The 42nd Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade 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 ...

that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It was not reformed for the Second World War.

History

The 42nd Indian Brigade was formed in April 1916 and, on arrival in Mesopotamia, joined the

15th Indian Division The 15th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It did not serve in the Second ...

when it was formed on 7 May 1916. The division replaced the

12th Indian Division The 12th Indian Division was formed in March 1915 from units of the British Indian Army. It formed part of the Tigris Corps, for service during the Mesopotamia Campaign of World War I. The Division arrived in Mesopotamia in April 1915 and remai ...

on the Euphrates Front. The brigade remained with the division on the Euphrates Front until the end of the war. It took part in the action of As Sahilan (11 September 1916), the Capture of Ramadi (28 and 29 September 1917), the Occupation of Hīt (9 March 1918) and the

action of Khan Baghdadi The action of Khan Baghdadi was an engagement during the Mesopotamian campaign in World War I. Khan Baghdadi The 15th Indian Division had been at Ramadi since its capture of the town in September 1917. On 9 March 1918, it advanced and occupi ...

(26 and 27 March 1918). At the end of the war, the division was rapidly run down and it (along with the brigade) was disbanded in March 1919.

Order of battle

The brigade had the following composition in the First World War: * 1/5th (Prince of Wales) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment ''(joined in February 1916 from

44th (Ferozepore) Brigade The Ferozepore Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that formed part of the Indian Army during the First World War. It was formed in December 1914 as part of the 3rd Lahore Divisional Area for service on the North We ...

, 3rd Lahore Divisional Area; in April to the

41st Indian Brigade The 41st Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw service with the Indian Army during the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It was not refo ...

)'' * 1/4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment ''(joined in February 1916 from Ambala Brigade, 3rd Lahore Divisional Area)'' * 2nd Battalion,

5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army. The regiment's battalions served ...

''(joined in April 1916 from

3rd (Abbottabad) Brigade The 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division was a regular army division of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1903 after the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army. During World War I it remained in India for local defence but it was mobilised for actio ...

2nd (Rawalpindi) Division The 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division was a regular army division of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1903 after the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army. During World War I it remained in India for local defence but it was mobilised for actio ...

)'' * 2nd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles ''(joined in April 1916 from 3rd (Abbottabad) Brigade, 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division; left in September 1918 for the 65th Brigade,

British 22nd Division The 22nd Division was an infantry division of the British Army during World War I, raised in September 1914, from men volunteering for Lord Kitchener's New Armies. The division moved to France in September 1915, but it was transferred to Greece ...

)'' * 1st Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) ''(joined in March 1917 from

2nd (Nowshera) Brigade The 1st (Peshawar) Division was a Regular Division of the British Indian Army formed as a result of the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army in 1903. During World War I, the Division remained in India for local defense, but was mobilized for a ...

1st (Peshawar) Division The 1st (Peshawar) Division was a Regular Division of the British Indian Army formed as a result of the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army in 1903. During World War I, the Division remained in India for local defense, but was mobilized for a ...

; left in December 1918 for the

55th Indian Brigade The 55th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. It took part in the Mesopotamian campaign and formed part of the occupation force for Iraq post- ...

18th Indian Division The 18th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It took part in the Mesopotamian campaign and formed part of the occupation force for Iraq post-war. The division was n ...

)'' * 130th Machine Gun Company ''(joined from Corps Troops in August 1916)'' * 42nd Light

Trench Mortar ''Minenwerfer'' ("mine launcher" or "mine thrower") is the German name for a class of short range mine shell launching mortars used extensively during the First World War by the Imperial German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by en ...

Battery ''('N' Light Trench Mortar Battery joined 15th Division in September 1917 and assigned to the brigade in February 1918)''

Commander

The brigade was commanded from 1 April 1916 by

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

F.G. Lucas.

References

Bibliography

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External links