The 6th (Poona) Division was a

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

. It was formed in 1903, following the

Kitchener reforms The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

of the Indian Army.

World War I

The 6th (Poona) Division served in the

Mesopotamian campaign The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, troops from Britain, Australia and the vast majority from British India, against the Central Powe ...

. Led by Major General Barrett then Major General Townshend, the division were the first British Indian troops to land in Mesopotamia in November 1914 at the

Fao Landing The Fao Landing occurred from November 6, 1914 to November 8, 1914 with British forces attacking the Ottoman stronghold of Fao and its fortress. The landing was met with little resistance from the Turkish defenders who fled after intense shellin ...

. After a string of early successes, the 6th Division was delivered a setback at the Battle of Ctesiphon in November 1915. Following this engagement, the division withdrew back to

Kut Kūt ( ar, ٱلْكُوت, al-Kūt), officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare or Kut al-Imara, is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about south east of Baghdad. the estimated population is about 389,400 people. It ...

, where Townshend made the decision to hold the city. After a lengthy siege by the Ottomans, Townshend surrendered on April 29, 1916. 10,061 troops and 3,248 followers were taken captive. Following the surrender, the garrisoned force conducted a forced march back to

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. The suffering of the enlisted soldiers was particularly egregious, and over 4,000 died in captivity. After the surrender, the Poona Division ceased to exist until another 6th Division was raised in 1920 for the Iraq Rebellion.

Order of Battle December 1914

* 16th (Poona) Brigade ** 2nd Bn.

Dorsetshire Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 19 ...

** 1st Bn. 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) ** 1st Bn. 104th Wellesley's Rifles ** 1st Bn. 117th Mahrattas * 17th (Ahmednagar) Brigade ** 1st Bn. Ox & Bucks ** 1st Bn. 119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment) ** 1st Bn. 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry ** 1st Bn.

22nd Punjabis The 22nd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 11th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 22nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it ...

* 18th (Belgaum) Brigade ** 2nd Bn.

Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

** 1st Bn. 110th Mahratta Light Infantry ** 1st Bn. 120th Rajputana Infantry ** 1st Bn.

7th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Rajputs 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...

*Divisional Artillery ** X Brigade, Royal Field Artillery ( RFA) *** 76 Bty. RFA *** 82 Bty. RFA *** 63 Bty. RFA ** 1st Indian Mountain Artillery Brigade *** 23rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) *** 30th Mountain Battery ** 1/5th Hampshire Howitzer Battery, RFA (

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

) *Divisional troops ** 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry ** 17 Co. 3rd Sappers and Miners ** 22 Co. 3rd Sappers and Miners ** 48th Pioneers

Divisional Commanders

''This list is incomplete.'' *1908-1912: Major-General

Edwin Alderson Lieutenant General Sir Edwin Alfred Hervey Alderson, KCB (8 April 1859 – 14 December 1927) was a senior British Army officer who served in several campaigns of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. From 1915 to 1916 during the Fir ...

CB *1912-1915: Major-General Sir Arthur Barrett KCB KCVO *1915-1916: Major-General

Charles Townshend Charles Townshend (28 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in the Parliament of Great Britain. His establishment of the controversial Townshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of the Ame ...

CB DSO

References

Bibliography

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External links