The 2nd Health Brigade (2HB) is an Australian Army brigade. The 2nd Brigade was formed in 1903 as a militia infantry formation based in Victoria, the brigade later served during the First World War as part of the Australian Imperial Force, allocated to the 1st Division. During the war, the 2nd Brigade took part in the fighting at Gallipoli, including the Battle of Krithia where it lost almost a third of its strength. Later they took part in the Battle of Lone Pine before being withdrawn back to Egypt in December 1915. Following this the brigade was transferred to the Western Front in France and Belgium where, between March 1916 and the armistice in November 1918, they took part in most of the major Allied operations.
In the 1920s the brigade reverted to a part-time militia formation, once again based in Victoria, forming part of the 4th Division. During the Second World War, the brigade remained a part of 4th Division until 1943, when it was reallocated to the 2nd Division based in Western Australia where they were tasked with carrying out garrison duties before being redeployed to Darwin at the end of the year as the threat of invasion by the Japanese decreased. It was eventually disbanded in early 1945.
The brigade was re-raised on 3 March 2023 to command the Army's four new health battalions.
History
Formation
Originally formed in 1903 as a Militia unit of the Commonwealth Military Forces, it was established in Victoria and consisted of four battalion-sized units—5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Australian Infantry Regiments. In 1908 the units were retitled so that they became the 1st Battalions of their regimental designations. In 1912, the compulsory training scheme was introduced and at this time the brigade was reorganised as part of the 1st Military District, with constituent units were spread across various locations in Queensland including Toombul, Nundah and Brisbane.
First World War
During the First World War, the brigade was re-constituted as part of the Australian Imperial Force, as part of the 1st Division. Made up of four battalions that were raised from volunteers for overseas service from Victoria, each consisting of 1,023 men—5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions—and initially under the command of Colonel James Whiteside McCay, and was among the first Australian formations to be sent overseas. As part of the 1st Division, after initial training, it was sent to Egypt, where they took part in the defence of the Suez Canal in the wake of the First Suez Offensive before taking part in the Gallipoli campaign, landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, coming ashore in the second wave.
Early in May the battalions of the 2nd Brigade moved from the beachhead at Anzac Cove to the British and French lodgement at Cape Helles where on 8 May they were involved in the Second Battle of Krithia, carrying out the first brigade-level attack by Australian infantry against an entrenched enemy force and during which they suffered losses equal to roughly a third of its strength in what was a largely unsuccessful attack. After this the 2nd Brigade returned to Anzac Cove on 16 May. During the August Offensive they took part in the Battle of Lone Pine during the August Offensive. Following this the brigade was involved in largely defensive duties until they were withdrawn as part of the general evacuation of Allied troops from the peninsula in December 1915.
Following this the brigade returned to Egypt where they once again took part in the defence of the Suez Canal before embarking for France in March 1916. Arriving shortly after this, they took up positions in the trenches of the Western Front. Their first significant involvement in combat in Europe came in July 1916 during the Battle of Pozières and after this, over the course of the next two and a half years, they took part in most of the major Allied operations against the German Army. Other notable engagements that the brigade took part in included the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917, the German spring offensive and the Hundred Days Offensive in 1918.
During the war, the units of the 2nd Brigade suffered 7,988 casualties of which 3,958 were killed. Eight men from these units also received the Victoria Cross.