of Lewis guns at VPs was increased, with 39th S/L Bttn guarding the Manchester Ship Canal, Salford docks and Barton Power Station. In addition, the women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) companies were taking over their duties with the regiments.

On 1 November the brigade was reorganised, with 39th and 71st S/L Rgts transferring to the command of 53rd Light AA Bde covering the Mersey area, followed shortly afterwards by 62nd S/L Rgt. Simultaneously, 21st (69, 136 & 143 Btys at Liverpool)21 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. and its newly formed offshoot 41st (133, 134 & 135 Btys)41 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.Farndale, Annex M. LAA Rgts transferred from 53rd LAA Bde and took over command of the LAA batteries manning VPs in 44 AA Bde's area, (42, 82 and 129 Btys), while 80th LAA Bty ceased to be an independent unit and came under 21st LAA Rgt. The commander of 44th AA Bde was named AA Defence Commander (AADC) for the Manchester Gun Zone. New VPs taken over by the brigade included ICI's Lostock Gralam works and Crewe Junction (136 LAA Bty), Baxter's respirator factory at Leyland (133 LAA Bty), Royal Ordnance Factory, Chorley, (133 & 135 LAA Btys), Carlisle Junction (134 LAA Bty) and de Havilland's Lostock works (181 AA Bty, later 253 AA Bty).

Despite a number of alerts, there were no enemy air raids in the brigade's area for some time. In November, the brigade received 4.5-inch HAA guns to re-equip three of its four-gun HAA sites, and 436 S/L Bty relieved 134 LAA Bty so that it could be sent to train on the Vickers MkVIII 'pom-pom' gun. In June 1940 the AA regiments were redesignated 'HAA' to distinguish them from the growing number of LAA units, while in August all the RE AA battalions and infantry battalions converted to S/L duties became Searchlight Regiments of the RA.Litchfield.

Battle of Britain and Blitz

Most of the air raids in 4 AA Division's area during the Battle of Britain were in the West Midlands or over the Mersey. A few bombs fell on Manchester and Crewe on 27/28 August, and across East Lancashire the following night. Night raids increased during the autumn as the Battle of Britain was followed by the Blitz. 65th (Manchester Regiment) HAA Rgt moved to the Orkney & Shetland Defence Force (OSDEF) in the first week of October 1940, being replaced by 70th (3rd West Lancashire) HAA Rgt from 33 (Western) AA Bde.Routledge, Table LXV, pp. 396–7.70 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45.

Some examples of Gun-laying Mk I radar began to arrive for the HAA batteries, Bofors 40 mm guns appeared in increasing numbers for the LAA regiments, and the AA divisions formed units equipped with Z Battery rocket projectiles.Pile's despatch.Routledge, pp. 388-9. In November 1940 the expansion of AA Command led to the creation of new AA Divisions. 44 AA Brigade remained in 4 AA Division and was responsible for Manchester and the surrounding area, including the shipyards of Barrow-in-Furness, but Brigadier Rickards was promoted to command the new 12 AA Division from 15 November. He was succeeded in command of 44 AA Bde by Lt-Col Erroll Tremlett, a former first-class cricketer who had distinguished himself commanding 54th (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) LAA Rgt at the Dunkirk evacuation, where his guns had defended the Mole and protected the embarkation of many of the troops.Tremlett at Generals of World War IIFarndale, p. 64.Tremlett at Cricinfo.Wisden 1984, pp. 1209–10.

Manchester Blitz

The cities of NW England were heavily bombed during the winter of 1940–41 (the Liverpool Blitz and Manchester Blitz). On the night of 21/22 November the Manchester guns engaged raiders on their way to and from Liverpool, and on the following two nights it was Manchester's turn to be hit. Raids on Manchester peaked at Christmas.Collier, Chapter XVII.Collier, Appendix XXX. The Royal Artillery's historian considered that during these attacks on British cities 'the actions fought [by the AA batteries] were as violent, dangerous and prolonged as any in the field'. 'On an HAA 4.5-inch position of 44th AA Brigade in Manchester, the power rammer on one gun failed. One Gunner loaded 127 of the [] rounds himself in eleven hours of action, despite injuries to his fingers'.Routledge, p. 395.

Order of Battle 1940–41 During the winter of 1940–41, the composition of 44 AA Bde was as follows:Farndale, Annex D, p. 258.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/79

70th (3rd West Lancashire) HAA Rgt 211, 212, 216 HAA Btys – at Manchester 309 HAA Bty – joined by January, left by August 1941 245 HAA Bty – attached from 78th HAA Rgt November 1940 98th HAA Rgt – joined by January 1941Litchfield, p. 86. 300, 301, 320 HAA Btys – Manchester suburbs 399 HAA Bty – joined by May 1941 106th HAA Rgt – new regiment formed August 1940;Farndale, Annex M. to 11 AA Division by January 1941 331 HAA Bty – at Barrow 332 HAA Bty – at Crewe 115th HAA Rgt – new regiment formed November 1940, joined by January 1941 361 HAA Bty – at Blackpool 365 HAA Bty – joined by May 1941 367 HAA Bty – at Barrow 21st LAA Rgt 69 LAA Bty – VPs at Preston 80 LAA Bty – VPs at Leyland 136 LAA Bty – VPs at Barrow 41st LAA Rgt – to 7 AA Division 1 March 1941 133 LAA Bty – VPs at Carlisle 134 LAA Bty – VPs at Maryport 143 LAA Bty – VPs at Gretna Green 54th (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) LAA Rgt – returned from Dunkirk; left AA Command 10 March 1941 and joined the Support Group of 9th Armoured DivisionLitchfield, p. 281.54 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.Joslen, pp. 23, 220. 160 LAA Bty – VPs at Woodford 161 LAA Bty – VPs at Ringway, de Havilland works Lostock, Irlam Locks 162 LAA Bty – VPs at Winnington, ICI Lostock, Rolls-Royce Crewe 63rd LAA Rgt – new unit formed October 1940;63 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. to 11 AA Division by May 1941 189, 190 LAA Btys – at Preston 65th LAA Rgt – new unit formed November 1940; joined by January 194165 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. 194 LAA By – VP at English Electric Company, Preston 195 LAA Bty – VPs at Heysham 196 LAA Bty – VPs at Blackpool 76th LAA Rgt – new unit formed February 1941;76 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45. joined by May 1941 226, 227, 228 LAA Btys 4th AA 'Z' Regt – formed September 1940 108 'Z' Bty – at Barrow 122 'Z' Bty – at Accrington 135 'Z' Bty – at Manchester

Mid-War The Blitz is generally held to have ended on 16 May 1941. By now the HAA sites had the advantage of GL Mk I* radar with an elevation finding (E/F or 'Effie') attachment to supplement searchlights.Routledge, pp. 98–9, 393.Collier, Chapter 19.Collier, Appendix XXXI. At this stage of the war, experienced units were being posted away to train for service overseas. This led to a continual turnover of units, which accelerated with the preparations for the invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch) in late 1942 and the need to transfer units to counter the Luftwaffe's Baedeker Blitz and hit-and-run attacks on the South Coast. However, newly formed units continued to join AA Command, the HAA and support units increasingly becoming 'Mixed' units, indicating that women of the ATS were fully integrated into them. Members of the Home Guard (HG) also provided manpower, particularly for 'Z' Batteries.Routledge, pp. 398–404.Collier, Chapter XX.

Brigadier Tremlett was promoted to command 10 AA Division from 14 February 1942, and was succeeded at 44 AA Bde by Brig R.E. Kane, OBE, MC.44 AA Bde War Diary, 1942, TNA file WO 166/7401.

Order of Battle 1941–42