The 4th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

brigade 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 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 was formed as 14th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade in November 1914 to replace the original Meerut Cavalry Brigade that had been mobilized as the

7th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade The Meerut 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 7th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War and departed for the Weste ...

for service 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 majo ...

. It remained in India throughout the war, before taking part in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. The brigade continued to exist between the wars and by September 1939 it was designated 3rd (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade. It briefly served as part of the Indian Army during the Second World War before being broken up in February 1940.

History

First World War

At the outbreak of the First World War, the Meerut Cavalry Brigade was part of 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, ...

. It was mobilized in August 1914 as the

, assigned to the newly formed

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 ...

and sailed from Bombay on 19 October for the

. Likewise, the 7th (Meerut) Division was transferred to France in August 1914. The

7th Meerut Divisional Area The 7th Meerut Divisional Area was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that formed part of the Indian Army during the First World War. It was formed in September 1914 to replace the original 7th (Meerut) Division that had been mo ...

was formed in September 1914 to take over the area responsibilities of the 7th (Meerut) Division and on 21 November 1914 a new 14th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade was formed in 7th Meerut Divisional Area to replace the original brigade. It was renumbered as the 4th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade in February 1915. The brigade served with the division in India throughout the First World War.

Between the world wars

In May 1919, the brigade was mobilized to take part in the Third Anglo-Afghan War. The brigade continued to exist between the world wars. In September 1920 it was redesignated as the 3rd Indian Cavalry Brigade and later in the decade it became the 3rd (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade.

Second World War

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the brigade was under the command of Meerut District. The brigade was broken up in February 1940. Its

Headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

and some units formed the nucleus of ''The Armoured Brigade'' (later 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade).

Orders of battle

Commanders

The 14th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade / 4th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade / 3rd Indian Cavalry Brigade / 3rd (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade had the following commanders:

A note on numbering

The brigade carried several numbers during its existence. This can be a cause for confusion as other, unrelated, Indian cavalry brigades carried the same numbers at different times: * the brigade was numbered as 14th from November 1914 to February 1915. Another 14th Cavalry Brigade was formed in April 1918 by merging elements of the

9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade The Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army formed in 1907 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. It was mobilized as 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War and departed fo ...

(withdrawn from the Western Front) with the British yeomanry 7th Mounted Brigade in Egypt. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and was broken up in September 1919. * the brigade was numbered as 4th from February 1915 to September 1920, when it was renumbered as 3rd Indian Cavalry Brigade. At this point, the Lucknow Cavalry Brigade was numbered as the ''4th Indian Cavalry Brigade'', until it was broken up in 1923. As a result, the 5th Indian Cavalry Brigade (former Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade) was renumbered as the ''4th Indian Cavalry Brigade'' and later as the

4th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade The 4th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry brigade of the British Indian Army that formed part of the Indian Army during the First World War. It was formed as Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade in February 1915 to replace the original briga ...

. * the brigade was numbered as 3rd from September 1920 to February 1940. The Ambala Cavalry Brigade had mobilized in August 1914 as

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 ...

and served on the Western Front until it was broken up in March 1918. Another ''3rd Indian Cavalry Brigade'' was formed in Mesopotamia after the end of the war for occupation duties. It drew, in part, on units that had earlier served in the Mesopotamian Campaign. It was broken up in late 1920.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * *

External links

* * {{oob unit , id = 10074 , name = 3 (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade C03 Cavalry brigades of the British Indian Army Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1940