7th Brigade - Australian Army 4.23

The 7th Brigade is a multi-role combat Brigade of the Australian Army and comprises approximately 3200 personnel.

The role of the Brigade is to force generate and strategically project high readiness land forces capable of conducting the full spectrum of joint and inter-agency operations in pursuit of Australia's national security interests.

The 7th Brigade's vision is to raise new standards for high readiness, joint and inter-agency war fighting capabilities which are postured to fight and win. We will be acknowledged as the premier Combat Brigade within the Australian Defence Force.

The 7th Australian Infantry Brigade was formed on the 1st April 1915, comprising 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th Battalions, and was landed at Gallipoli on the 12th September 1915 as reinforcements. Following the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the Brigade was the vanguard for the Australian Infantry Forces in France, then serving in Belgium, prior to seeing action at the Somme, Pozieres, Ypres, Gueudecourt, Lagnicourt, Bullecourt, Villers-Bretonneux and Passchendaele.

Between the First and Second World Wars the 7th Brigade was a militia formation.
On 22 September 1941 the Brigade, made up of the 9th, 15th, 25th, and 61st Battalions, returned to full time duty status. After completing training north of Brisbane, the Brigade, now less the 15th Battalion, departed for New Guinea on 9th July 1942. The 7th Brigade conducted a delaying defence at Milne Bay between 25th August and 3rd September 1942, wearing down the Japanese invasion attempt and contributing significantly to the failure of their efforts to capture Port Moresby. In 1943 the Brigade moved to Port Moresby and then to Dona Dabu. After leave and a period of re-training and re-equipping in Queensland, the Brigade returned to New Guinea in 1944, deploying first to Madang and then to Bougainville, with significant involvement in the attack at Slater's Knoll.

The Brigade was disbanded in 1945 and re-formed as a Citizen Military Forces formation in 1948, based in Brisbane at Gona Barracks, Kelvin Grove.

On 1st July 1997, the 6th and 7th Brigades, which had been Ready Reserve and General Reserve Brigades respectively, amalgamated to form 7th Task Force at a Muster Parade at Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, the Task Force's new home. The formation, now integrating full-time and part-time soldiers, consisted of the 2nd /14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry), 6th Royal Australian Regiment, the 9th Royal Queensland Regiment and 25th /49th Royal Queensland Regiment with combat support from, 1st Field Regiment, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, and 139th Signal Squadron and combat service support provided by 7th Combat Service Support Battalion. In 1999, the formation was again renamed the 7th Brigade and given the task to develop the Army's motorised capability.

Since 1999, 7th Brigade has provided forces for operations in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Brigade Headquarters has commanded the Joint Task Forces for Operation SUMATRA ASSIST (Australia's response to the 2005 Tsunami that struck Indonesia) and Operations ACOLYTE and DELUGE; the military operations mounted to support the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders meeting.

3251 men have lost their lives on active service whilst serving with the Brigade, with five of its soldiers having been awarded the Victoria Cross.

Today the 7th Brigade, known as "South Queensland's Own", is comprised entirely of full-time units. They are the 2nd /14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry), the 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, the 7th Combat Signals Regiment, the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, the 8th/9th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and the 7th Combat Services Support Battalion.