Garhwal Brigade 20th (Garhwal) Brigade 20th Indian Brigade |
|
---|---|
Active | 26 November 1902 – 1920 |
Country | British India |
Allegiance | British Crown |
Branch | British Indian Army |
Type | Infantry |
Size | Brigade |
Part of |
7th (Meerut) Division 10th Indian Division Independent |
Peacetime HQ | Lansdowne |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
Maj.-Gen. C.L. Woollcombe Maj.-Gen. H.D’U. Keary Br.-Gen. C.G. Blackader |
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.
The Kitchener Reforms, carried out during Lord Kitchener's tenure as Commander-in-Chief, India (1902–09), completed the unification of the three former Presidency armies, the , the Hyderabad Contingent and other local forces into one Indian Army. Kitchener identified the Indian Army's main task as the defence of the North-West Frontier against foreign aggression (particularly Russian expansion into Afghanistan) with internal security relegated to a secondary role. The Army was organized into divisions and brigades that would act as field formations but also included internal security troops.