The 6th Poona Divisional Area 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 formed part of the Indian Army during the First World War. It was formed in October 1914 to replace the original 6th (Poona) Division that had been mobilized in September 1914 for service in Mesopotamia. It was renamed as Poona Division in June 1917 and remained in India throughout the war. The division was redesignated as Poona District in 1920.

History

At the outbreak of the First World War, the 6th (Poona) Division was mobilized in September 1914 and sailed from Bombay on 16 October for Mesopotamia. The 6th Poona Divisional Area was formed in October 1914 to take over the area responsibilities of the 6th (Poona) Division. It took over the units left behind by the original division and initially only commanded Bombay Brigade, joined by the reformed

Poona Brigade The 6th Poona Divisional Area was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Indian Army that formed part of the Indian Army during the First World War. It was formed in October 1914 to replace the original 6th (Poona) Division th ...

in December. However, the Ahmednagar Brigade was not formed until May 1918, followed by the 58th and

59th Indian Brigade The 59th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that formed part of the Indian Army during the First World War. It remained in India throughout the war. It was not reformed for the Second World War. History The Headq ...

s in June. Bombay Brigade became independent in the same month. The division served in India throughout the war, initially under Southern Army, then Southern Command from January 1918. From early 1918, the division was responsible for a significant part of the expansion of the

. In 1918, the division was responsible for posts and stations at

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1494 ...

, Anandi, Arangaon,

Belgaum Belgaum (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous ...

, Dhond, Kirkee, Kholapur, Manmad,

Poona Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

and Satara. Bombay Brigade was responsible for

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

, Baroda, Bombay,

Colaba Colaba (; or ISO: Kolābā) is a part of the city of Mumbai, India. It is one of the four peninsulas of Mumbai while the other three are Worli, Bandra and Malabar Hill. During Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was known as Kolbhat ...

, Dadar, Deolali,

Nasik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...

and Santa Cruz. It was renamed Poona Division in June 1917 and was redesignated as ''Poona District'' in June 1920.

Order of battle

The division commanded the following brigades in the First World War: * Bombay Brigadejoined in October 1914 from 6th (Poona) Division; became an independent formation in June 1918 * Poona Brigadeformed in December 1914 * Ahmednagar Brigadeformed in May 1918 * 58th Indian Brigadeformed in June 1918; transferred to

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 ...

in November 1918 * 59th Indian Brigadeformed in June 1918; transferred to 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division in November 1918

Commanders

The 6th Poona Divisional Area / Poona Division had the following commanders:

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{Indian Divisions in World War I British Indian Army divisions Indian World War I divisions Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1920