34th (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade
military unit
The 34th (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade (34 AA Bde) was an air defence formation of Anti-Aircraft Command in the British Territorial Army formed shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. It defended the West Midlands of England during The Blitz.
Origin
34th (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft (AA) Brigade was formed on 1 April 1938 at Coventry, and was assigned to 4th AA Division when that formation was created in Western Command on 1 September that year. They were transferred to the new AA Command in 1939, with 34 AA Bde responsible for the air defence of Coventry and Birmingham. Brigadier Sidney Archibald, MC, was appointed to command the brigade on 27 April 1938. In 1940 he became Brigadier, Royal Artillery, at Eastern Command and then Major-General, Royal Artillery, at GHQ Home Forces.
Order of Battle 1939
On the outbreak of war the brigade controlled the following units of the Royal Artillery:
69th (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA – Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) regiment formed in 1936 by conversion of 6th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Regimental Headquarters (RHQ), 192 and 199 AA Batteries at Kings Heath, Birmingham
190 and 191 AA Batteries at Alum Rock, Birmingham
73rd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA – raised in 1937 from batteries drawn from 62nd Field Brigade and 51st (Midland) Medium Brigade, RA
RHQ and 209 (Wolverhampton) AA Battery at Wolverhampton
222 (West Bromwich) AA Battery at West Bromwich
311 AA Battery at Brierley Hill
95th (Birmingham) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA – newly raised in April 1939, with 204 Bty from 73 AA Regiment
RHQ and 293 AA Battery at Washwood Heath
204 (Warwickshire) AA Battery at Saltley
34th AA Brigade Company Royal Army Service Corps
Mobilisation
The TA's AA units were mobilised on 23 September 1938 during the Munich Crisis, manning their emergency positions within 24 hours, even though many did not yet have their full complement of men or equipment. The emergency lasted three weeks, and they were stood down on 13 October. In February 1939 the existing AA defences came under the control of a new Anti-Aircraft Command. In June, as the international situation worsened, a partial mobilisation of the TA was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA gun positions.
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