The 4th Brigade

The 4th Brigade is one of five Brigades within the 2nd Division ('2 Div'), which is one of 2 Divisions in the Australian Army. The 4th Brigade, as a combined-arms formation, includes units and personnel from all Corps of the Army including Armoured, Infantry, Artillery, Engineers, Signals and Ordnance.

The 4th Brigade was formed in September 1914, under the command of Colonel (later General Sir) John Monash. The Brigade at that time compromised the 13th (NSW), 14th (Vic), 15th (Qld/Tas) and 16th (SA) Infantry Battalions.

The Brigade participated in the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli in April 1915 and during the subsequent nine-month operation the Brigade distinguished itself on countless occasions. The Brigade withdrew from the shores of ANZAC and joined the war on the Western Front in France as part of the Australian 4th Infantry Division. During the period from 1916 to 1918, the Brigade fought in nearly every major battle involving that Division. Of particular significance were the battles of Villers -Bretonneux in April 1918 and Le Hamel in July 1918, they were decisive in the Allied offensive campaign and contributed to the hastening of the war's end.

N'oublions jamaisl'Australie is what is above every Blackboard in the school of the little town of Villers - Bretonneux. It is the Victoria School and is next door to the Australia Museum . N'oublions jamaisl'Australie: We will never forget Australia . Is remembered by the students as they sing 'Waltzing Matilda' every morning. The main street is named Rue de Melbourne, the second Rue de Victoria, the school was built by the donations of Victorian school children, many of who would have lost their father's or brother's. For 3500 Victorian men had laid down their lives to Liberate the town; and for that the people of Villers- Brtonneux are eternaly greatful.

The liberation was the third anniversary of Anzac day; April 25 1918 . From March of that year Germany had advanced a comparatively staggering 64km and was insight of Amiens.Russa was now out of the war because of its revolution and the terrifying prospect for the British High Command was that if the Germans captured Amiens the war would be lost. So on this day, 20km east of Amien, at Villers - Bretonneux. It came down to Australian storm troops, from Victoria , to finally halt the advance. The victory has been called the greatest individual feat of the war. Outside the town, the Australian War Memorial commemorates those who fell in the battle as well as the 10,982 Australians killed in France who have no known grave.

The tactics used in the battle of 'Le Hamel' Hamel Hill on July 4 1918 were conceived by General John Monash and largely carried out by Australian Infantrymen. It was the scene of one of Australia 's greatest military victories and it is this brilliantly fought battle that marks the turning point of the war's initiative back to the Allies. So great was this victory that French prime minister Georges Clemenceau came to address the Australian troops in the field "When the Australians came to France, the French people expected a great deal of you, but we did not know that from the very beginning you would astonish the whole continent"; And on August 12 1918, Monash was knighted on the field by King George V. He is the last person to be Knighted in the field.

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Eight Victoria Crosses were awarded to the members of the Brigade during World War I:

At the outbreak of World War II the Brigade was raised to a higher state of training and deployed to New Guinea in early 1943. There, it was amongst the first of the militia brigades to see action against the Japanese at Guiska. At that time the Brigade consisted of the 22nd, 29th/46th and 37th/52nd Infantry Battalions.

The 4th Brigade underwent a number of reorganisations following the end of World War II, as a formation of the 3rd Divison. On 1 July 1981 it was reformed as 4th Task Force but the title changed back to 4th Brigade the following year. In 1990 the Brigade became a formation of the 2nd Division.

Commanders of the 4th Brigade since 1981 have been:

General

History of Simpson Barracks

Simpson Barracks Watsonia (SBW) is located 18 kilometres North-East of the CBD. SBW comprises 130 hectares of prime real estate surrounded by well established suburban development.

SBW contains significant areas of rare and indigenous fauna. There are only two other small areas of pre-European open woodlands to be found within the Heidelberg area. The area forms part of an important wildlife corridor along the Plenty River, and Banyule and Yallambie Creeks.


Aboriginal History

A sub-group of the Wawong Tribe of the Kulin Aboriginal Nation called the Wurundjeri inhabited the Heidelberg/Diamond Creek regions as well as the lands and watersheds of the Darebin and Merri Creeks. The Wawong tribe was one of the 38 Aboriginal Tribes population up to 15,000 that inhabited Victoria prior to the arrival of Europeans.

White settlers arrived in Victoria in 1834 and took over the fertile land without payment or discussion, and by 1838 friction broke out between both groups. There were frequent disputes between the settlers and the aboriginals. Whilst the aboriginals undertook guerrilla style battles, raids, stole or destroyed livestock, disrupted shearing, burned crops etc, they were no match for the settlers and their muskets.

On 12 September 1838, the sale of land in Heidelberg put an end to any rights the aborigines thought they had to the land and precipitated their decline in the area. By 1841 all of the Bullen Lagoons area, a major tribal meeting place of the Wawong and the Kulin people became private property. This became the most serious loss hitherto sustained by the aborigines. In 1847, the small remnants who remained in the area were persuaded to move to Pound Reserve near Warrandyte. With the loss of their sacred sites, the breakdown of tribal law and customs and introduced exotic diseases, the disintegration of the aboriginal race was accelerated; until by 1858, there were only 33 Wawong people at Pound Reserve.

In 1863 the Victorian Government purchased 2300 acres of land of Badgers Creek (know as Corenderrk) at Healesville and by 1865, the remaining 104 aboriginals of the Kulin nation were re-established into this area. Corenderrk also came under pressure by settlers who wanted the fertile land. In 1903, Barak, the last full blooded chief of the Wawong tribe died and their future was sealed. They lost 2000 acres of prime land and were left with 300 acres of poor swampy unsuitable soil.

The Victorian Government resolved in 1917 that all remaining aboriginals in Victoria would be settled at Lake Tyers and later in 1948, Corenderrk was by legislation taken from aboriginal control. The aboriginal interest in SBW now lies with the Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Incorporated.

European History

In 1836 Mr Gellibrand with a party of six passed through the area in an expedition back to Geelong and named the Plenty River. The area which now includes SBW was to become part of the original Crown Portion and consisted of 970 acres. The portion was purchased by Thomas Wills on 12 September 1838, for 1067 pounds at the land sales conducted in Sydney.

Wills sold his portion to Thomas Walker in 1839 who immediately subdivided the lower sections of the land into 12 allotments. These allotments were eventually to come under the ownership of John and Robert Bakewell in 1846. The Bakewells had acquired most of the land North of Martins Lane and South of Yallambie Road, a total of 640 acres. When Robert Bakewell died in 1847 the land was leased for a short time and eventually bought in 1872 by Thomas Wragge. The property remained in the possession of the Wragge family up to the 1930s. In 1935 Dr Ainslie Meares purchased 247 acres from the Wragge family. He built his new residence of 77 squars, which was estimated to have cost 7000 pounds to build, and called the house Aldermaston (now Headquarters of the Defence Force School of Music).

Front Entrance to Simpson Barracks, Macleod

Army History

In 1938 the Army requisitioned 100 acres of Meares' property for training requirements. In 1941 Army purchased this property and requisitioned the remaining 147 acres for training which it later bought in 1951. Meares House and the surrounding area were used as a medical training area and the house became a hospital. The area also included administration staff, a camp reception and transit camp for the troops. Although given the official tite of "Camp Q", by 1942 the area had become known as "Watsonia Camp".

The camp began to wind down after WW2 and by 1946 was practically deserted. Between 1946 and 1951, the area was used by the Victorian Government as an emergency housing settlement. In July 1951, the Commonwealth Government advised that it intended to re-assume control of the camp with the intention of resuming training within the area. Army re-assumed control on 1 March 1952.

Early in the 1950s plans were drawn up for the development of Watsonia Camp. The building of facilities for a Headquarters Watsonia Area (now Regional Training Centre), Southern Command Personnel Depot (now HQ 4 Brigade), Army Headquarters Signal Regiment (now 138 Signal Squadron) and the area support facilities. In the late 1960s facilities for the 2nd Signal Regiment (now 4/19th Prince of Wales Light Horse and 108th Signal Squadron) and additional area facilities were added. In 1970 the School of Signals was relocated to SBW from Balcombe.

In the 1990s many units were raised, amalgamated, renamed or disbanded. In 1996 the Streeton Views estate took approximately 25 per cent slice of the barracks area. The current area of Simpson Barracks is approximately 55 hectares.

The first married quarters (67 houses) were built in 1969 in the Gabonia Avenue are to the North of the barracks. At this time the Camp was opened to the public for the first time. In 1986 Watsonia Barracks was renamed Simpson Barracks after Major General Colin Simpson, CBE, MC, VD. A biography of Major General Colin Simpson CBE, MC, VD was expected to be released in late 2002.

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