The 10th Indian Division was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

division of the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It was formed in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

in December 1914 with three infantry

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, 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 ...

s of Indian Expeditionary Force F. After taking part in the Actions on the Suez Canal, the division was dispersed as its brigades were posted away. It was re-formed in January 1916 as part of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

Defences with units and formations in Egypt, but this was short-lived. It was broken up again on 7 March 1916 as the need to re-form depleted units from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

made this plan unrealistic. The division was commanded throughout its existence by Major-General Alexander Wilson.

History

First formation

The 28th, 29th and 30th Indian Brigades were formed in October 1914 and posted to Egypt as Indian Expeditionary Force F. The 10th Indian Division was formed on 24 December 1915 with these three brigades, and little else in terms of divisional troops. The division had beat off Turkish attempts to cross the

on 3–4 February 1915 in the Actions on the Suez Canal. Thereafter, the division was soon dissolved with a brigade (30th) sent to

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

in March 1915, another (29th) detached to

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

from April to December 1915, and the third (28th) detached to

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

from July to September 1915, before it also departed for Mesopotamia in November.

Order of Battle, January 1915

The division commanded the following units in January 1915: * 28th Indian Brigade ( Major-General Sir G. Younghusband) ** 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) ** 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) ** 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) **1/ 5th Gurkha Rifles * 29th Indian Brigade ( Brigadier-General H.V. Cox) ** 14th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs ** 69th Punjabis ** 89th Punjabis **1/

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 ...

* 30th Indian Brigade (Major-General C.J. Melliss) ** 24th Punjabis ** 76th Punjabis ** 126th Baluchistan Infantry **2/ 7th Gurkha Rifles *Divisional troops **VII Mountain Brigade, IMA *** 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) *** 26th Jacob's Mountain Battery **Field Ambulances ***105th Indian Field Ambulance ***108th Indian Field Ambulance ***123rd Indian Field Ambulance ***135th Indian Field Ambulance

Re-formed

The division was re-formed on 7 January 1916 as part of the

Defences with units and formations in Egypt: 20th Indian Brigade joined from 7th (Meerut) Division, 29th Indian Brigade rejoined from Gallipoli and

31st Indian Brigade The 31st 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 served in Egypt in 1915 before being broken up in February 1916. History The 11th Indian ...

joined from 11th Indian Division. The new division was short-lived: it was broken up again on 7 March 1916 as the need to re-form depleted units from

made this plan unrealistic.

Order of Battle, January 1916

The division commanded the following units in January 1916: * 20th Indian Brigade (Brigadier-General H.D. Watson) **2/ 2nd Gurkha Rifles **2/ 3rd Gurkha Rifles ** 39th Garhwal Rifles **4th Gwalior Infantry ( I.S.) * 29th Indian Brigade (Brigadier-General P.C. Palin) ** 14th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs ** 57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force) **1/ 5th Gurkha Rifles **1/

(Brigadier-General A.H. Bingley) ** 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) **1/ 4th Gurkha Rifles **2/

8th Gurkha Rifles The 8th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in World War I ...

**1st Patiala Infantry (I.S.) *Divisional Troops **Unbridaged *** 33rd Punjabis ***2/ 10th Gurkha Rifles ***

Alwar Infantry Alwar (Rajasthani languages, Rajasthani Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region (NCR) and the administrative headquarters of Alwar district, Alw ...

(I.S.) **Mounted Troops *** Mysore Lancers (I.S.) *** Patiala Lancers (I.S.) *** Hyderabad Lancers (I.S.) *** Bikaner Camel Corps (I.S.) **Artillery *** Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery Battery **Engineers ***10th Company, 2nd Queen's Own Sappers and Miners **Pioneers *** 23rd Sikh Pioneers **Field Ambulances ***105th Indian Field Ambulance ***108th Indian Field Ambulance ***123rd Indian Field Ambulance ***135th Indian Field Ambulance

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{Indian Expeditionary Forces British Indian Army divisions Indian World War I divisions Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1916