Formed on 1 July 1940 as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, the unit was raised for service during World War II.

[5] The initial fighting in the Western Desert Campaign had been undertaken by the Australian 6th Division, which had launched a series of attacks in January 1941, with the Battle of Bardia.

[8] The 9th Division was subsequently assigned to the eastern sector of the Allied perimeter and over the brigade undertook defensive duties for the next several months, rotating around the position.

By the end of June, the 9th Division received orders to return to Egypt, as the Germans began an offensive in North Africa that threatened the Allied base around Alexandria.

The 24th Brigade established defensive positions around Lake Maryut in July, before being ordered to move forward to join the fighting in the First Battle of El Alamein.

During this defensive battle, the brigade was temporarily detached to the British 1st Armoured Division and carried out raids from Ruweisat Ridge towards Alam Baoshaza.

After returning to the 9th Division, the 24th Brigade carried out a series of attacks around the Qattara Track, Tel el Makh Khad and Ruin Ridge.

[15] During the fighting in early November, the brigade's commander, Godfrey was mortally wounded by an artillery barrage,[16] and was replaced by Brigadier Bernard Evans, previously of the 2/23rd Battalion.

After amphibious warfare training around Cairns, the brigade took part in the capture of Lae,[19] which envisaged a two-pronged assault with the 7th Division advancing from Nadzab.

[21] In the aftermath, the 2/32nd provided a detachment to secure the Tami Islands, where a radar station was built, while the rest of the brigade concentrated around the Burep River to prepare for future operations.

[23] The 2/43rd subsequently took up a blocking posting around Jivevaneng, relieving the 2/17th Battalion, while the main elements of the 20th Brigade advanced south to capture of Finschhafen.

[27] As a result, a long period of training followed, and it was not until the final months of the war that the 24th Brigade was deployed again, when they were committed to securing Borneo.

Within this campaign, the 24th Brigade was tasked with landing on Labuan, as part of the wider Battle of North Borneo, in order to secure an anchorage in Brunei Bay for the British Pacific Fleet.

Following the landing, the 2/43rd fought to secure the airfields at Labuan and Timalai, while the 2/28th undertook some hard fighting on the left of the Australian lodgement, in an area dubbed "the Pocket".

[28] Elsewhere, the 2/32nd Battalion subsequently landed on Labuan on 12 June, but was transferred to the mainland several days later, where it captured the town of Weston before moving on towards Beaufort.

[29] It was assessed that Beaufort was occupied by up to 1,000 Japanese defenders, and as a result, following the fighting on Labuan, the remainder of the 24th Brigade was landed on the mainland.

[33][34] Following the conclusion of hostilities, the brigade was used to oversee the surrender of Japanese troops in the local area, and maintaining law and order until civilian authorities could be re-established.

[35] Meanwhile, a vocational education and training program was implemented to prepare the soldiers for their return to civilian life and to keep them occupied while they waited for demobilisation.