The 6th (Poona) Division was a 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 ...

. It was formed in 1903, following the

Kitchener reforms The Indian Army was the force of British India, until national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and the princely states, which could also have ...

of the Indian Army.

World War I

The 6th (Poona) Division served in the

Mesopotamian campaign The Mesopotamian campaign or Mesopotamian front () was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the British Empire, with troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australia and the vast major ...

. Led by Major General Barrett then Major General Townshend, the division were the first British Indian troops to land in Mesopotamia in November 1914 at the Fao Landing. After a string of early successes, the 6th Division was delivered a setback at the Battle of Ctesiphon in November 1915. Following this engagement, the division withdrew back to

Kut Kūt (), officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare, Kut al-Imara, or Kut Al Amara is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about south east of Baghdad, and the capital of the Wasit Governorate. the estimated populatio ...

, where Townshend made the decision to hold the city. After a lengthy siege by the Ottomans, Townshend surrendered on April 29, 1916. 10,061 troops and 3,248 followers were taken captive. Following the surrender, the garrisoned force conducted a forced march back to

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. The suffering of the enlisted soldiers was particularly egregious, and over 4,000 died in captivity. After the surrender, the Poona Division ceased to exist until another 6th Division was raised in 1920 for the Iraq Rebellion.

Order of Battle December 1914

* 16th (Poona) Brigade ** 2nd Bn. Dorsetshire Regiment ** 1st Bn. 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) ** 1st Bn. 104th Wellesley's Rifles ** 1st Bn.

117th Mahrattas The 117th Mahrattas were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1800, when they were raised as the Bombay Fencible Regiment. During World War I the regiment was attached to the 6th (Poona) Division ...

17th (Ahmednagar) Brigade 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 Ba ...

** 1st Bn. Ox & Bucks ** 1st Bn.

119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment) The 119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment originated in 1817, when it was raised as the 1st Battalion, 10th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. The regiment's first action was in ...

** 1st Bn.

103rd Mahratta Light Infantry The 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1768, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, Bombay Sepoys. The regiment was first in action in the Mysore Campaign ...

** 1st Bn. 22nd Punjabis * 18th (Belgaum) Brigade ** 2nd Bn.

Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

** 1st Bn.

110th Mahratta Light Infantry The 110th Mahratta Light Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1797, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 5th (Travancore) Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. The regiments f ...

** 1st Bn. 120th Rajputana Infantry ** 1st Bn.

7th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Rajputs The 7th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Rajputs were an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army, later of the united British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1798, when they were the 1st Battalion, 24th Bengal Native Infantry. Over the years ...

* Divisional Artillery ** X Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (

RFA RFA may refer to: Groups, organizations * Radio Free Asia, a private news broadcaster and publisher in East Asia, funded in part by the U.S. government * Renewable Fuels Agency, a former UK renewable fuel regulatory agency * Renewable Fuels A ...

) *** 76 Bty. RFA *** 82 Bty. RFA *** 63 Bty. RFA ** 1st Indian Mountain Artillery Brigade ***

23rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) The 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) was an artillery unit of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1853 as the Peshawar Mountain Train. It became the 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) in 1903. In 1947, it was tran ...

*** 30th Mountain Battery ** 1/5th Hampshire Howitzer Battery, RFA (

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

) * Divisional troops ** 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry ** 17 Co. 3rd Sappers and Miners ** 22 Co. 3rd Sappers and Miners ** 48th Pioneers

Divisional Commanders

''This list is incomplete.'' * 1908-1912: Major-General Edwin Alderson CB * 1912-1915: Major-General Sir Arthur Barrett KCB KCVO * 1915-1916: Major-General

Charles Townshend Charles Townshend (27 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in the Parliament of Great Britain. His establishment of the controversial Townshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of the Amer ...

CB DSO

References

Bibliography

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External links