Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The New South Wales 2nd Garrison Brigade was the headquarters for all Garrison Battalions within the 2nd Military District (NSW) and was responsible for the Garrison Battalions within the state. It was raised in 1942 and disbanded in 1944.

The Brigade over saw the command of the following Garrison Battalions:

• 2nd Garrison Battalion (/explore/units/522) (Coast Defence)
• 7th Garrison Battalion (/explore/units/663) (Internal Security and Coast Defence)
• 11th Garrison Battalion (/explore/units/664) (Internal Security)
• 13th Garrison Battalion (/explore/units/659) (Coast Defence)
• 16th Garrison Battalion (/explore/units/690) (Internment Camp) - In 1945 this unit was redesignated as the Hay Prisoner-of-War Group, staffing Camps 6, 7 and 8 at Hay in New South Wales
• 20th Garrison Battalion (/explore/units/665) (Coast Defence) 
• 21st Garrison Battalion (/explore/units/692) (Internment Camp) - In 1943 the size of the Battalion was decreased to one company and thus it was renamed the 21st Garrison Company. In 1945 this unit was redesignated as Liverpool Prisoner-of-War and Internment Camp with it staffing the prisoner and internment camps at Liverpool, New South Wales
• 22nd Garrison Battalion (/explore/units/576) (Prisoner-of-War Camp) - Although raised in Victoria the Battalion had large numbers of NSW men within its ranks and indeed was stationed in New South Wales for much of its active service. In 1943 this unit was redesignated as Cowra Prisoner-of-War Group, staffing Camp 12 at Cowra in New South Wales.
• 31st Garrison Battalion (/explore/units/666) (Internal Security)

Garrison Battalions were part of the Australian 'Army Reserve' within the CMF Militia structure for Homeland Defence with the role of manning fixed defences and vulnerable points. The personnel were Class B men, those between 48 and 55 who had seen war service before September 1939, therefore mostly WW1 veterans.

The first seven Garrison battalions were raised in October 1939. A total of 33 were raised across the States numbered 1-33 and where more than three battalions were raised, they were grouped in State-based Brigades, numbered in accordance with the relevant Military District Headquarters in which they were embedded; 1 Garrison Brigade in Queensland, 2 in New South Wales, 3 in Victoria, 4 in South Australia and 5 in Western Australia.  A number of Battalions were merged and others reduced to a single company which retained the original Battalion number.

Prisoner-of-War and Internment Camp units were part of the Garrison Battalion organisation but were on a special establishment where the need for prior war service was waived. AWAS (female) personnel were subsequently often posted in for clerical and administrative roles.

From early on some battalions had adopted a secondary title indicating their specific role, such as (Internal Security). In 1942 this was formalised and most battalions were given an appropriate secondary title.

Initially, all Garrison Battalions wore the same shoulder patch, a black square on a green square. Numerous requests were made by battalions to individualise their patches and in late 1942 the system was adopted of geometric shapes, green on black in a reversal of the original design, approval for which was dated 11 December 1942