The 1st Indian Cavalry Division was a 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 cou ...

which was formed at the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. It served on 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 maj ...

, and was renamed the 4th Cavalry Division on 26 November 1916. In March 1918, the 4th Cavalry Division was disbanded; the British units remained in France and the Indian units were sent to Egypt to help form the

1st Mounted Division The 1st Mounted Division was a Yeomanry Division of the British Army active during World War I. It was formed in August 1914 for the home defence of the United Kingdom from four existing mounted brigades of the Territorial Force, each of three ...

History

The division sailed for France from

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

on 16 October 1914 under the command of Major General Hew Fanshawe. The division was re-named the 4th Cavalry Division in November 1916. During the war, the division served in the trenches as infantry. A large number of early officer casualties affected the division's later performance. British officers who understood the language, customs and psychology of their men could not be quickly replaced and the alien environment of the Western Front affected the soldiers. The division served in France and Flanders, held in reserve for the expected breakthrough. It provided dismounted parties for trench duty and in 1917 fought as a division in the Battle of Cambrai during the German counter-stroke of 30 November – 3 December. In March 1918, the division was broken up and the Indian regiments were combined in Egypt with the

Yeomanry Mounted Division The Yeomanry Mounted Division was a Territorial Force cavalry division formed at Khan Yunis in Palestine in June 1917 from three yeomanry mounted brigades. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War, mostly as part of ...

to form the 1st Mounted Division (later the 4th Cavalry Division).

Order of battle

2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade The Sialkot Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army formed in 1904 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. It was mobilized as 2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War as part of the 1st Indian ...

: **

17th Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lance ...

** 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry ** 19th Lancers **

Q Battery, Royal Horse Artillery Q, or q, is the seventeenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is pronounced , most commonly spelled ''cue'', but a ...

** 10th Machine Gun Squadron (joined after February 1916) *

3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade The Ambala Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army formed in 1904 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. It was mobilized as 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War as part of the 1st Indian ...

(left on 15 September 1915 for the

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 ...

): ** 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars ** 9th Hodson's Horse **

30th Lancers (Gordon's Horse) The 8th Light Cavalry traces its origins from the 8th King George's Own Light Cavalry which was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 26th King George's Own Light Cavalry and the 30th Lancers following a re-organisation of the Indian Cavalry C ...

A Battery, Royal Horse Artillery A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery is the senior Battery in the British Army's Royal Artillery and is part of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. The Chestnut Troop is currently based in Assaye Barracks in Tidworth Camp. The u ...

8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigade The Lucknow Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army formed in 1911 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. It was mobilized as 8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War as part of the 1st Indian ...

: ** 1st King's Dragoon Guards (left on 7 October 1917) ** Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons (joined on 6 December 1917) **

29th Lancers (Deccan Horse) The Deccan Horse or 9 Horse is one of the oldest and most decorated armoured regiments of the Indian Army. The Royal Deccan Horse (9th Horse), which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army was formed from the amalgamation of tw ...

36th Jacob's Horse The 36th Jacob's Horse were a unit of cavalry of the British Indian Army. Origins They were raised by Lieut. John Jacob of the Bombay Artillery, as a unit of Irregular Horse, originally in 1839 (reformed 1846) to patrol the area of 'Scinde' ( ...

U Battery, Royal Horse Artillery U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pro ...

** 12th Machine Gun Squadron (from 29 February 1916) *

5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade The 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the Indian Army during the First World War. Formed in November 1914, it served on the Western Front as part of the 2nd and 1st Indian Ca ...

(joined on 15 September 1915 from the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division): **

6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1689 as Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. One of the regiment's most notable battles was the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690. It became the ...

** 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) ** Central India Horse **

XVI Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery I Indian Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery was a brigade of the Royal Horse Artillery formed at the outbreak of World War I. It served with 1st Indian Cavalry Division on the Western Front. It was redesignated XVI Brigade, RHA in February 1917 ...

(from 26 November 1916): ** A Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (with the 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade, then the 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade) **

(with the 2nd ialkotCavalry Brigade) ** U Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (with the 8th ucknowCavalry Brigade) ** I Indian RHA Brigade Ammunition Column

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:C1 British Indian Army divisions Indian World War I divisions Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 British cavalry divisions

History

Order of battle

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links