The 7th (Meerut) Division was an
infantry division
A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers.
In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. Histo ...
of the
British Indian Army that saw active service during World War I.
Pre-1857
The Meerut Division first appeared in the Indian Army List in 1829, under the command of Sir
Jasper Nicolls
Lieutenant General Sir Jasper Nicolls KCB (15 July 1778 – 4 May 1849) was Commander-in-Chief, India.
Military career
Born at East Farleigh in Kent and educated at a private school in Ballygall and at Trinity College, Dublin, Nicolls was com ...
,
KCB.
[''East India Register and Directory'' 1829.] At this period Divisions were primarily administrative organisations controlling the brigades and stations in their area, rather than field formations, but they did provide field forces when required. There were generally one Indian cavalry and two Indian infantry regiments stationed at Meerut itself, in addition to British troops: in 1829 these were the 4th Bengal Light Cavalry, 29th and 32nd Bengal Native Infantry.
Indian Rebellion of 1857
In May 1857, on the eve of the '
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
' (or 'First War of Independence'), the troops at Meerut comprised the
6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)
The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1685 as the Lord Lumley's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers in 1740, the 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carabin ...
and a battalion of the
60th (King's Royal Rifle Corps), the
3rd Bengal Light Cavalry, and 11th and 20th Bengal Native Infantry under the command of Maj-Gen W.H. Hewitt. The outbreak of the rebellion at Meerut was one of the first and most serious of the whole conflict.
Post-1857
The division was reconstituted when peace returned. Over succeeding decades, the stations controlled by Meerut Division varied, and the forces under command were regularly rotated. For example:
Composition, January 1888
General Officer Commanding (GOC): Maj-Gen Sir G.R. Greave, KCB,
KCMG KCMG may refer to
* KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China
* Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour
* KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA
* KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
Divisional HQ:
Meerut
Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...
* F Battery, A Brigade,
Royal Horse Artillery
The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link r ...
* L Battery, A Brigade,
Royal Horse Artillery
The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link r ...
* H Battery, 2nd Brigade,
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
* L Battery, 3rd Brigade, Royal Artillery
* K Battery, 4th Brigade, Royal Artillery
*
3rd Hussars
The 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and the Second World Wars, before being amalgamated with the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, ...
* 1st Battalion,
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's O ...
*
5th Regiment Bengal Cavalry
*
26th (Punjab) Regiment, Bengal Native Infantry
Fatehgarh
Fatehgarh is a cantonment town in Farrukhabad district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located on the south bank of the Ganges River. It is the administrative headquarters of Farrukhabad District. Fatehgarh derives its name from ...
:
* Detachment 2nd Battalion
Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution ...
* Detachment
22nd Bengal Native Infantry
Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...
Brigade:
* 2nd Battalion
Manchester Regiment
The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th ...
*
28th (Punjab) Regiment Bengal Native Infantry
* Depot
33rd Regiment Bengal Native Infantry
*
16th (The Lucknow Regiment) Bengal Native Infantry
Muttra:
*
3rd Dragoon Guards
The 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1751 and the 3rd (Prince of Wales's) ...
Dehra Dun
Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislativ ...
:
*
Governor General’s Bodyguard
* 1st & 2nd Battalions
2nd (Prince of Wales's Own) Goorkha Regiment (The Sirmoor Rifles)
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
:
* Wing, 2nd Battalion
Lincolnshire Regiment
The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regiments ...
* 8th Battery, 1st Brigade,
Scottish Division Garrison Artillery, Royal Artillery
*
22nd Bengal Native Infantry
Landour
Landour, a small cantonment town contiguous with Mussoorie, is about from the city of Dehradun in the northern state of Uttarakhand in India. The twin towns of Mussoorie and Landour, together, are a well-known British Raj-era hill station in nor ...
:
* Convalescent Depot
Roorki:
* H Company,
Royal Engineers
* HQ, A (Depot) Company, B (Recruit) Company, 3, 4, & 5 Companies,
Bengal Sappers and Miners
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
* 2nd Battalion
Lincolnshire Regiment
The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regiments ...
* 1st & 2nd Batteries, 1st Brigade,
Welsh Division Garrison Artillery, Royal Artillery
* 4th Battery, 1st Brigade,
Eastern Division Garrison Artillery, Royal Artillery
Chakrata
Chakrata is a cantonment town and also a sub district/tehsil, in Dehradun district. in the state of Uttarakhand, India.
It lies between the Tons and Yamuna rivers, at an elevation of 2118 m, 98 km from the state capital, Dehradun. Chakrat ...
:
* 4th Battalion
Rifle Brigade
Pre–World War I
Under the reforms introduced by
Lord Roberts as
Commander-in-Chief (CinC) India, the Divisions were renamed 1st Class Districts in 1890. In the next round of
reforms
Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...
inaugurated by
Lord Kitchener as CinC, they became numbered divisions with their territorial affiliation as a subsidiary title. The title 7th (Meerut) Division first appeared in the Army List between 30 September and 31 December 1904, as part of Western (later
Northern) Command. On the eve of World War I, the division had its HQ at
Mussoorie
Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill s ...
, and had the Meerut Cavalry Brigade and the
Bareilly
Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The c ...
(HQ
Ranikhet
Ranikhet ( Kumaoni: ) is a hill station and cantonment town, nearby Almora Town in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the home for the Military Hospital, Kumaon Regiment (KRC) and Naga Regiment and is maintained by the In ...
), Dehra Dun and
Garhwal (HQ
Lansdowne Lansdowne or Lansdown may refer to:
People
* Lansdown Guilding (1797–1831), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines naturalist and engraver
*Fenwick Lansdowne (1937–2008), Canadian wildlife artist
* George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) ...
) Infantry Brigades under command.
World War I
Western Front
In 1914 the 7th (Meerut) Division was part of
Indian Expeditionary Force A sent to reinforce the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fighting in France. The bulk constituted an infantry division as part of
Indian Corps
The I Indian Corps was an army corps of the British Indian Army in the World War I. It was formed at the outbreak of war under the title Indian Corps from troops sent to the Western Front. The British Indian Army did not have a pre-war corps stru ...
, while the Meerut Cavalry Brigade was detached to form part of
2nd Indian Cavalry Division
The 2nd Indian Cavalry Division was a division of the British Indian Army formed at the outbreak of World War I. It served on the Western Front, being renamed as 5th Cavalry Division on 26 November 1916. In March 1918, the 5th Cavalry Divisi ...
in the
Indian Cavalry Corps
The Indian Cavalry Corps was a formation of the British Indian Army in World War I. It was formed in France in December 1914. It remained in France until March 1916, when it was broken up. The corps consisted of the 1st Indian Cavalry Division an ...
. While in France the division was known as the Meerut Division, and its brigades by their names, to avoid confusion with the
7th British Division
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, s ...
. Despatch from India was delayed by the activities of the German raiders
''Emden'' and
''Konigsberg'' operating in the Indian Ocean, and by the slow speed of the transport vessels. The division landed at
Marseilles 12–14 October 1914 but there were further delays while the troops were re-armed with the latest pattern rifle and the supply train could be improvised, using tradesmen's vans procured locally. The division finally got into action at the Battles of
La Bassee
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
, 1st Messines and
Armentieres in October and November 1914.
Order of Battle, October 1914
GOC:
Lt Gen
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
C.A. Anderson,
CBGSO1: Col
C.W. Jacob
Dehra Dun Brigade
GOC: Brig-Gen C.E. Johnson
* 1st Bn.
Seaforth Highlanders
*
6th Jat Light Infantry The6th Jat Light Infantry were an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army, later of the united British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1803, when they were the 1st Battalion, 22nd Bengal Native Infantry. Over the years they were known ...
*
2/2nd King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Regiment)
*
1/9th Gurkha Rifles
Garhwal Brigade
GOC: Maj-Gen
H.D’U. Keary,
CB,
DSO
* 2nd Bn.
Leicestershire Regiment
The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...
*
1/39th Garhwal Rifles
* 2/39th Garhwal Rifles
*
2/3rd Gurkha Rifles
Bareilly Brigade
GOC: Maj-Gen F. Macbean,
CVO, CB
* 2nd Bn.
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...
*
41st Dogras
*
58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)
The 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 5th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 5th ...
*
2/8th Gurkha Rifles
Divisional Mounted Troops
*
4th Cavalry
Divisional Artillery
*
IV Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (
RFA) - replaced V Brigade (transferred to
3rd (Lahore) Division
The 3rd (Lahore) Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army, first organised in 1852. It saw service during World War I as part of the Indian Corps in France before being moved to the Middle East where it fought against troops ...
) 17 October 1914
** 7th, 14th & 66th Batteries, IV Brigade Ammunition Column
*
IX Brigade, RFA
** 19th, 20th & 28th Batteries, IX Brigade Ammunition Column
*
XIII Brigade, RFA - replaced XI Brigade (transferred to
3rd (Lahore) Division
The 3rd (Lahore) Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army, first organised in 1852. It saw service during World War I as part of the Indian Corps in France before being moved to the Middle East where it fought against troops ...
17 October 1914
** 2nd, 8th & 44th Batteries, XIII Brigade Ammunition Column
* 110th Heavy Battery,
Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...
** Heavy Battery Ammunition Column
* Meerut Divisional Ammunition Column
Engineers
* 3rd & 4th Companies,
1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
Signals Service
* Meerut Signal Company
Divisional Pioneers
*
107th Pioneers
The 107th Pioneers were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. Their origin can be traced back to 1788, when they were raised as the 4th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys.
The regiments first action was in the Third Anglo-Mysore War. They also ...
Supply & Transport:
* Meerut Divisional train
Medical Units:
* 19th & 20th British Field Ambulances
* 128th, 129th and 130th Indian Field Ambulances
After winter operations (in which the Indian soldiers suffered badly) the division next took part in the Battles of
Neuve Chapelle
Neuve-Chapelle ( vls, Nieuwkappel) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It was the site of a First World War battle in 1915.
Geography
Neuve-Chapelle is situated some northeast of Béthune and ...
,
Aubers Ridge
The Battle of Aubers (Battle of Aubers Ridge) was a British offensive on the Western Front on 9 May 1915 during the First World War. The battle was part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive int ...
,
Festubert
Festubert is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. The village was on the Western Front during the First World War and was largely destroyed in the May 1915 Battle of Festubert.
Geography
A farming v ...
and
Loos in 1915.
Order of Battle, May 1915
The division's composition at this time was:
GOC: Lieut-Gen Sir
Charles Anderson, KCB
Dehra Dun Brigade
GOC: Brig-Gen
C.W. Jacob
* 1st Bn.
Seaforth Highlanders
* 1/4th Bn. Seaforth Highlanders (
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 ...
)
*
6th Jat Light Infantry The6th Jat Light Infantry were an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army, later of the united British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1803, when they were the 1st Battalion, 22nd Bengal Native Infantry. Over the years they were known ...
* 2nd Bn.
2nd King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Regiment)
* 1st Bn.
9th Gurkha Rifles
The 9th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha infantry regiment of the Indian Army and, previously, the British Army. The regiment was initially formed by the British in 1817, and was one of the Gurkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army after independe ...
Garwhal Brigade
GOC: Brig-Gen
C.G. Blackader
* 2nd Bn.
Leicestershire Regiment
The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...
*
1/3rd Bn. London Regiment (Territorial Force)
*
39th Garhwal Rifles
The 39th Garhwal Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army.
History
The regiment was first raised in 1887 as the Aligarh Levy but was disbanded after disgracing itself at the Rawalpindi Review in 1888. In 1891, the 39th (The Ga ...
* 2nd Bn.
3rd Gurkha Rifles
The 3rd Gorkha Rifles or Third Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 3 GR is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It was originally a Gurkha regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1815. This regiment recruit mainly Magars and Khas/Chhetri tribes. Th ...
* 2nd Bn.
8th Gurkha Rifles
The 8th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in World War I ...
Bareilly Brigade
GOC: Brig-Gen W.M. Southey
* 2nd Bn.
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...
* 1/4th Bn. Black Watch (Territorial Force)
*
41st Dogras
*
58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)
The 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 5th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 5th ...
*
125th Napier's Rifles
Divisional Troops
As before, with the addition of 30th Battery of XLIII (Howitzer Brigade) RFA.
By the
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used poison gas and the first mass engagement of New Army units. Th ...
in September 1915, Maj-Gen
Claud Jacob
Field Marshal Sir Claud William Jacob, (21 November 1863 – 2 June 1948) was a British Indian Army officer. He served in the First World War as commander of the Dehra Dun Brigade, as General Officer Commanding 21st Division and as General Offi ...
had replaced Anderson as GOC of 7th (Meerut) Division, and the exhausted 6th Jats and 41st Dogras had been replaced by the
93rd Burma Infantry
The 93rd Burma Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 93rd Burma Infantry in 1903 and became the 5th (Burma) Battalion 8th Pu ...
and
33rd Punjabis (from Egypt), while 30th Battery, XLII (How) Bde had been replaced by 61st Battery, VIII (How) Bde, RFA.
Mesopotamia
On 13 August 1915, General
Sir John Nixon
General Sir John Eccles Nixon (16 August 1857 – 15 December 1921) was a senior commander of the British Indian Army. He gave the orders for the ultimately disastrous first British Expedition against Baghdad during the First World War.
Ea ...
, commanding
Indian Expeditionary Force D
The Indian Army during World War I was involved World War I. Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died during the war.
In World War I the ...
in
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
, requested one of the Indian infantry divisions in France as reinforcements for his advance on
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...
. Coincidentally, on the same day, the
Secretary of State for India
His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India Secretary or the Indian Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of th ...
,
Austen Chamberlain
Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain (16 October 1863 – 16 March 1937) was a British statesman, son of Joseph Chamberlain and older half-brother of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer (twice) and was briefly ...
, told the
Viceroy of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...
that he was anxious for the Indian infantry to be withdrawn from France before they had to endure another winter. The system for supplying drafts had broken down and the Indian battalions were becoming very weak after the heavy casualties they had suffered. Although the
Secretary of State for War,
Lord Kitchener, objected to their withdrawal from the
Western Front, orders were issued on 31 October for the two divisions of Indian Corps (3rd (Lahore) and 7th (Meerut) Division) to embark at Marseilles for Mesopotamia. They were to leave behind their attached Territorial Force battalions. The two divisions were relieved in the front line on 6 November and were due at Basra on 1 December, but their departure from Marseilles was delayed until after 25 December because of fear of submarine attack. 7th (Meerut) Division finally arrived in Mesopotamia in Spring 1917 and joined
Tigris Corps
The III Corps is a formation of the Indian Army that was formed during World War I in Mesopotamia during its respective campaign. Prior to the reorganization of the British and Indian forces in Mesopotamia, it was designated as the Tigris Corps. ...
, too late to relieve the
6th (Poona) Division
The 6th (Poona) Division was a division of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1903, following the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army.
World War I
The 6th (Poona) Division served in the Mesopotamian campaign. Led by Major General Barr ...
at
Kut-al-Amara
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 ...
.
The division participated in the battles at the Sheikh Sa'ad,
Wadi
Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water ...
,
Hanna,
Dujailia, and the Sannaiyat. After
the fall of Kut, as part of the reorganization of the British and Indian forces in the region, the division spent much of the summer and fall refitting. The Meerut and Lahore Divisions would eventually become part of the I Indian Army Corps, part of the newly formed Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, participating in the capture of Baghdad in March 1917.
Palestine
![IWMQ12418DogRiver](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/IWMQ12418DogRiver.jpeg)
After the fall of Baghdad, the
Palestine Campaign was given priority over Mesopotamia, and in December 1917
Sir Edmund Allenby, commanding the
Egyptian Expeditionary Force
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–15), at the beginning ...
(EEF), was informed that after he had captured Jerusalem he would be reinforced by the 7th (Meerut) Division from Mesopotamia. The division moved from Mesopotamia to Egypt in December, and then on 1 April 1918 it relieved the
52nd (Lowland) Division
The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowland ...
, which was on its way to the Western Front. The two divisions exchanged their artillery units, those that had been serving with 7th (Meerut) Division going to the Western Front, and the
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 ...
brigades of 52nd (Lowland) Divisional Artillery served with 7th (Meerut) Division until the end of the war.
[Perry, pp. 83–97.]
The EEF undertook few operations during the hot weather of Summer 1918, but the Meerut Division captured 'North Sister' and 'South Sister' Hills on 8 June, and raided 'Piffer Ridge' on 27 June. It subsequently took part in Allenby's advance through Palestine, including the
Battle of Megiddo as part of Lieutenant-General
Bulfin's XXI British Corps operating on the right flank.
Order of Battle September 1918
In September 1918, the division had the following composition:
[
GOC: Maj-Gen Sir Vere Fane
19th (Dehra Dun) Brigade:]
GOC: Brig-Gen G.A. Weir
* 1st Bn. Seaforth Highlanders
* 28th Punjabis
* 92nd Punjabis
The 92nd Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 92nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 4th Battalion (Prince of Wales's Own) 8th P ...
* 125th Napier's Rifles
21st (Bareilly) Brigade:
GOC: Brig-Gen A.G. Kemball
* 1st Bn. The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...
* 1st Bn. Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Infantry
* 20th Punjabis
The 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 8th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Pu ...
* 1/8th Gurkha Rifles
28th Brigade (Frontier Force):
GOC: Brig-Gen C.H. Davies
* 2nd Bn. The Leicestershire Regiment
The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...
* 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)
The 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 1st Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 1st Battali ...
* 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
The 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1847 as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion ...
* 56th Punjabi Rifles
Divisional Artillery:
* CCLXI Brigade, RFA
** A, B, C Btys
* CCLXII Brigade, RFA
** A, B, 438 Btys
* CCLXIV Brigade, RFA
** 422, 423, C Btys
Divisional Engineers:
* 522nd (1/6th London) Field Company, Royal Engineers[Edwards, p. 87.]
* 3rd & 4th Companies, 1st KGOS&M
Divisional Pioneers:
* 121st Pioneers
General Officers Commanding
The following officers commanded the division during World War I:[
* Lt-Gen Sir Charles Anderson, from 21 December 1913
* Maj-Gen ]Claud Jacob
Field Marshal Sir Claud William Jacob, (21 November 1863 – 2 June 1948) was a British Indian Army officer. He served in the First World War as commander of the Dehra Dun Brigade, as General Officer Commanding 21st Division and as General Offi ...
from 7 September to 17 November 1915
* Maj-Gen Sir George Younghusband
Major General Sir George John Younghusband, (9 July 1859 – 30 September 1944) was a cavalry officer and major-general in the British Indian Army.
Younghusband was commissioned into the 17th Foot in 1878. He later transferred to the British ...
from 10 December 1915 to 8 May 1916
* Brig-Gen Charles Edward de Mealy Norie (acting) from 8 May 1916
* Maj-Gen Alexander Cobbe
General Sir Alexander Stanhope Cobbe (6 June 1870 – 29 June 1931) was a senior British Indian Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Com ...
, VC, from 25 June 1916
* Maj-Gen Vere Fane from 3 September 1916
See also
* List of Indian divisions in World War I
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
Bibliography
* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, .
* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions,'' London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, .
*
*
*
* Maj D.K. Edwards, ''A History of the 1st Middlesex Volunteer Engineers (101 (London) Engineer Regiment, TA) 1860–1967'', London, 1967.
* Capt Cyril Falls
Cyril Bentham Falls CBE (2 March 1888 – 23 April 1971) was a 20th Century British military historian, journalist, and academic, noted for his works on the First World War.
Early life
Falls was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 2 March 1888, the eld ...
, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, Egypt and Palestine'', Vol II, ''From June 1917 to the End of the War'', Part I, London: HM Stationery Office, 1930/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2013, .
* Capt Cyril Falls
Cyril Bentham Falls CBE (2 March 1888 – 23 April 1971) was a 20th Century British military historian, journalist, and academic, noted for his works on the First World War.
Early life
Falls was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 2 March 1888, the eld ...
, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, Egypt and Palestine'', Vol II, ''From June 1917 to the End of the War'', Part II, London: HM Stationery Office, 1930/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2013, .
*
*
*
*
*
External links
British Empire
has list of all Indian Army regiments with pictures of their regimental badges.
*
{{Indian Expeditionary Forces
Indian World War I divisions
Military units and formations established in 1829
British Indian Army divisions
History of Meerut
Military units and formations disestablished in 1920
1829 establishments in India