154th Infantry

Last updated

154th Infantry
Active24 May 1918 – 15 May 1921
CountryBritish Raj Red Ensign.svg  British India
Allegiance British Crown
BranchEnsign of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps.svg  British Indian Army
Type Infantry
SizeThree battalions
Part of 53rd (Welsh) Division
75th Division
Derajat Brigade
Engagements First World War
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
Battle of Nablus
Battle of Sharon
Third Anglo-Afghan War

The 154th Infantry [lower-alpha 1] was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in Mesopotamia in May 1918, saw service in the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, and was disbanded in May 1921.

Contents

History

Background

Heavy losses suffered by the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front following the German spring offensive in March 1918 resulted in a major reorganization of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force:

In fact, the 75th Division already had four Indian battalions assigned, [lower-alpha 3] so of the 36 battalions needed to reform the divisions, 22 were improvised [16] by taking whole companies from existing units already on active service in Mesopotamia and Palestine to form the 150th Infantry (3 battalions), 151st Sikh Infantry (3), 152nd Punjabis (3), 153rd Punjabis (3), 154th Infantry (3), 155th Pioneers (2), 156th Infantry (1) and the 11th Gurkha Rifles (4). [17] The donor units were then brought back up to strength by drafts. In the event, just 13 of the battalions were assigned to the divisions [18] and the remaining nine were transferred from Mesopotamia to India in June 1918. [19]

Captain Donald Clive Anderson with the last stand of the 2nd 154th Indian Infantry, raised 26th May 1918, disbanded 1921. Lt Gilbert, Captin Glass MC, Sub Major Hargian, Lt Eldred, Lt Col A Boxwell CIE, Captin HE Morris, Hardial, Kale Khan, Lt Shikari Banadur IDSM, Lt Shikari Bahanur IDSM, Lt Woodford, Sub Ladnu Ram, Captin Sale. Captain Donald Clive Anderson, 2nd 154th Indian Infantry 1921.jpg
Captain Donald Clive Anderson with the last stand of the 2nd 154th Indian Infantry, raised 26th May 1918, disbanded 1921. Lt Gilbert, Captin Glass MC, Sub Major Hargian, Lt Eldred, Lt Col A Boxwell CIE, Captin HE Morris, Hardial, Kale Khan, Lt Shikari Banadur IDSM, Lt Shikari Bahanur IDSM, Lt Woodford, Sub Ladnu Ram, Captin Sale.

Formation

The regiment was formed with three battalions in Mesopotamia in May 1918 by the transfer of complete companies posted from regiments serving in the 14th, 15th, 17th, and 18th Indian Divisions. [20] The 1st Battalion was transferred to India in June 1918 and later took part in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919 as part of the Derajat Brigade. [21] The other two battalions were transferred to Egypt in July 1918, [22] [23] were assigned to British divisions and took part in the final Allied offensive of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (the Battles of Megiddo). [14] [24]

Battalions

1st Battalion

The 1st Battalion was formed in Mesopotamia [25] in May 1918 by the transfer of complete companies from: [2]

The battalion was transferred from Mesopotamia to India in June 1918 and joined the Derajat Brigade on the North-West Frontier where it remained in until the end of the First World War. [25] In May 1919, part of the battalion mobilized with the Derajat Brigade and took part in the Third Anglo-Afghan War. [21] The battalion was disbanded in 1919. [1]

2nd Battalion

The 2nd Battalion was formed at Basra on 24 May 1918 [23] by the transfer of complete companies from: [2]

It embarked on 19 June for Egypt, arriving at Suez on 5 July and moved to Qantara. On 16 July, it entrained and arrived at Lydda the next day. The battalion joined the 233rd Brigade, 75th Division at Rantis on 25 July. It remained with the division for the rest of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, [23] taking part in the Battle of Sharon (19 September 1918). [14] The division was then withdrawn into XXI Corps Reserve near et Tire where it was employed on salvage work and road making. On 22 October it moved to Haifa where it was when the Armistice of Mudros came into effect and the war ended. [26]

On 13 November, the 75th Division concentrated at Lydda and by 10 December had moved back to Qantara. On 18 January 1919, instructions were received that the Indian battalions would be returned to India as transport became available. [26] The battalion was disbanded on 15 May 1921. [1]

3rd Battalion

The 3rd Battalion was formed in Mesopotamia [22] in May 1918 by the transfer of complete companies from: [2]

The battalion disembarked at Suez on 5 July and reached Lydda on 17 July. It joined the 158th Brigade, 53rd (Welsh) Division on 3 August near Jerusalem. It remained with the division for the rest of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, [22] taking part in the Battle of Nablus (18–21 September 1918). At the end of the battle, the division was employed on salvage work and working on the Nablus road. [24]

On 27 October, the division started moving to Alexandria even before the Armistice of Mudros came into effect on 31 October, thereby ending the war against the Ottoman Empire. It completed its concentration at Alexandria on 15 November. The division received demobilization instructions on 20 December 1918. The Indian infantry battalions returned to India as transports became available and the division was reduced to cadre by 7 June 1919. [24] The battalion was disbanded in 1919. [1]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Gaylor [1] states that the regiment was called the 154th Indian Infantry whereas Perry [2] says 154th Infantry. The latter seems more likely given the designation of, for examples, the pre-war 18th Infantry, 98th Infantry and 108th Infantry.
  2. ↑ The remaining infantry division in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in March 1918 –the 54th (East Anglian) Division  –remained unaffected by these changes. [13]
  3. ↑ In March 1917, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force started forming the 75th Division, originally to be made up of Territorial Force battalions arriving from India. In May 1917, to speed up the formation of the division, it was decided to incorporate Indian battalions. [14] To this end, the independent 29th Indian Brigade was broken up in June 1917 and its battalions posted to 75th Division. [15]

Related Research Articles

The Yeomanry Mounted Division was a Territorial Force cavalry division formed at Khan Yunis in Palestine in June 1917 from three yeomanry mounted brigades. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War, mostly as part of the Desert Mounted Corps. In April 1918 six of the regiments were withdrawn from the division and sent to France, being converted from Yeomanry to battalions of the Machine Gun Corps. These were replaced by Indian Army cavalry regiments withdrawn from France, and the division was renamed 1st Mounted Division, the third such division to bear that title. In July the combined division was renamed as the 4th Cavalry Division.

The Imperial Service Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the East African Campaign in the First World War.

The 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908.

The North Midland Mounted Brigade was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908.

The 45th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army. It was formed in the First World War as a duplicate of the 43rd (Wessex) Division and was originally formed as the 2nd Wessex Division in 1914–1915 before later being renamed as the 45th Division and the brigades numbered. It was sent overseas to India in December 1914 to relieve Regular Army units for service in France. The division remained there for the rest of the war, supplying drafts of replacements to the British units fighting in the Middle East and later complete battalions.

134th (2/1st Hampshire) Brigade

The 134th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army. It was formed in the First World War as a duplicate of the Hampshire Brigade and was originally formed as the 2nd/1st Hampshire Brigade in 1914–1915 before later being renamed as the 134th Brigade. It was sent overseas to India in December 1914 to relieve Regular Army units for service in France. The brigade remained there for the rest of the war, supplying drafts of replacements to the British units fighting in the Middle East and later complete battalions. By September 1917 the last of its battalions had departed.

136th (2/1st Devon and Cornwall) Brigade

The 136th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army. It was formed in the First World War as a duplicate of the Devon and Cornwall Brigade and was originally formed as the 2nd/1st Devon and Cornwall Brigade in 1914–1915 before later being renamed as the 136th Brigade. It was sent overseas to India in December 1914 to relieve Regular Army units for service in France. The brigade remained there for the rest of the war, supplying drafts of replacements to the British units fighting in the Middle East and later complete battalions.

The 11th Gurkha Rifles was a Gurkha regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in Mesopotamia and Palestine in May 1918, saw active service in the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, and was disbanded in April 1922.

The 2nd Mounted Division was a cavalry division that served as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Palestine in World War I. It was formed in April 1918 when three brigades already in Palestine were merged with elements of the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division withdrawn from the Western Front. In July 1918, the division was renamed as the 5th Cavalry Division. It remained in Palestine after the end of the war on occupation duties until finally broken up in 1920.

The Garhwal Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army formed in 1902 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. It was mobilized as 20th (Garhwal) Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War as part of the 7th (Meerut) Division and departed for France. It served on the Western Front until November 1915. It then moved to Egypt where it joined the 10th Indian Division, by now designated as 20th Indian Brigade. It left the division in March 1916 and thereafter served as an independent brigade in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. It was broken up in 1920.

Leicestershire Royal Horse Artillery Former British Army horse artillery battery

The Leicestershire Royal Horse Artillery was a Territorial Force Royal Horse Artillery battery that was formed in Leicestershire in 1908. It saw active service during the First World War in Egypt and Palestine from 1916 to 1918, initially with ANZAC Mounted Division before joining the Yeomanry Mounted Division and 1st Mounted / 4th Cavalry Division. A second line battery, 2/1st Leicestershire RHA, served on the Western Front with the 63rd Division from 1916 to 1918. Post-war, it was reconstituted as a Royal Field Artillery battery.

The 30th 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 initially saw active service in Egypt in 1915, before transferring to Mesopotamia. It took part in a number of battles and actions before being besieged at Kut and going into Turkish captivity in April 1916.

29th Indian Brigade

The 29th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. Formed in October 1914, it raided Sheik Saiad en route to Egypt, defended the Suez Canal in early 1915, before taking part in the Gallipoli Campaign. On returning to Egypt it acted as an independent formation being broken up in June 1917.

The 28th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. Formed in October 1914, it defended the Suez Canal in early 1915, ended the Ottoman threat to Aden in July 1915, took part in the Mesopotamian Campaign in 1916 and 1917, before finishing the war in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. It remained in Palestine until it was broken up in 1920.

The 150th Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in Mesopotamia in May 1918, saw service in the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, and was disbanded in June 1921.

The 156th Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in Mesopotamia in May 1918 during the First World War. It moved to India in June where it remained until disbanded in 1919.

The 152nd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in Mesopotamia and Palestine in May 1918, saw service in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War, and was disbanded in September 1921.

The 153rd Punjabis – also designated 153rd Rifles, see nomenclature (below) – was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in Mesopotamia and Palestine in May 1918, saw service in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War, and was disbanded in June 1922.

The 155th Pioneers was a pioneer regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in Mesopotamia and Palestine in May and June 1918, saw service in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War, and was disbanded in 1920.

The 151st Sikh Infantry – also designated 151st Punjabi Rifles, see nomenclature (below) – was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in Mesopotamia and Palestine in May 1918, saw active service in the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, and was disbanded in May 1921.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gaylor 1996, p. 346
  2. 1 2 3 Perry 1993, p. 177
  3. ↑ Becke 1936 , p. 115
  4. ↑ Becke 1937 , p. 121
  5. ↑ Perry 1993 , p. 54
  6. ↑ Perry 1993 , p. 90
  7. ↑ Perry 1993 , pp. 21–24
  8. ↑ Perry 1993 , pp. 25–28
  9. ↑ Becke 1938 , pp. 15–16
  10. ↑ Becke 1936 , pp. 120–121
  11. ↑ Becke 1937 , pp. 29–30
  12. ↑ Becke 1937 , pp. 126–128
  13. Becke 1936, pp. 128–129
  14. 1 2 Becke 1937, p. 129
  15. Perry 1993, p. 167
  16. ↑ Perry 1993 , p. 174
  17. ↑ Perry 1993 , pp. 177–178
  18. ↑ Hanafin, James. "Order of Battle of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, September 1918" (PDF). orbat.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  19. ↑ Perry 1993 , pp. 44,64,81,103,155
  20. ↑ Perry 1993 , pp. 128,134,144,148
  21. 1 2 Perry 1993 , p. 156
  22. 1 2 3 Becke 1936 , p. 121
  23. 1 2 3 Becke 1937 , p. 128
  24. 1 2 3 Becke 1936 , p. 123
  25. 1 2 Perry 1993 , p. 155
  26. 1 2 Becke 1937 , p. 130

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.