For the World War II formation see 6th Infantry Division (India)

The 6th (Poona) Division was a division

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 British Indian Army

British Indian Army

The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...

. It was formed in 1903, following the Kitchener reforms

Kitchener Reforms

The Kitchener Reforms of the Indian Army began in 1903 when Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, India, completed the unification of the three armies of the former Presidencies , and also the Punjab Frontier Force, the Hyderabad Contingent and other local forces, into one...

 of the Indian Army.

World War I

The 6th (Poona) Division served in the Mesopotamian campaign

Mesopotamian Campaign

The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...

. Led by Major General Barrett

Arthur Barrett (Indian Army officer)

Field Marshal Sir Arthur Arnold Barrett GCB GCSI KCVO ADC was a British officer of the Indian Army.-Early life and service:Barrett was born in Carshalton, Surrey , the son of a clergyman...

 then Major General Townshend

Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend

Major General Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend KCB, DSO was a British Indian Army officer who led the ultimately disastrous first British Expedition against Baghdad during World War I, and was later elected to Parliament....

, the division were the first British Indian troops to land in Mesopotamia in November 1914 at the Fao Landing

Fao Landing

The Fao Landing occurred on November 6, 1914 and the Battle of Fao Fortress on November 8, 1914 with British forces attacking the Ottoman Fortress of Fao. The British successfully took the fort.- Background :...

. After a string of early successes, the 6th Division was delivered a setback at the Battle of Ctesiphon

Battle of Ctesiphon (1915)

The Battle of Ctesiphon was fought in November 1915 by the British Empire and British India, against the Ottoman Empire, within the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I....

 in November 1915. Following this engagement, the division withdrew back to Kut

Kut

Al-Kūt is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about 160 kilometres south east of Baghdad. the estimated population is about 374,000 people...

, where Townshend made the decision to hold the city. After a lengthy siege by the Ottomans, Townshend surrendered in April 1916. 10,061 troops were taken captive. Following the surrender, the garrisoned force conducted a forced march back to Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

. The suffering of the enlisted soldiers was particularly egregious, and over 4000 died in captivity.

After the surrender, the Poona Division ceased to exist until another 6th Division was raised in 1920 for the Iraq Rebellion.

Order of Battle December 1914

• 16th Indian Infantry Brigade
  • 2nd Bn. Dorsetshire Regiment
  • 1st Bn. 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis)
    20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis)
    The 20th Duke of Cambridge’s Own Infantry was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 8th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 20th Duke of Cambridge’s Own Infantry in 1904 and became 2nd Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment in 1922...
    
    
  • 1st Bn. 104th Wellesley's Rifles
    104th Wellesley's Rifles
    The 104th Wellesley's Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1775, when they were raised as the 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys....
    
    
  • 1st Bn. 117th Mahrattas
    117th Mahrattas
    The 117th Mahrattas were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1800, when they were raised as the Bombay Fencible Regiment....
    
    

• 17th Indian Infantry Brigade
  17th Indian Infantry Brigade
  The 17th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in November 1940, at the Delhi Cantonment in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. They were sent to participate in the Anglo-Iraqi War and the Syria-Lebanon Campaign...
  
  
  • 1st Bn. Ox & Bucks
    Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
    The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 52nd Regiment of Foot , forming the 1st...
    
    
  • 1st Bn. 119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment)
    119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment)
    The 119th Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1817, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion, 10th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry....
    
    
  • 1st Bn. 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry
    103rd Mahratta Light Infantry
    The 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1768, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, Bombay Sepoys. The regiment was first in action in the Mysore Campaign during the Third Anglo-Mysore War, quickly followed by...
    
    
  • 1st Bn. 22nd Punjabis
    22nd Punjabis
    The 22nd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 11th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 22nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion 14th Punjab Regiment in 1922...
    
    

• 18th Indian Infantry Brigade
  18th Indian Infantry Brigade
  The 18th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October, 1940 at Meerut in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. It was then detached for independent duties in Abaden in Persia...
  
  
  • 2nd Bn. Norfolk Regiment
  • 1st Bn. 110th Mahratta Light Infantry
    110th Mahratta Light Infantry
    The 110th Mahratta Light Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1797, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry....
    
    
  • 1st Bn. 120th Rajputana Infantry
    120th Rajputana Infantry
    The 120th Rajputana Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1817, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 10th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry....
    
    
  • 1st Bn. 7th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Rajputs
    7th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Rajputs
    The 7th Rajputs were an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army, later of the united British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1798, when they were the 1st Battalion, 24th Bengal Native Infantry. Over the years the regiment became known by a number of different titles...
    
    

• Divisional Artillery
  • X Brigade RFA
    RFA
    The abbreviation RFA could stand for:* Radio Free Asia* Radiofrequency ablation* Red Faction: Armageddon* Refractor 2 File Archive* Regional Facilitating Agency* Regional Forestry Agreement* Regulatory Flexibility Act* Renewable Fuels Agency...
    
    
    • 76 Bty. RFA
    • 82 Bty. RFA
    • 63 Bty. RFA
  • 1st Indian Mountain Artillery Brigade
    • 23rd (Peshawar) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)
    • 30th Mountain Battery
  • 1/5th Hampshire Howitzer Battery

• Divisional troops
  • 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry
  • 17 Co. 3rd Sappers and Miners
  • 22 Co. 3rd Sappers and Miners
  • 48th Pioneers
    48th Pioneers
    The 48th Pioneers were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1901, when they were raised as the 48th Bengal Infantry....