The 42nd 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 mar ...

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. B ...

of the British Indian Army 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 served 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 Po ...

on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. 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 opposi ...

History

The 42nd Indian Brigade was formed in April 1916 and, on arrival 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 ...

, joined the 15th Indian Division when it was formed on 7 May 1916. The division replaced the 12th Indian Division on the Euphrates Front. The brigade remained with the division on the Euphrates Front until the end of the war. It took part in the

action of As Sahilan Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

(11 September 1916), the Capture of Ramadi (28 and 29 September 1917), the Occupation of

Hīt Hīt, also spelled ''Heet'' ( ar, هيت), ancient name ''Is'', is an Iraqi city in Al-Anbar province. Hīt lies northwest of Ramadi, the provincial capital. Straddling the Euphrates River, the city of Hīt was originally a small walled town sur ...

(9 March 1918) and the action of Khan Baghdadi (26 and 27 March 1918). At the end of the war, the division was rapidly run down and it (along with the brigade) was disbanded in March 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 (Prince of Wales) Battalion,

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

''(joined in February 1916 from 44th (Ferozepore) Brigade, 3rd Lahore Divisional Area; in April to the 41st Indian Brigade)'' * 1/4th Battalion,

Dorsetshire Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 1 ...

''(joined in February 1916 from

Ambala Brigade The Ambala Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that formed part of the Indian Army during World War I, Indian Army during the First World War. It was formed in November 1914 to replace the original Ambala Brigade that had ...

, 3rd Lahore Divisional Area)'' * 2nd Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) ''(joined in April 1916 from

3rd (Abbottabad) Brigade 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 ...

, 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division)'' * 2nd Battalion,

6th Gurkha Rifles The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Compa ...

''(joined in April 1916 from 3rd (Abbottabad) Brigade, 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division; left in September 1918 for the 65th Brigade, British 22nd Division)'' * 1st Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) ''(joined in March 1917 from

2nd (Nowshera) Brigade The 1st (Peshawar) Division was a Regular Division of the British Indian Army formed as a result of the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army in 1903. During World War I, the Division remained in India for local defense, but was mobilized for a ...

, 1st (Peshawar) Division; left in December 1918 for the

55th Indian Brigade The 55th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. It took part in the Mesopotamian campaign and formed part of the occupation force for Iraq post- ...

18th Indian Division The 18th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It took part in the Mesopotamian campaign and formed part of the occupation force for Iraq post-war. The division was ...

)'' * 130th Machine Gun Company ''(joined from Corps Troops in August 1916)'' * 42nd 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 ''('N' Light Trench Mortar Battery joined 15th Division in September 1917 and assigned to the brigade in February 1918)''

Commander

The brigade was commanded from 1 April 1916 by Brigadier-General F.G. Lucas.

References

Bibliography

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External links