4th Brigade ( Australia ) The 4th Brigade is a brigade - level formation of the Australian Army . Originally formed in September 1914 for service during World War I , elements of the brigade served at Gallipoli and in the trenches on the Western Front before being disbanded in 1919 . In 1921 , the brigade was re - raised as a unit of Australia ' s part - time military forces , based in the state of Victoria . During World War II the brigade served in the New Guinea and New Britain campaign s . Following the war , the brigade formed part of the 3rd Division , however , it was later reallocated to the 2nd Division , where it serves as a Reserve combined - arms formation including units and personnel from all corps of the Army including armoured , infantry , artillery , engineers , signals and ordnance . History . World War I . The 4th Brigade was originally formed in September 1914 as part of the Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) , which was an all - volunteer force that was raised for service during World War I shortly after the outbreak of the war . Under the command of Colonel ( later General Sir ) John Monash , at that time the brigade consisted of four infantry battalions which were raised from all Australian states : the 13th ( NSW ) , 14th ( Vic ) , 15th ( Qld / Tas ) and 16th Battalions ( SA / WA ) . Following initial training at Broadmeadows in Victoria , they embarked for overseas in the second wave of Australian forces to be dispatched , leaving in December 1914 . They arrived in Egypt in early 1915 , where they were assigned to the New Zealand and Australian Division . In April 1915 , the brigade participated in the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli , arriving on the second day as the division ' s reserve , before joining the eight - month campaign that followed . During the August Offensive , the brigade attacked Hill 971 and then , later , Hill 60 . In December 1915 the decision was made to evacuate Gallipoli and subsequently the brigade was transported back to Egypt . Following this , the AIF underwent a period of reorganisation and expansion . As a part of this process , the 4th Brigade provided a cadre of experienced personnel to the newly formed 12th Brigade . At the same time , the brigade was re - assigned to the 4th Division . In June 1916 , after spending a couple of months manning defences along the Suez Canal , the brigade , along with the rest of the 4th Division was transferred to Europe where they joined the war on the Western Front in France and Belgium . Assigned to the front line around Armentieres , they undertook their first operation on 2 July , undertaking an unsuccessful raid . During the next two years , the brigade rotated in and out of the line along with the rest of the 4th Division . In April 1917 , the brigade took part in heavy fighting around Ypres where , on 11 April , they suffered heavy casualties , losing 2 , 339 men out of the 3 , 000 that were committed . In April 1918 , the 4th Brigade was involved in significant fighting around Villers - Bretonneux , and eventually succeeded in liberating the town . The liberation was the third anniversary of ANZAC day — 25 April 1918 . In commemoration of the sacrifices made by Australians , in 1926 the main street of the town was renamed " Rue de Melbourne " , while another was named " Rue de Victoria " . The school , which was damaged during the fighting , was rebuilt with donations from Victorian school children and was subsequently called " Victoria School " . Later , in July , the 4th Brigade took part in the fighting around Le Hamel . The tactics used during the battle on 4 July 1918 were conceived by General John Monash and largely carried out by Australian infantrymen , along with a number of US troops . It was the scene of one of Allies greatest military victories during the war . 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 " . On 12 August 1918 Monash was knighted in the field by King George V . The 4th Brigade remained in the front line until late September 1918 , taking part in the Hundred Days Offensive , including the fighting on 8 August , which was later described as the " Black Day " by the German commander , Erich Ludendorff . In early October the rest of the Australian Corps was withdrawn from the line for rest and re - organisation in order to prepare for further operations . As a result , the brigade did not take part in any further fighting before the Armistice in November 1918 , after which the brigade ' s component infantry battalions began the demobilisation process and were eventually disbanded in 1919 . During the course of the war , eight members of the brigade received the Victoria Cross . These were : Albert Jacka , Martin O ' Meara , John Dwyer , Harry Murray , Henry Dalziel , Thomas Axford , Maurice Buckley and Dominic McCarthy . Inter war years . In 1921 , Australia ' s part - time military forces were re - organised to perpetuate the numerical designations and structure of the AIF formations that had existed during World War I . As a result , in May the 4th Brigade was re - raised as part of the Citizens Forces . Where possible the decision was made to raise the new formations in the recruiting areas from where the World War I units had drawn their personnel . Due to the fact that the 4th Brigade had consisted of battalions that had been drawn from a number of Australian states , upon re - forming when it was decided to base the brigade in Victoria — with its headquarters in Prahran — only one of its four component battalions had the numerical designation of units that had been assigned to the brigade previously . The four infantry battalions that were assigned to it at this time were : the 14th , 22nd , 29th and 46th Battalions . The brigade was assigned to the 3rd Division at this time . Initially , despite a level of war weariness in Australia , numbers within the Citizens Force were maintained through voluntary recruitment and the compulsory training scheme , and due to strategic concerns around the expansion of Japanese naval power within the Pacific , there was a need to maintain a strong part - time military force . As a result , each infantry battalion within the brigade was able to report being at full strength , with over 1 , 000 men in each of the four battalions . However , in 1922 following the conclusion of the Washington Naval Treaty , which theoretically resolved Australia ' s security concerns , the decision was made to reduce the Army ' s budget and reduce the authorised strength of each battalion to 409 men . The manpower situation grew more acute in 1929 when the Scullin Labor government suspended the compulsory training scheme and replaced it with a voluntary " Militia " . This decision , coupled with the economic downturn of the Great Depression resulted in further scarcity of recruits for the brigade ' s infantry battalions and , as a result , the decision was made to amalgamate two of the battalions , the 22nd and the 29th , to form the 29th / 22nd Battalion . Throughout the 1930s , the situation was characterised by poor attendance and limited training opportunities . This resulted in further changes in the brigade ' s composition , and by 1934 , the 14th Battalion had been re - assigned to the 2nd Brigade . The manpower situation , however , began to improve in 1936 and then again in 1938 when tensions in Europe increased concerns about the possibility of another war . The result of this was a concerted recruitment drive and more funding for training courses and camps , which in turn resulted in more enlistments . As a result of the improved attendance within the 4th Brigade , 29th / 22nd Battalion was split in August 1939 and the 22nd and 29th Battalions were reconstituted in their own right . World War II . At the outbreak of World War II , the brigade was a part - time formation of the Militia , based in Victoria . As the provisions of the " Defence Act ( 1903 ) " precluded the deployment of Militia formations outside of Australian territory to fight , the Australian government decided to raise a separate force for dispatch to Europe and the Middle East . This force was known as the Second Australian Imperial Force . As a result , it was decided that the Militia would be used to improve the country ' s overall readiness for war through undertaking periods of continuous training , undertaking defensive duties and managing the training of recruits called up following the re - establishment of the compulsory training scheme in January 1940 . In September 1939 , the brigade consisted of three infantry battalions — the 22nd , 29th and 46th Battalions — and it was initially assigned to the 3rd Division . Following Japan ' s entry into the war in December 1941 , however , the 4th Brigade was mobilised for war service and raised to a higher state of training at Bonegilla , Victoria . In April 1942 , the brigade was transferred to the 5th Division and later , in 1943 , it was deployed to New Guinea , being dispatched to Milne Bay to relieve the 7th Brigade . Later 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 . Throughout 1943 and 1944 the brigade was transferred between the 5th and 9th Division a number of times , taking part in the New Guinea campaign . In September 1944 , the brigade returned to Australia for reorganisation and training before taking part in the New Britain campaign . Due to a shortage of shipping , the brigade ' s deployment was delayed and they did not land until January 1945 . Following this , the brigade helped to undertake a containment campaign against the Japanese forces on the island until the end of the war in August 1945 . Post World War II . In 1948 , following the completion of the demobilisation process , Australia ' s part - time military forces were re - organised under the guise of the Citizens Military Force . Upon re - formation , the 4th Brigade was assigned to the 3rd Division and consisted of three infantry battalions : the 5th , 6th and 8th / 7th . Throughout the Cold War period which followed , the composition of the brigade changed a number of times as the role of part - time military forces evolved . Initially , post war service was voluntary , however , in 1951 national service was instituted and this increased the size of the CMF units . During this time , due to increased manpower and resources , the brigade was able to achieve full manning and equipment scales and , as a result , in 1959 , formed the basis of a 3 , 500 - man combined arms exercise undertaken at Puckapunyal . Nevertheless , the national service scheme was suspended in 1960 , due to the large amount of resources required to administer it . At the same time , the introduction of the Pentropic divisional establishment saw the disbandment or amalgamation of many infantry battalions as regional - based battalions were formed into multi - battalion State - based regiments . This saw the adoption of the five battalion division and resulted in the disbandment of the old three battalion brigade formations . In late 1964 , however , the decision was made to end the experiment with the Pentropic establishment , partly because of the difficulties it created with allied interoperability . Early the following year the brigade formations were re - established , although they were designated " task forces " instead of brigades . By 1976 , due to limited resources and manpower the brigade ' s parent formation , the 3rd Division , had become a largely hollow structure . As a result , the division ' s headquarters were merged with the 4th Task Force ' s headquarters as the 3rd Division was redesignated as the " 3rd Division Field Force Group " and the 4th Task Force ceased to exist . On 1 July 1981 the formation was reraised as the " 4th Task Force " , however , in 1982 it was renamed as the " 4th Brigade " . In 1981 the brigade ' s infantry battalions were the 1st and 2nd Battalions , Royal Victoria Regiment ( RVR ) . In December 1982 the 5th / 6th Battalion was raised by establishing a new BHQ and utilising some of the 1 RVR companies . Until 1987 the Briagde had three infantry battalions , 1 RVR , 2 RVR and 5 / 6 RVR . During this period 2 RVR was renamed 8 / 7 RVR . In 1987 the brigade was reduced to just two infantry battalions , namely 5 / 6 RVR and 8 / 7 RVR and supporting arms . In the early 1990s the brigade was assigned to the 2nd Division . In 1991 , following a force structure review , the 3rd Division was disbanded and its units were placed under the 4th Brigade ' s command . As a result , in the late 1990s it had a vital asset protection mobilisation role as part of the " Protective Force " in the Tindal area of the Northern Territory . Current structure and recent operations . Currently , the 4th Brigade is headquartered at Simpson Barracks in Melbourne . It consists of about 2 , 400 personnel , who are based in a number of locations in Melbourne and regional Victoria . The brigade currently consists of the following units : ( Note - Monash University Regiment ( MonUR ) and the 2nd / 10th Medium Regiment were removed from the Australian Army Order of Battle in 2012 . The Officer Cadet Company of MUR was renamed Monash University Company , and the artillery was amalgamated with 5 / 6 RVR as the 2nd / 10th Light Battery , which employs mortars rather than artillery ) . Recently the brigade has contributed personnel to deployments in Iraq , Afghanistan , East Timor and the Solomon Islands . It also continues to support Australia ' s commitment to Rifle Company Butterworth . Within Australia , the brigade provided engineer and logistic support during the 2003 Alpine Bushfires , the 2006 Gippsland Fires , as well as support to the community during the 2009 Victorian bushfires and the 2011 floods and 2012 floods .