The Bannu Brigade was formed after the 1903 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 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...

 by Herbert Kitchener when he was Commander-in-Chief, India

Commander-in-Chief, India

During the period of the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India was the supreme commander of the Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his staff were based at General Headquarters, India, and liaised with the civilian Governor-General of India...

. The brigade was part of the Northern Army and deployed along the North West Frontier. In 1914 at the start of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 the composition of the brigade was:

• Commander Major General O’Donnell
  • 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
    12th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
    The 12th Cavalry is an armoured regiment of Pakistan Army. It was formed in the British Indian army in 1922 by the amalgamation of 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry and 25th Cavalry ....
    
    
  • 33rd Punjabis
    33rd Punjabis
    The 33rd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the Allahabad Levy. It was designated as the 33rd Punjabis in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion 16th Punjab Regiment in 1922...
    
    
  • 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
    52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
    The 52nd Sikhs was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 2nd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 52nd Sikhs in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922...
    
    
  • 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
    55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)
    The 55th Coke's Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 55th Coke's Rifles in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922...
    
    
  • 29 Mountain Battery

The brigade was involved in the Operations in the Tochi

Operations in the Tochi

The Operations in the Tochi were carried out by Indian Army during World War I on the North West Frontier. The Tochi river flows East from the tribal territories, through North Waziristan, to join the Kurram and the Indus rivers...

 between November 1914 and March 1915 when it was commanded by Major-General Vere Bonamy Fane

Vere Bonamy Fane

Major-General Sir Vere Bonamy Fane KCB KCIE was an officer in the British Army and British Indian Army. He served in the Boxer Rebellion and First World War.-Career:...

.