The 7th (Meerut) Division was an infantry division 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 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 comm ...

, 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' (or 'First War of Independence'), the troops at Meerut comprised the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers) and a battalion of the 60th (King's Royal Rifle Corps), the

3rd Bengal Light Cavalry The 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry, also known as the 3rd Bengal Native Cavalry, was a locally recruited regiment of the East India Company's Bengal Army. Raised in 1797, the regiment took part in conflicts throughout British India, serving with dist ...

, 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 Divisional HQ: Meerut * F Battery, A Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery * L Battery, A Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery * H Battery, 2nd Brigade, Royal Artillery * 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 * 5th Regiment Bengal Cavalry * 26th (Punjab) Regiment, Bengal Native Infantry Fatehgarh: * Detachment 2nd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers * Detachment

22nd Bengal Native Infantry 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 ...

Agra Brigade: * 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment * 28th (Punjab) Regiment Bengal Native Infantry * Depot 33rd Regiment Bengal Native Infantry * 16th (The Lucknow Regiment) Bengal Native Infantry

Muttra Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...

: *

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: *

Governor General’s Bodyguard The Governor General's Bodyguard was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was, in effect, the Indian equivalent of the Household Cavalry of the British Army. History The regiment was first formed in 1773 as the Governor ...

* 1st & 2nd Battalions 2nd (Prince of Wales's Own) Goorkha Regiment (The Sirmoor Rifles) Delhi: * Wing, 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment * 8th Battery, 1st Brigade, Scottish Division Garrison Artillery, Royal Artillery *

Landour: * Convalescent Depot Roorki: * H Company,

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

* HQ, A (Depot) Company, B (Recruit) Company, 3, 4, & 5 Companies, Bengal Sappers and Miners * 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment * 1st & 2nd Batteries, 1st Brigade, Welsh Division Garrison Artillery, Royal Artillery * 4th Battery, 1st Brigade, Eastern Division Garrison Artillery, Royal Artillery Chakrata: * 4th Battalion

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

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 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 Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

) Command. On the eve of World War I, the division had its HQ at Mussoorie, and had the Meerut Cavalry Brigade and the Bareilly (HQ Ranikhet), Dehra Dun and

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom * Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Gar ...

(HQ Lansdowne) Infantry Brigades under command.

World War I

Western Front

In 1914 the 7th (Meerut) Division was part of

Indian Expeditionary Force A The British Indian Army, 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. ...

sent to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fighting in France. The bulk constituted an infantry division as part of Indian Corps, 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 Divisio ...

in the Indian Cavalry Corps. 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. 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 Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

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, 1st Messines and Armentieres in October and November 1914.

Order of Battle, October 1914

GOC: Lt Gen C.A. Anderson, CB
GSO1: Col C.W. Jacob Dehra Dun Brigade GOC: Brig-Gen C.E. Johnson * 1st Bn.

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw servic ...

* 6th Jat Light Infantry * 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 * 1/39th Garhwal Rifles * 2/39th Garhwal Rifles * 2/3rd Gurkha Rifles Bareilly Brigade GOC: Maj-Gen F. Macbean,

CVO CVO may refer to: Science and technology * Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington, US * Chief veterinary officer, the head of a veterinary authority * Circumventricular organs, positioned around the ventricular system of the brain * Co ...

, CB * 2nd Bn. Black Watch *

41st Dogras The 41st Dogras were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1900, when they were raised as the 41st (Dogra) Bengal Infantry. They went to China in 1904 to join an international force, staying there unt ...

* 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) * 2/8th Gurkha Rifles Divisional Mounted Troops * 4th Cavalry Divisional Artillery * IV Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (

RFA RFA may refer to: Government and private organizations * Radio Free Asia, a private news broadcaster and publisher in East Asia, funded in part by the U.S. government * Renewable Fuels Agency, a former UK renewable fuel regulatory agency * Ren ...

) - 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

17 October 1914 ** 2nd, 8th & 44th Batteries, XIII Brigade Ammunition Column * 110th Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery ** Heavy Battery Ammunition Column * Meerut Divisional Ammunition Column Engineers * 3rd & 4th Companies, 1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners Signals Service * Meerut Signal Company Divisional Pioneers * 107th Pioneers 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, Aubers Ridge, Festubert 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.

* 1/4th Bn. Seaforth Highlanders ( Territorial Force) * 6th Jat Light Infantry * 2nd Bn. 2nd King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Regiment) * 1st Bn. 9th Gurkha Rifles Garwhal Brigade
GOC: Brig-Gen C.G. Blackader * 2nd Bn. Leicestershire Regiment * 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 Bareilly Brigade
GOC: Brig-Gen W.M. Southey * 2nd Bn. Black Watch * 1/4th Bn. Black Watch (Territorial Force) *

* 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) *

125th Napier's Rifles The 125th Napier's Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. At various points in history it was also known as the 1st Extra Battalion Bombay Native Infantry, the 25th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry (1826–1889) and the 25th ...

Divisional Troops
As before, with the addition of 30th Battery of XLIII (Howitzer Brigade) RFA. By the Battle of Loos in September 1915, Maj-Gen Claud Jacob 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 P ...

and

33rd Punjabis The 33rd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the Allahabad Levy. It was designated as the 33rd Punjabis in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion 16th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to ...

(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, commanding Indian Expeditionary Force D in Mesopotamia, requested one of the Indian infantry divisions in France as reinforcements for his advance on Baghdad. Coincidentally, on the same day, the Secretary of State for India, Austen Chamberlain, told the Viceroy of India 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 The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

, Lord Kitchener, objected to their withdrawal from the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

, 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, too late to relieve the 6th (Poona) Division at Kut-al-Amara. The division participated in the battles at the Sheikh Sa'ad, Wadi,

Hanna Hannah or Hanna may refer to: People, biblical figures, and fictional characters * Hannah (name), a female given name of Hebrew origin * Hanna (Arabic name), a family and a male given name of Christian Arab origin * Hanna (Irish surname), a fami ...

, 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

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 (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 (Low ...

, 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 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.

28th Punjabis The 28th Punjabis were an infantry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 20th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 28th Punjabis in 1903 and became 4th Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, i ...

* 92nd Punjabis *

21st (Bareilly) Brigade:
GOC: Brig-Gen A.G. Kemball * 1st Bn. The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) * 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 *

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 Battalio ...

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 The 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 2nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1906 and became 2nd Batta ...

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 EngineersEdwards, p. 87. * 3rd & 4th Companies, 1st KGOS&M Divisional Pioneers: *

121st Pioneers The 121st Pioneers were an infantry regiment of the East India Company's Bombay Army and later the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1777, when they were raised as the Marine Battalion. The regiments first action was in th ...

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 from 7 September to 17 November 1915 * Maj-Gen Sir George Younghusband from 10 December 1915 to 8 May 1916 * Brig-Gen Charles Edward de Mealy Norie (acting) from 8 May 1916 * Maj-Gen Alexander Cobbe, VC, from 25 June 1916 * Maj-Gen Vere Fane from 3 September 1916

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, ''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, ''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