| 1st Indian Cavalry Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1914 - 1918 |
| Country | India |
| Branch | British Indian Army |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Size | Division |
| Part of | Indian Cavalry Corps |
| Engagements | Cambrai |
The 1st Indian Cavalry Division was a regular division of the British Indian Army. The division sailed for France from Bombay on October 16, 1914 , under the command of Major General H D Fanshawe. The division was re designated the 4th Cavalry Division in November 1916. During the war the Division served in the trenches as infantry. Due to the difference in troop levels between infantry and cavalry regiments, each cavalry brigade formed one dismounted cavalry regiment. The high number of officer casualties suffered early on had an effect on its later performance. British officers that understood the language, customs, and psychology of their men could not be quickly replaced, and the alien environment of the Western Front had some effect on the soldiers.[1] The division served in France and Flanders, held in reserve for the expected breakthrough. It provided dismounted parties for trench duties, but its only battle honour was the Battle of Cambrai, during the German counterattacks of 30 November- 3 December. In March 1918 it was broken up and the Indian regiments combined in Egypt with the Yeomanry Mounted Division to form the 1st Mounted Division. [2]
2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade
3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade
8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigade
1st Indian Brigade Royal Horse Artillery
4th Cavalry Division (Major General Sir G. de S. Barrow)
Perry, F.W. (1993). History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions: Indian Army Divisions Pt. 5B. Ray Westlake Books. ISBN 1-871167-23-X
Preston, R. M. P. (1921). The Desert Mounted Corps: An Account of the Cavalry Operations in Palestine and Syria 1917–1918. London: Constable & Co.. OCLC 3900439.
Wavell, Field Marshal Earl (1968). E.W. Sheppard. ed. The Palestine Campaigns. A Short History of the British Army (3rd ed.). London: Constable & Co..