What consisted of a Brigade staff in the AIF?

[tankengine888]

Hello!
I muddled myself up earlier, but I want to find out what consisted of a Brigade Staff in the AIF?
You have the
Brigadier (CO)
Who is XO?
Brigade Major
Was there ever a Brigade Sergeant Major?
Any help is appreciated!

[Ian Riley]

My 'Establishment Tables' are not accessible at the moment) but my guess is that it would have mirrored that of a British infantry brigade initially in that officers would be 

• Brigadier-General (Commanding)
• Brigade Major (a GSO2 post I think) to look after the operational side 
• Staff Captain - a GSO 3 Post to look after the AQ side

As the war went on Brigade Machine Gun officers appeared (in command of Brigade Machine Gun Companies later part of the Machine Gun Corps)  and Brigade Trench Mortar Officers  but (I think) remaining on the establishment of the MG Coy and the TMBs and a brigade Intelligence Officer starts to appear although I am not aware if this was an official part of the Brigade establishment or an informal attachment from one of the four (three - from spring 1918) constituent battalions

I think there was generally a veterinary attached to each brigade

In addition there would be a constant flow of 'staff learners',  junior officers attached to learn something about staff work. 

Never been aware of the existence of a Brigade sergeant major 

Ian

 

[tankengine888]

37 minutes ago, Ian Riley said:

My 'Establishment Tables' are not accessible at the moment) but my guess is that it would have mirrored that of a British infantry brigade initially in that officers would be 

• Brigadier-General (Commanding)
• Brigade Major (a GSO2 post I think) to look after the operational side 
• Staff Captain - a GSO 3 Post to look after the AQ side

As the war went on Brigade Machine Gun officers appeared (in command of Brigade Machine Gun Companies later part of the Machine Gun Corps)  and Brigade Trench Mortar Officers  but (I think) remaining on the establishment of the MG Coy and the TMBs and a brigade Intelligence Officer starts to appear although I am not aware if this was an official part of the Brigade establishment or an informal attachment from one of the four (three - from spring 1918) constituent battalions

I think there was generally a veterinary attached to each brigade

In addition there would be a constant flow of 'staff learners',  junior officers attached to learn something about staff work. 

Never been aware of the existence of a Brigade sergeant major 

Ian

 

Ah I see, so the Brigade Major IS an Executive officer to a brigade! Atleast essentially directly below the Brigadier

[Ian Riley]

 

 

The 'Brigade Major' was often ranked as a Captain in WW1. In the early 1980s, the term disappeared in the British Army and was replaced by 'Chief of Staff' 

 

Edited 10 February , 2022 by Ian Riley

[A Rankin]

1918: Defining Victory...available at https://www.army.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-11/1998_1918_defining_victory_0.pdf has a great article by Roger Lee that talks about the AIF Staff and how they evolved.  It covers all levels, but has some good detail on the Brigade level.  For exact composition at any one point, I'd look for a war establishment table.

 

https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search?query=AWM25 899&collection=true&facet_type=Digitised Collection has a couple of files that show how officers were selected to join and for advancement on the staff.

[FROGSMILE]

A standard Brigade headquarters ‘staff’ (as in staff officers) was just three men; the GOC Bde (a Brigadier General) the Brigade Major (BM - who was sometimes a senior captain) and the Staff Captain (SC - a more junior captain).  

There were three staff divisions of responsibility and they were known as G (General - Staff matters), A (Adjutant General - Staff matters) and Q (Quarter Master General - Staff matters).  

The BM was responsible for 'G' which covered Operations and Planning.  The SC covered both, 'A' which encompassed Administrative matters (personnel and discipline) and 'Q' which covered Quartermaster matters (supply and transport).  To assist them there was a small staff of senior and junior NCOs, plus a few privates, who all reported to the SC.  

In addition to the three principal officers there was often an aide, or 'orderly officer', who was a staff trainee (aka “staff learner”) and generally acted as the personal assistant to the brigade commander.  Finally there was usually a junior officer responsible for Administrative Services, who assisted with the veterinary requirements of the brigade as a whole.  This might seem odd, but it should be remembered that the brigade relied on horseflesh for its supply, its guns and the local transport of its battalions rear echelons.  He too reported to the SC.  The total strength of the brigade HQ was 27 all ranks (not including the aide, who was a supernumerary).

Not far from the Brigade HQ, but separate nonetheless, was the infantry battalions' transport sections and rear echelons that usually comprised the quartermasters and transport officers with their personnel.  This enabled a close contact with theSC, with whom they needed to coordinate supply.

The BM was the principal staff officer in the HQ and was thus the de facto chief-of-staff.  His primary role was to interpret the commands from either, his commander, or higher headquarters (Division) and convert them into precise instructions and specific actions for each of his brigade's battalions and associated support elements.  He also advised the brigade commander on all matters relating to the fighting efficiency of the brigade.

NB.  These staff divisions and roles remained extant until the 1980s.  It's important to note that for whole generations of British and Dominion officers the division between G, A, and Q, was second nature and governed everything that they did.  Each subject area often carried the adjunct “matters” as in “Q matters” as a generic way to describe them as a whole.

Edited 12 February , 2022 by FROGSMILE