7th (Meerut) Division

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For the World War II formation, see 7th Indian Infantry Division.

7th (Meerut) Indian Division
British Crown
Branch British Indian Army
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
Part ofBengal Army/Northern Command
Garrison/HQMeerut
EngagementsWestern Front[1]

Palestine Campaign

Commanders
Notable
commanders
Maj-Gen Claud Jacob (1915)
Maj-Gen Sir George Younghusband (1915-16)
Maj-Gen Sir Vere Fane
(1918)

The 7th (Meerut) Division was an

infantry division of the Indian Army and before 1895, the Bengal 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, KCB.[2] At this period Divisions were primarily administrative organisations controlling the brigades and stations in their area, rather than field formations, but they did provide field forces when required. There were generally one Indian cavalry and two Indian infantry regiments stationed at Meerut itself, in addition to British troops: in 1829 these were the 4th Bengal Light Cavalry, 29th and 32nd Bengal Native Infantry.[2]

Indian Rebellion of 1857

In May 1857, on the eve of the '

6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers) and a battalion of the 60th (King's Royal Rifle Corps), the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry, and 11th and 20th Bengal Native Infantry under the command of Maj-Gen W.H. Hewitt.[3][4]
The outbreak of the rebellion at Meerut was one of the first and most serious of the whole conflict.

Post-1857

The division was reconstituted when peace returned. Over succeeding decades, the stations controlled by Meerut Division varied, and the forces under command were regularly rotated. For example:[5]

Composition, January 1888

General Officer Commanding (GOC): Maj-Gen Sir G.R. Greave, KCB, KCMG

Divisional HQ: Meerut

Fatehgarh:

  • Detachment 2nd Battalion
    Northumberland Fusiliers
  • Detachment
    22nd Bengal Native Infantry

Agra Brigade:

Muttra
:

Dehra Dun
:

  • Governor General’s Bodyguard
  • 1st & 2nd Battalions
    2nd (Prince of Wales's Own) Goorkha Regiment (The Sirmoor Rifles)

Delhi:

Landour:

  • Convalescent Depot

Roorki:

Chakrata:

  • 4th Battalion
    Rifle Brigade

Pre–World War I

Under the reforms introduced by

Lansdowne) Infantry Brigades under command.[6]

World War I

Western Front

In 1914 the 7th (Meerut) Division was part of

Marseilles 12–14 October 1914 but there were further delays while the troops were re-armed with the latest pattern rifle and the supply train could be improvised, using tradesmen's vans procured locally.[7] The division finally got into action at the Battles of La Bassee, 1st Messines and Armentieres
in October and November 1914.

Order of Battle, October 1914

GOC: Lt Gen C.A. Anderson, CB
GSO1: Col C.W. Jacob

Dehra Dun Brigade GOC: Brig-Gen C.E. Johnson

Garhwal Brigade GOC: Maj-Gen H.D’U. Keary, CB, DSO

Bareilly Brigade GOC: Maj-Gen F. Macbean, CVO, CB

Divisional Mounted Troops

  • 4th Cavalry

Divisional Artillery

Engineers

  • 3rd & 4th Companies,
    1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners

Signals Service

  • Meerut Signal Company

Divisional Pioneers

Supply & Transport:

  • Meerut Divisional train

Medical Units:

  • 19th & 20th British Field Ambulances
  • 128th, 129th and 130th Indian Field Ambulances

After winter operations (in which the Indian soldiers suffered badly) the division next took part in the Battles of

Aubers Ridge, Festubert and Loos in 1915.[1]

Order of Battle, May 1915

The division's composition at this time was:[8] GOC: Lieut-Gen Sir Charles Anderson, KCB

Dehra Dun Brigade
GOC: Brig-Gen C.W. Jacob

Garwhal Brigade
GOC: Brig-Gen C.G. Blackader

Bareilly Brigade
GOC: Brig-Gen W.M. Southey

Divisional Troops
As before, with the addition of 30th Battery of XLIII (Howitzer Brigade) RFA.

By the Battle of Loos in September 1915, Maj-Gen Claud Jacob had replaced Anderson as GOC of 7th (Meerut) Division, and the exhausted 6th Jats and 41st Dogras had been replaced by the 93rd Burma Infantry and 33rd Punjabis (from Egypt), while 30th Battery, XLII (How) Bde had been replaced by 61st Battery, VIII (How) Bde, RFA.[9] [10]

Mesopotamia

On 13 August 1915, General

Tigris Corps, too late to relieve the 6th (Poona) Division at Kut-al-Amara.[13]

The division participated in the battles at the Sheikh Sa'ad, Wadi, Hanna, Dujailia, and the Sannaiyat. After the fall of Kut, as part of the reorganization of the British and Indian forces in the region, the division spent much of the summer and fall refitting. The Meerut and Lahore Divisions would eventually become part of the I Indian Army Corps, part of the newly formed Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, participating in the capture of Baghdad in March 1917.

Palestine

The Meerut Division at Nahr al-Kalb (Dog river) in Lebanon, October 1918

After the fall of Baghdad, the

52nd (Lowland) Division, which was on its way to the Western Front.[15] The two divisions exchanged their artillery units, those that had been serving with 7th (Meerut) Division going to the Western Front, and the Territorial Force brigades of 52nd (Lowland) Divisional Artillery served with 7th (Meerut) Division until the end of the war.[16][17][18]

The EEF undertook few operations during the hot weather of Summer 1918, but the Meerut Division captured 'North Sister' and 'South Sister' Hills on 8 June, and raided 'Piffer Ridge' on 27 June. It subsequently took part in Allenby's advance through Palestine, including the Battle of Megiddo as part of Lieutenant-General Bulfin's XXI British Corps operating on the right flank.[19]

Order of Battle September 1918

In September 1918, the division had the following composition:[16][20][21]

GOC: Maj-Gen Sir Vere Fane

19th (Dehra Dun) Brigade:
GOC: Brig-Gen G.A. Weir

21st (Bareilly) Brigade:
GOC: Brig-Gen A.G. Kemball

  • 1st Bn.
    The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
  • 1st Bn.
    Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (Frontier Force) (Lumsden's) Infantry
  • 20th Punjabis
  • 1/8th Gurkha Rifles

28th Brigade (Frontier Force):
GOC: Brig-Gen C.H. Davies

Divisional Artillery:

  • CCLXI Brigade, RFA
    • A, B, C Btys
  • CCLXII Brigade, RFA
    • A, B, 438 Btys
  • CCLXIV Brigade, RFA
    • 422, 423, C Btys

Divisional Engineers:

Divisional Pioneers:

General Officers Commanding

The following officers commanded the division during World War I:[16]

See also

  • List of Indian divisions in World War I

References

  1. ^ a b Baker, Chris (2010). "The British Corps of 1914-1918". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. ^ a b East India Register and Directory 1829.
  3. ^ East India Register and Army List 1857 Volume II.
  4. ^ David.
  5. ^ India List, January 1888
  6. ^ Monthly Army List August 1914.
  7. ^ Edmonds, 1914, Vol II, p. 92, Note 1.
  8. ^ Edmonds 1914, Vol II, Appendix I
  9. ^ Edmonds & Wynne, 1915 Vol II, Appendix 3.
  10. ^ Edmonds & Wynne 1915, Vol II, Appendix 2
  11. ^ Edmonds & Wynne, 1915, Vol II, pp. 402–3.
  12. ^ Moberly, Vol II.
  13. ^ Baker, Chris (2010). "The British campaign in Mesopotamia 1914-1918". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  14. ^ Moberly
  15. ^ Falls, Part I.
  16. ^ a b c Perry, pp. 83–97.
  17. ^ Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 109–15.
  18. ^ Falls, pp. 412–3.
  19. ^ Falls, Part II.
  20. ^ Bullock, Appendix.
  21. ^ Falls, Appendix C.
  22. ^ Backe, Pt 2b, pp. 25–32.
  23. ^ Edwards, p. 87.

Bibliography

External links
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