Country British India Branch British Indian Army Size Brigade | Allegiance British Crown Type Infantry | |
Active August 1917 – August 1923 | ||
The 51st 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 took part in the Mesopotamian campaign and formed part of the occupation force for Iraq post-war.
Contents
History
The 51st Indian Brigade started forming in Mesopotamia from August 1917 as part of the 17th Indian Division. It was formed from battalions that had already been in Mesopotamia for some months, guarding lines of communications. It remained with the division for the rest of the war, taking part in the Action at Fat-ha Gorge on the Little Zab (23–26 October 1918) and the Battle of Sharqat (28–30 October 1918).
At the end of the war, the 17th Division was chosen to form part of the occupation force for Iraq. It took part in the Iraq Rebellion in 1920. In August 1923, the division was reduced to a single brigade; the last British troops left in March 1927 and the Indian ones in November 1928.
Order of battle
The brigade had the following composition in the First World War:
Commander
The brigade was commanded from formation by Brigadier-General R.J.T. Hildyard.