11th Indian Infantry Division
Encyclopedia
The 11th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division
of the Indian Army during World War II. It formed part of Indian III Corps
in the Malaya Command
during the Battle of Malaya
.
It was commanded by Major-General Murray-Lyon
until 24 December 1941 when he was fired by Lieut.Gen. Arthur Percival and replaced by Brig. A.C.M. Paris
and then Maj.Gen. Billy Key
. This division suffered such heavy casualties during the early stages of the campaign, especially during the Battle of Jitra
, that the 1st Leicesters and the 2nd East Surreys were forced to amalgamate, becoming the British Battalion
and the 1/8th Punjab and the 2/9th Jats were also amalgamated, becoming the Jat-Punjab Battalion. The 6th and 15th Infantry Brigades were also amalgamated becoming the 6th/15th Indian Infantry Brigade. After the Battle of Jitra the 11th Division inflicted heavy casualties at the Battle of Kampar
, but was almost completely destroyed at the Battle of Slim River
. The division was reformed in Singapore with the remains of the 9th Indian Division.
The 11th Indian Division surrendered to the Japan
ese on 15 February 1942 , along with about 130,000 other British
and Commonwealth
soldiers, when Singapore
was surrendered.
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the Indian Army during World War II. It formed part of Indian III Corps
Indian III Corps
The III Corps was a formation of the Indian Army during World War I formed in Mesopotamia. Prior to the reorganization of the British and Indian forces in Mesopotamia, it was designated as the Tigris Corps....
in the Malaya Command
Malaya Command
The Malaya Command was a command of British Commonwealth forces formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of Malaya and Singapore.-History:...
during the Battle of Malaya
Battle of Malaya
The Malayan Campaign was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 31 January 1942 during the Second World War. The campaign was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units, and the Imperial Japanese Army...
.
History
David Murray-Lyon
Major-General David Murrey Murray-Lyon, DSO & Bar, MC, was an officer in the Indian Army. His final appointment was as the commanding officer of Indian 11th Infantry Division in Malaya until sacked by General Percival...
until 24 December 1941 when he was fired by Lieut.Gen. Arthur Percival and replaced by Brig. A.C.M. Paris
Archibald Paris
Brigadier Archibald Charles Melvill Paris DSO MC was a British Army officer.He was the son of Major-General Archibald Paris, KCB a Royal Marine officer who commanded the 63rd Division during the First World War, and of Lady Paris...
and then Maj.Gen. Billy Key
Berthold Wells Key
Major-General Berthold Wells 'Billy' Key CB, DSO, MC, ADC was a British Indian Army officer.- History :...
. This division suffered such heavy casualties during the early stages of the campaign, especially during the Battle of Jitra
Battle of Jitra
The Battle of Jitra was a major engagement fought between the invading Japanese and Allied forces during the Malayan Campaign of the Second World War. The battle lasted from 11-13 December 1941...
, that the 1st Leicesters and the 2nd East Surreys were forced to amalgamate, becoming the British Battalion
British Battalion (Malaya 1941)
The British Battalion was an ad hoc formation created on 20 December 1941 during the Battle of Malaya.It was amalgamated from two regular British Army battalions*2nd Bn, East Surrey Regiment under Lieut. Col. G E Swinton MC and...
and the 1/8th Punjab and the 2/9th Jats were also amalgamated, becoming the Jat-Punjab Battalion. The 6th and 15th Infantry Brigades were also amalgamated becoming the 6th/15th Indian Infantry Brigade. After the Battle of Jitra the 11th Division inflicted heavy casualties at the Battle of Kampar
Battle of Kampar
The Battle of Kampar was an engagement of the Malayan Campaign during World War II, involving British and Indian troops from the 11th Indian Infantry Division and the Japanese 5th Division....
, but was almost completely destroyed at the Battle of Slim River
Battle of Slim River
The Battle of Slim River occurred during the Malayan campaign in January 1942 between the Imperial Japanese Army and the British Indian Army on the west coast of Malaya.-Background:...
. The division was reformed in Singapore with the remains of the 9th Indian Division.
The 11th Indian Division surrendered to the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese on 15 February 1942 , along with about 130,000 other British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
soldiers, when Singapore
Battle of Singapore
The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...
was surrendered.
Formation
On 10 December 1941, for more details of the brigade units see the individual brigade articles6th Indian Infantry Brigade
Brig. William Oswald Lay- 1/8th Punjab Regiment8th Punjab RegimentThe 8th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 and merged with the Baluch Regiment in 1956.-Madras Infantry:...
- Lieut.Col. R.C.S.Bates - 2nd East Surrey RegimentEast Surrey RegimentThe East Surrey Regiment was a regiment in the British Army formed in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 31st Regiment of Foot and the 70th Regiment of Foot...
- Lieut.Col. G.E.Swinton MC - 2/16th Punjab Regiment16th Punjab RegimentThe 16th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 14th and 15th Punjab Regiments in 1956 to form the Punjab Regiment....
- Lieut.Col. Henry Sloane Larkin
15th Indian Infantry Brigade
Brig. K.A. Garrett/ W. St.John Carpendale- 1st Leicestershire Regiment - Lieut.Col.Esmond Morrison (Later commanded the British BattalionBritish Battalion (Malaya 1941)The British Battalion was an ad hoc formation created on 20 December 1941 during the Battle of Malaya.It was amalgamated from two regular British Army battalions*2nd Bn, East Surrey Regiment under Lieut. Col. G E Swinton MC and...
) - 1/14th Punjab Regiment14th Punjab RegimentThe 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956, to form the Punjab Regiment....
- Lieut.Col.James Fitzpatrick (Wounded at Asun) - 2/9th Jat Regiment9th Jat RegimentThe 9th Jat Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.-World War II:...
- Lt.Col. C.K.Tester
28th Indian Infantry Brigade
Brig. W.St.John Carpendale/ Ray Selby- 2/1st Gurkha Rifles - Lieut.Col.Jack Fulton (Died of wounds as a P.O.WPrisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
) - 2/2nd Gurkha Rifles - Lieut.Col. G.H.D.Woollcombe
- 2/9th Gurkha Rifles - Lieut.Col.W.R.(Ray) Selby
Support Units
- 3rd Cavalry3rd CavalryThe 3rd Cavalry was a regular cavalry Regiment in the British Indian Army formed from the 5th and 8th Cavalry regiments in 1922.The which served on the North West Frontier and during World War I and World War II.-Early history:...
- Lieut.Col. C.P.G.De Winton - 1st Bn, Bahawalpur Infantry, Indian State Forces - Lieut.Col. H.E.Tyrell
- 137th Field Regiment - Lieut. Col. Charles Holmes Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
(RA) (24x25pdrs) - 155th Field Regiment RA - Lieut. Col. Augustus Murdoch (16x4.5 inch Howitzers)
- 22nd Mountain Regiment - Lieut. Col. G.L.Hughes Indian Artillery (IA) (12x3.7 inch Howitzers)
- 80th Anti-Tank Regiment RA - Lieut. Col. W.E.S.Napier (48x2pdrs/47mm Breda)
- 3rd Field Company, Indian Engineers (IE)
- 17th Field Company IE
- 23rd Field Company IE
- 46th Army Troops Company IE
- 43rd Field Park Company IE
Assigned brigades
All theses brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II- 8th Indian Infantry Brigade8th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 8th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939, in India. In November 1940, the brigade was assigned to the 11th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade was attached to the 9th Indian Infantry Division from March 1941...
- 12th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 27th Australian Infantry Brigade
- British 53rd Infantry BrigadeBritish 53rd Infantry BrigadeThe 53rd Infantry Brigade was a British Army brigade active in the Second World War.- Unit history :The brigade was part of the British 18th Infantry Division that was sent to Singapore at the beginning of 1942. It was converted from the British 163rd Infantry Brigade on September 18, 1939...