The 35th Indian Brigade was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

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 with the

Indian Army during the First World War 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 ...

. It took part in the

Mesopotamian 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 Powe ...

and was disbanded shortly after the end of the war. It was not reformed for the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

;7th (Meerut) Division The 35th Indian Brigade was formed in December 1915 and arrived 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 ...

in the same month. It was attached to the

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

until February 1916. While with the division, it took part in the attempts 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 Barre ...

besieged in Kut, including the Action of Shaikh Saad (6 – 8 January 1916), the Action of the Wadi (13 January 1916) and the First attack on Hanna (21 January 1916). ;14th Indian Division In May 1916, the brigade joined the newly formed

14th Indian Division The 14th Indian Division was formed during World War I, for service in the Mesopotamian Campaign. It was composed of battalions of the Regular British Army, the British Territorial Force and the British Indian Army. History The Division now pa ...

. It remained with the division for the rest of the war and took part in a large number of small actions: the Advance to the Hai and Capture of the Khudaira Bend (14 December 1916 – 19 January 1917), the Capture of the Hai Salient (25 January – 5 February 1917), the

Capture of the Dahra Bend Capture may refer to: *Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body *Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation *"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend *Capture (band), an ...

(9 – 16 February), the

Capture of Sannaiyat Capture may refer to: *Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body *Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation *"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend *Capture (band), an ...

(17 – 24 February), the

Passage of the Tigris Passage, The Passage or Le Passage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Passage'' (2008 film), a documentary about Arctic explorers * ''Passage'' (2009 film), a short movie about three sisters * ''The Passage'' (1979 film), starring ...

(23 – 24 February), the Passage of the Adhaim (18 April), the action of Adhaim (30 April), the Second Action of Jabal Hamrin (16 – 20 October), and the Third Action of Jabal Hamrin (3 – 6 December 1917). At the end of the war, the 14th Division was rapidly demobilized and the 35th Indian Brigade was broken up in February 1919.

Order of battle

The brigade had the following composition in the

First World War 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 ...

: * 1/5th ( The Weald of Kent) Battalion,

Buffs (East Kent Regiment) The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

''(left the Jubbulpore Brigade,

5th (Mhow) Division The 5th (Mhow) Division was a regular division of the British Indian Army and part of the Southern Army which was formed in 1903 after Lord Kitchener was appointed Commander-in-Chief, India between 1902 and 1909. He instituted large-scale re ...

in November 1915 to join the brigade; remained with the brigade throughout)'' *

37th Dogras The 37th (Prince of Wales's Own) Dogras was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment could trace its origins to 1887, when it was raised as the 37th (Dogra) Bengal Infantry. The regiment took part in the Chitral Expedition in ...

''(joined in December 1915 from 5th (Jhelum) Brigade,

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 ...

; remained with the brigade throughout)'' *

97th Deccan Infantry The 97th Deccan Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origin to 1794, when they were the 3rd Battalion of the Aurangabad Division in the Hyderabad State army. Which took part in the Battle of Seringap ...

''(left the

Derajat Brigade The Derajat Brigade was formed after the 1903 reforms of the British Indian Army by Herbert Kitchener when he was Commander-in-Chief, India. The brigade was part of the Northern Army and deployed along the North West Frontier. The Derajat Brigade ...

in November 1915 to join the brigade; transferred to Corps Troops in June 1916)'' * 102nd King Edward's Own Grenadiers ''(left the Poona Brigade, 6th Poona Divisional Area in November 1915 to join the brigade; remained with the brigade throughout except for a detachment to Corps Troops from May to December 1916)'' * Composite Territorial Battalion ''(formed 12 February 1916, broken up May 1916)'' * Composite Dogra Battalion ''(formed February 1916, broken up June 1916)'' * 1/4th 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 ...

''(reformed from the Composite Territorial Battalion in May 1916; transferred to Corps Troops in July)'' * 3rd Brahmans ''(attached from Corp Troops from May to December 1916)'' * 2nd Battalion, 4th Gurkha Rifles ''(joined from 41st Indian Brigade in June 1916; left in September 1918 to join the 81st Brigade in the British 27th Division)'' * 185th Machine Gun Company ''(joined in August 1916)'' * 35th Light

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 ''('J' Light Trench Mortar Battery joined 14th Division in September 1917 and assigned to the brigade in February 1918)''

Commanders

The brigade had the following commanders:

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* *{{cite web, url=http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_divs/14_ind_div.htm , title=14th Indian Division on ''The Regimental Warpath 1914 - 1918'' by PB Chappell , access-date=2015-06-30 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517084829/http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_divs/14_ind_div.htm , archive-date=17 May 2008 , df=dmy Brigades of India in World War I Military units and formations established in 1915 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919