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{{for|the World War II formation|10th Indian Infantry Division}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{infobox military unit
|unit_name=10th Indian Division
|image=
|caption=
|dates=24 December 1914 – 7 March 1916
|country=[[British Raj|India]]
|allegiance=
|branch=[[British Indian Army]]
|type=[[Infantry]]
|role=
|size=[[Division (military)|Division]]
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|battles=[[World War I]]
:[[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]]
::[[Raid on the Suez Canal|Actions on the Suez Canal]]
|anniversaries=
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|disbanded=
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|website=

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|notable_commanders=[[Major-General]] [[Alexander Wilson (British Army officer)|A. Wilson]]

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The '''10th Indian Division''' was an [[infantry]] [[Division (military)|division]] of the [[British Indian Army]] during [[World War I]]. It was formed in [[Egypt]] in December 1914 with three infantry [[brigade]]s of [[Indian Expeditionary Force F]]. After taking part in the [[Raid on the Suez Canal|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]] 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 [[Western Front (World War I)|France]] made this plan unrealistic.

The division was commanded throughout its existence by [[Major-General]] [[Alexander Wilson (British Army officer)|Alexander Wilson]].<ref name=Perry115>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=115}}</ref>

==History==
===First formation===
The [[28th Indian Brigade|28th]], [[29th Indian Brigade|29th]] and [[30th Indian Brigade]]s were formed in October 1914<ref name=Perry117>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=117}}</ref> and posted to Egypt as [[Indian Expeditionary Force F]].<ref name=Sumner6>{{harvnb|Sumner|2001|p=6}}</ref> The 10th Indian Division was formed on 24 December 1915 with these three brigades, and little else in terms of divisional troops. The division beat off [[Ottoman Empire|Turkish]] attempts to cross the [[Suez Canal]] on 3–4 February 1915 in the [[Raid on the Suez Canal|Actions on the Suez Canal]].<ref name=Perry118>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=118}}</ref>

Thereafter, the division was soon dissolved with a brigade (30th) sent to [[Mesopotamian Campaign|Mesopotamia]] in March 1915, another (29th) detached to [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli]] from April to December 1915, and the third (28th) detached to [[Aden]] from July to September 1915, before it also departed for Mesopotamia in November.<ref name=Perry117/>

====Order of Battle, January 1915====
The division commanded the following units in January 1915:<ref name=Rinaldi>{{harvnb|Rinaldi|2008|pp=125–126}}</ref><ref name=Perry116>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=116}}</ref>
*[[28th Indian Brigade]] ([[Major-General]] Sir [[George Younghusband|G. Younghusband]]){{efn|[[28th Indian Brigade]] was formed in October 1914. It was detached to [[South Arabia during World War I|Aden]] from July to September 1915 (with [[B Battery, Honourable Artillery Company|B Battery HAC]] and [[Berkshire Royal Horse Artillery|Berkshire RHA]]). It departed for Mesopotamia in November<ref name=Perry117/> and joined [[7th (Meerut) Division]] in December.<ref name=Perry88>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=88}}</ref>}}
**[[51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)]]
**[[53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force)]]
**[[56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force)]]
**1/[[5th Gurkha Rifles]]
*[[29th Indian Brigade]] ([[Brigadier-General]] [[Vaughan Cox|H.V. Cox]]){{efn|[[29th Indian Brigade]] was formed in October 1914. It raided [[South Arabia during World War I#Capture of Cheikh Said|Sheikh Saiad]] on 10 November 1914 en route to Egypt.<ref name=Perry160>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=160}}</ref> It was detached to Gallipoli from April to December 1915 as [[Indian Expeditionary Force G]], attached to the [[29th Division (United Kingdom)|British 29th Division]].<ref name=Perry117/>}}
**[[14th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs]]
**[[69th Punjabis]]
**[[89th Punjabis]]
**1/[[6th Gurkha Rifles]]
*[[30th Indian Brigade]] (Major-General [[Charles Melliss|C.J. Melliss]]){{efn|[[30th Indian Brigade]] was formed in October 1914. It was sent to Mesopotamia in March 1915<ref name=Perry117/> where it joined [[12th Indian Division]]<ref name=Perry124>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=124}}</ref> and later [[6th (Poona) Division]].<ref name=Perry76>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=76}}</ref>}}
**[[24th Punjabis]]
**[[76th Punjabis]]
**[[126th Baluchistan Infantry]]
**2/[[7th Gurkha Rifles]]
*Divisional troops
**VII Mountain Brigade, [[Indian Mountain Artillery|IMA]]{{efn|Detached to Gallipoli from April to December 1915.<ref name=Perry117/>}}
***[[21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)]]
***[[26th Jacob's Mountain Battery]]
**Field Ambulances
***105th Indian Field Ambulance
***108th Indian Field Ambulance{{efn|Served in Gallipoli with 29th Indian Brigade.<ref name=Perry117/>}}
***123rd Indian Field Ambulance
***135th Indian Field Ambulance

===Re-formed===
The division was re-formed on 7 January 1916 as part of the [[Suez Canal]] 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]] 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 [[Western Front (World War I)|France]] made this plan unrealistic.<ref name=Perry118/>

====Order of Battle, January 1916====
The division commanded the following units in January 1916:<ref name=Perry116/>
*[[20th Indian Brigade]] (Brigadier-General H.D. Watson){{efn|name=Independent|[[20th Indian Brigade|20th]] and [[29th Indian Brigade]]s became independent in March 1916.<ref name=Perry117/>}}
**2/[[2nd Gurkha Rifles]]
**2/[[3rd Gurkha Rifles]]
**[[39th Garhwal Rifles]]{{efn|1st and 2nd Battalions, 39th Garhwal Rifles amalgamated in April 1915.<ref name=Perry87>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=87}}</ref>}}
**4th [[Gwalior Infantry]] ([[Imperial Service Troops|I.S.]])
*[[29th Indian Brigade]] (Brigadier-General P.C. Palin){{efn|name=Independent}}
**[[14th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs]]
**[[57th Wilde's Rifles (Frontier Force)]]
**1/[[5th Gurkha Rifles]]
**1/[[6th Gurkha Rifles]]
*[[31st Indian Brigade]] (Brigadier-General A.H. Bingley){{efn|[[31st Indian Brigade]] was broken up on 13 February 1916.<ref name=Perry115/>}}
**[[58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)]]
**1/[[4th Gurkha Rifles]]
**2/[[8th Gurkha Rifles]]
**1st [[Patiala Infantry]] (I.S.)
*Divisional Troops
**Unbridaged
***[[33rd Punjabis]]
***2/[[10th Gurkha Rifles]]
***[[Alwar Infantry]] (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, [[Madras Engineer Group|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

==See also==
{{portal|World War I}}
* [[List of Indian divisions in World War I]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
| last = Perry | first = F.W.
| year = 1993
| title = Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5B. Indian Army Divisions
| publisher = Ray Westlake Military Books
| location = Newport
| isbn = 1-871167-23-X
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Rinaldi | first = Richard A
| year = 2008
| title = Order of Battle of the British Army 1914
| publisher = Ravi Rikhye
| isbn = 978-0-97760728-0
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hzUZ-26KYQ4C&pg=PA126&dq=76th+Punjabis&lr=#v=onepage&q=76th%20Punjabis&f=true
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Sumner | first = Ian
| year = 2001
| title = The Indian Army 1914-1947
| publisher = Osprey Publishing
| location = Oxford
| isbn = 1-84176-196-6
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SylfQK3VZNYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=isbn:1841761966&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3mq5U5bMOY6O7QagnIC4Dw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
}}

==External links==
*{{cite web|url=http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_divs/10_ind_div.htm |title=10th Indian Division on ''The Regimental Warpath 1914 - 1918'' by PB Chappell |accessdate=2015-06-30 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517084941/http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_divs/10_ind_div.htm |archivedate=17 May 2008}}

{{Indian Divisions in World War I}}
{{Indian Expeditionary Forces}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=British Indian Army divisions, Indian World War I divisions, Military units and formations established in 1914, Military units and formations disestablished in 1916
|description=
}}

[[Category:British Indian Army divisions]]
[[Category:Indian World War I divisions]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1914]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1916]]

10th Indian Division - Revision history

CleanupBot at 04:41, 8 July 2023