The 17th Indian Division was formed in 1917 from units 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 ...
for service in the
Mesopotamia 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 Po ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. After the war, it formed part of the occupation force for Iraq and took part in the
Iraq Rebellion in 1920. In August 1923, the division was reduced to a single brigade.
History
The 17th Indian Division started forming 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 F ...
from August 1917 with the
50th,
51st, and
52nd Indian Brigades. Shortly after being formed, the 50th Brigade exchanged places with the
34th Indian Brigade
The 34th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the Mesopotamian campaign in the Indian Army during the First World War. It was reformed for the Second World War as the ''34th Indian States ...
of
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 ...
.
Most of the infantry
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
s that had already been in Mesopotamia for some months, guarding lines of communications so were somewhat acclimatized and accustomed to the country.
[ The division was involved in the action at Fat-ha Gorge on the ]Little Zab
The Little Zab or Lower Zab (, ''al-Zāb al-Asfal''; or '; , ''Zâb-e Kuchak''; , ''Zāba Taḥtāya'') is a river that originates in Iran and joins the Tigris just south of Al Zab in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. It is approximately long and dr ...
between 23–26 October 1918 and the Battle of Sharqat
The Battle of Sharqat (October 23–30, 1918) was fought between the British and the Ottoman Empire in the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I, which became the last conflict between the belligerents before of the signing of the Armistice of Mud ...
, 28–30 October 1918I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to:
France
* 1st Army Corps (France)
* I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...
[
At the end of the war, the 17th Division was chosen to form part of the occupation force for Iraq. It took part in the Iraq Rebellion in 1920. In August 1923, the division was reduced to a single brigade; the last British troops left in March 1927 and the Indian ones in November 1928.][
]
Order of battle
The division commanded the following units, although not all of them served at the same time:
34th Indian Brigade
The 34th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the Mesopotamian campaign in the Indian Army during the First World War. It was reformed for the Second World War as the ''34th Indian States ...
* 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Queen' ...
* 31st Punjabis
The 31st Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as Van Cortlandt's Levy. The regiment was designated as the 31st Punjabis in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 16th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was ...
* 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry
* 114th Mahrattas
* 129th Machine Gun Company
* 34th Light Trench Mortar Battery
51st Indian Brigade
* 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusi ...
* 1st Battalion, 2nd Queen Victoria's Own Rajput Light Infantry
* 14th Ferozepore Sikhs
* 1st Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles
The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles, (abbreviated to 10 GR), was originally a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a ...
* 257th Machine Gun Company
* 51st Light Trench Mortar Battery
52nd Indian Brigade
* 1/6th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment
The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The regi ...
* 45th Rattray's Sikhs
The 45th Rattray's Sikhs was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to the 1st Bengal Military Police Battalion raised in April 1856, at Lahore, by Captain Thomas Rattray originally consisting of a troop ...
* 84th Punjabis
* 1st Battalion, 94th Russell's Infantry
The 94th Russell's Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1813, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion of the Russell Brigade for the Princely state of Hyderabad. Until 1853, the regime ...
* 1st Battalion, 113th Infantry
* 258th Machine Gun Company
* 52nd Light Trench Mortar Battery
Divisional Artillery
* CCXX Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...
(1064th, 1065th, 403rd ( H) and Anglo-Indian Batteries)
* CCXXI Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (1067th, 1068th, 404th (H) and Volunteer Batteries)
* X.17 Medium 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 engin ...
Battery
* 17th Divisional Ammunition Column
Engineers and Pioneers
* Sirmoor, Tehri Garhwal
Tehri Garhwal is a district in the hill state of Uttarakhand, India. Its administrative headquarters is at New Tehri. The district has a population of 618, 931 (2011 census), a 2.35% increase over the previous decade. It is the 7th ranked dist ...
and Malerkotla
Malerkotla is a city and district headquarters of Malerkotla district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj. The state acceded to the union of India in 1947 and was merged with ...
Sappers and Miners, ISF
* 17th Division Signal Company, Royal Engineers Signal Service
The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...
* 1st Battalion, 32nd Sikh Pioneers
The 32nd Sikh Pioneers was a regiment of the Indian Army during British rule. The regiment was founded in 1857 as the ''Punjab Sappers (Pioneers)''.
After a series of names changes, it became the ''32nd Punjab Pioneers'' in 1901 and the ''32nd Si ...
Divisional Troops
* 276th Machine Gun Company
* 17th Machine Gun Battalion
* 3rd, 19th, 35th and 36th Combined Field Ambulances, RAMC
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...
* No. 7 Mobile Veterinary Section, AVC
* 17th Division Train, ASC ASC may refer to:
Educational institutions
* Anglican Schools Commission, Australia
* Andres Soriano Colleges of Bislig, located in Surigao del Sur, Philippines
* Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia
Organizations Australia
* Australian Singing ...
Commanders
The division was commanded from 25 August 1917 by Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
W. Gillman. On 17 December 1917, Major-General G.A.J. Leslie took command.
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 ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{Indian Expeditionary Forces
British Indian Army divisions
Indian World War I divisions
Military units and formations established in 1917
Military units and formations disestablished in 1923