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{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = 6th Indian Cavalry Brigade
| image = 14th Hussars First World War.jpg
| alt =
| caption = 14th (King's) Hussars resting at the roadside after the third action of Jebel Hamrin, December 1917
| dates = 10 March 1915 – March 1919
| country = {{flag|British India|23px}}
| allegiance = [[British Crown]]
| branch = {{army|British India|23px}}
| type = [[Cavalry]]
| role =
| size = [[Brigade]]
| command_structure = [[6th (Poona) Division]]<br>[[Cavalry Division (British Indian Army)|Cavalry Division (Mesopotamia)]]
| garrison =
| garrison_label =
| nickname =
| patron =
| motto =
| march =
| mascot =
| anniversaries =
| equipment =
| equipment_label =
| battles = [[First World War]]
:[[Mesopotamian Campaign]]
::[[Battle of Shaiba]]
::[[Battle of Ctesiphon (1915)]]
::[[Battle of Sheikh Sa'ad]]
::[[Battle of Wadi (1916)]]
::[[Battle of Hanna]]
::[[Battle of Dujaila]]
::[[Second Battle of Kut]]
::[[Battles of Ramadi (1917)]]
| decorations =
| battle_honours =
| battle_honours_label =
| disbanded =
| notable_commanders =
| identification_symbol =
| identification_symbol_label =
}}

The '''6th Indian Cavalry Brigade''' was a [[cavalry]] [[brigade]] of the [[British Indian Army]] that saw active service in the [[Indian Army during the First World War]]. It took part in the [[Mesopotamian campaign]] and was broken up soon after the end of the war.

==History==
On 21 February 1915, orders were sent from India to form a [[cavalry]] [[brigade]] in [[Mesopotamia]]. As a result, the 6th Indian Cavalry Brigade was formed with the [[33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry]] which had arrived in Mesopotamia in November 1914 with [[6th (Poona) Division]], [[16th Cavalry]] and [[S Battery, Royal Horse Artillery]] which arrived earlier in the month, and [[7th Hariana Lancers]] which departed India on 28 February to complete the brigade.<ref name=Perry31>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=31}}</ref> It served in the [[Mesopotamia campaign|campaign in Mesopotamia]] for the rest of the [[First World War]].<ref name=Perry3233>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|pp=32–33}}</ref>

Initially acting in an independent role, the brigade took part in the [[Battle of Shaiba]] (12–14 April 1915) where [[Major (United Kingdom)|Major]] [[George Godfrey Massy Wheeler|George Wheeler]] of the [[7th Hariana Lancers]] won the [[Victoria Cross]],<ref>{{London Gazette | date = 31 August 1916 | issue = 29281 |page=8699 | supp = y }}</ref> and Operations in [[Iranian Arabistan|Persian Arabistan]] (21 April–18 June) including the [[Affair of Khafajiya]] (14–16 May). It then took part in the [[Battle of Es Sinn]] (28 September) that resulted in the capture of [[Kut al Amara]].<ref name=Perry32>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=32}}</ref> From 6 October, the brigade was placed under the command of the 6th (Poona) Division and with it took part in the advance on [[Baghdad]] including the [[Battle of Ctesiphon (1915)|Battle of Ctesiphon]] (22–24 November) and the subsequent withdrawal (the [[Affair of Umm at Tabul]] on 1 December) back to Kut. It left the division there on 6 December before it got [[Siege of Kut|besieged]].<ref name=Perry75>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=75}}</ref>

From the start of 1916, the brigade was involved in efforts to raise the siege, including the [[Battle of Sheikh Sa'ad|Action of Sheikh Sa'ad]] (6–8 January), the [[Battle of Wadi (1916)|Action of the Wadi]] (13 January), the [[Battle of Hanna|First Attack on Hanna]] (21 January) and the [[Battle of Dujaila|Attack on the Dujaila Redoubt]] (8 March).<ref name=Perry32/> These were in vain and the division surrendered on 29 April.<ref name=Perry76>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=76}}</ref>

[[Image:Kut1917.jpg|thumb|300px|Situation at Kut on 22 February 1917]]

On 8 December 1916, [[Cavalry Division (British Indian Army)|The Cavalry Division]] was organized from the 6th and [[7th Indian Cavalry Brigade]]s, the latter having arrived from the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in August. With the division, it took part in the [[Second Battle of Kut]] including the [[Advance to the Hai and Capture of the Khudaira Bend]] (14 December 1916 – 19 January 1917), the [[Capture of the Hai Salient]] (25 January–5 February 1917), the [[Capture of the Dahra Bend]] (9–16 February).<ref name=Perry32/>

It then took part in the pursuit to Baghdad and a number of actions later in 1917, notably the [[Battles of Ramadi (1917)|Second Battle of Ramadi]] (28–29 September).<ref name=Perry32/> The Cavalry Division was dissolved on 8 April 1918, and the brigade continued to serve as an independent formation. It took part in the Affair of [[Kulawand]] (27 April), the action of [[Tuz Khormato|Tuz Khurmatli]] (29 April) and, finally, the occupation of [[Kirkuk]] (7 May).<ref name=Perry33>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=33}}</ref>

After the [[Armistice of Mudros]], the brigade was not selected to form part of the occupation forces for Mesopotamia. In February and March 1919, the last of the units sailed for India and the brigade was no more.<ref name=Perry33/>

==Order of battle==
The brigade commanded the following units during the [[First World War]]:<ref name=Perry30>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=30}}</ref>
;Cavalry regiments
* [[33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry]] ''(joined on formation from 6th (Poona) Division; left in October 1916 for [[3rd Lahore Divisional Area]])''
* [[16th Cavalry]] ''(joined on formation from [[Lucknow]], [[8th (Lucknow) Division]];<ref name=Perry102>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=102}}</ref> left in October 1916 for [[4th (Quetta) Division]])''
* [[7th Hariana Lancers]] ''(joined on formation from [[Ferozepore]], 3rd Lahore Divisional Area;<ref name=Perry56>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=56}}</ref> left in June 1916 for [[9th (Secunderabad) Division]])''
* [[23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force)]] ''(arrived on 10 June 1915 from 3rd Lahore Divisional Area and attached until August; later joined the 7th Indian Cavalry Brigade)''
* [[14th (King's) Hussars]] ''(joined on 28 November 1915 from [[4th (Meerut) Cavalry Brigade]],<ref name=Perry94>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=94}}</ref> [[7th Meerut Divisional Area]]; attached to [[14th Indian Division]] from April 1918)''
* [[4th Cavalry (India)|4th Cavalry]] ''(formerly divisional cavalry of [[7th (Meerut) Division]]; attached to the brigade January{{snd}}June and August{{snd}}October 1916 then to 7th Meerut Divisional Area)''
* [[21st Prince Albert Victor’s Own Cavalry (Frontier Force)]] ''(joined in November 1916 from 3rd Lahore Divisional Area)''
* [[22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force)]] ''(joined in November 1916 from 9th (Secunderabad) Division; left in April 1918 and joined [[15th Indian Division]] in August)''
* [[11th King Edward's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse)]] ''(arrived from [[Derajat Brigade]] in October 1917 and joined the brigade in August 1918)''
* 1st [[Patiala Lancers]] ([[Imperial Service Troops|I.S.]]) ''(arrived in Mesopotamia in June 1916 and joined the brigade in August 1918)''{{efn|The 1st [[Patiala Lancers]] ([[Imperial Service Troops|I.S.]]) served in Egypt from November 1914 to May 1916 with the [[Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade]].}}
;Support units
* [[S Battery, Royal Horse Artillery]] ''(joined on formation from [[Bangalore]], 9th (Secunderabad) Division)''<ref name=Perry108>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=108}}</ref>
* 6th Cavalry Brigade Signal Troop ''(joined on formation)''
* 6th Cavalry Brigade Supply and Transport [[Company (military unit)|Company]] ''(joined on formation)''
* 131st Combined Cavalry [[Field Ambulance]] ''(from December 1915)''{{efn|The 131st Indian Cavalry and 18th Cavalry [[Field Ambulance]]s joined in December 1915. They were reorganized as the 131st and 18th Combined Cavalry Field Ambulances in September 1916. The 18th departed before January 1917.<ref name=Perry3031>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|pp=30–31}}</ref>}}
* 2nd [[Troop]], [[2nd Queen Victoria's Own Madras Miners and Sappers]] ''(joined in May 1916)''
* 6th [[Machine Gun]] [[Squadron (army)|Squadron]] ''(joined in September 1916)''
* 15th Machine Gun Squadron ''(renumbered from 6th in May 1917)''
* 5th Mobile Veterinary Section ''(joined in May 1917)''

==Commanders==
The brigade had the following commanders:<ref name=Perry29>{{harvnb|Perry|1993|p=29}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! From !! Rank !! Name !! Notes
|-
| 10 March 1915 || [[Brigadier-General]] || H. Kennedy ||
|-
| 28 October 1915 || Brigadier-General || H.L. Roberts || ''sick, 17 January 1916''
|-
| 15 February 1916 || Brigadier-General || R.C. Stephen || ''sick, 18 May 1916''
|-
| 28 May 1916 || Brigadier-General || M.E. Willoughby ||
|-
| 11 July 1916 || Brigadier-General || [[Sydney Francis Crocker|S.F. Crocker]] ||
|-
| 10 February 1917 || Brigadier-General || [[Pomeroy Holland-Pryor|P. Holland-Pryor]] || ''brigade broken up by March 1918''
|}

==See also==
{{portal|World War I}}


==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
| last = Griffith | first = Paddy
| year = 1998
| title = British Fighting Methods in the Great War
| publisher = Routledge
| isbn = 978-0-71463495-1
}}
* {{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
}}

==External links==
*{{cite web|url=http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_cav/ind_cav_div.htm |title=Cavalry Division on ''The Regimental Warpath 1914 - 1918'' by PB Chappell |access-date=2015-07-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517084710/http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_cav/ind_cav_div.htm |archive-date=17 May 2008 |df=dmy }}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_cav/cav_bdes_.htm |title=Independent Indian Cavalry Brigades in Mesopotamia on ''The Regimental Warpath 1914 - 1918'' by PB Chappell |access-date=2015-07-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517085117/http://www.warpath.orbat.com/indian_cav/cav_bdes_.htm |archive-date=17 May 2008 |df=dmy }}

[[Category:Brigades of India in World War I|C06]]
[[Category:Cavalry brigades of the British Indian Army]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1915]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919]]

6th Indian Cavalry Brigade - Revision history

Bot at 05:29, 27 November 2021