North Western Army
Encyclopedia
The Northern Command was a formation of the British Indian Army
from 1895 to 1942, and then from 1945 to 1947. Subsequently it was reformed in the post-Independence Indian Army in 1972.
North Western Army was formed from Northern Command in April 1942, formed to guard the North West Frontier. It controlled the Kohat
, Peshawar
, Rawalpindi
, Baluchistan
and Waziristan
Districts. Among these districts' subordinate formations was the 75th Indian Infantry Brigade
, later renamed the Gardai Brigade.
Major-General (Acting Lt. General.) C. W. Toovey, C.B., C.B.E., M.C., I.A., relinquished his appointment as (acting) General Officer Commanding
-in-Chief, North Western Army, and the acting rank of Lt.-General, 22nd Oct. 1945. General
Richard O'Connor
arrived to replace him. North Western Army reverted to the title Northern Command in November 1945. Lieutenant-General Sir Frank Messervy
, K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O., I.A., was appointed as G.O.C.-in-C. Northern Command, India, 15th Oct. 1946.
In 1947 Headquarters Northern Command became the new headquarters of the Pakistan Army
. Messervy continued to serve as Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army from 1947-48.
and China
. Lt Gen P.S. Bhagat, VC
was appointed as the first Army Commander in June 1972. Bhagat's main activities as Army Commander were the improvement of defences and the living and working condition of his troops.
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...
from 1895 to 1942, and then from 1945 to 1947. Subsequently it was reformed in the post-Independence Indian Army in 1972.
North Western Army was formed from Northern Command in April 1942, formed to guard the North West Frontier. It controlled the Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
, Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, Baluchistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
and Waziristan
Waziristan
Waziristan is a mountainous region near the Northwest of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . The area is entirely populated by ethnic Pashtuns . The language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto...
Districts. Among these districts' subordinate formations was the 75th Indian Infantry Brigade
75th Indian Infantry Brigade
The 75th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in April 1942. In August 1944, it was renamed the Gardaí Brigade...
, later renamed the Gardai Brigade.
Composition 1942-45
- 7th Indian Infantry Division, April 1942 to January 1943
- 84th Indian Infantry Brigade84th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 84th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in May 1942, in Hyderabad, Sindh, India where it was also known as the Upper Sind Force. It was intended to to suppress a rebellion by the Hurs in the Sindh Desert...
, May 1942 to October 1943 - 33rd Indian Infantry Brigade33rd Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 33rd Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October 1941, at Campbellpore in India. The brigade was assigned to the 7th Indian Infantry Division until July 1942, when it was attached to the North Western Army. It returned to...
, July 1942 to December1942 - 55th Indian Infantry Brigade55th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 55th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in April 1942, in India. and assigned to the 7th Indian Infantry Division. In July to September 1942, it was attached to the North Western Army. Afterwards the brigade was assigned to...
, July 1942 to September 1942 - RisalpurRisalpurRisalpur is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 15 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 1014 feet above sea level, it is bounded on the south and west by the Kabul and...
Training Brigade (15 Nov 1940-April 1944) then redesignated 155th Indian Infantry Brigade155th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 115th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II.It was formed by the conversion of the Risalpur Training Brigade in April 1944, and it provided training for units destined for the western theatres of war....
, April 1944 to August 1945
Major-General (Acting Lt. General.) C. W. Toovey, C.B., C.B.E., M.C., I.A., relinquished his appointment as (acting) General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
-in-Chief, North Western Army, and the acting rank of Lt.-General, 22nd Oct. 1945. General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Richard O'Connor
Richard O'Connor
General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor KT, GCB, DSO & Bar, MC, ADC was a British Army general who commanded the Western Desert Force in the early years of World War II...
arrived to replace him. North Western Army reverted to the title Northern Command in November 1945. Lieutenant-General Sir Frank Messervy
Frank Messervy
General Sir Frank Walter Messervy, KCSI, KBE, CB, DSO & Bar, , was a British Indian Army officer in both the First and Second World Wars...
, K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O., I.A., was appointed as G.O.C.-in-C. Northern Command, India, 15th Oct. 1946.
In 1947 Headquarters Northern Command became the new headquarters of the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
. Messervy continued to serve as Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Army from 1947-48.
Re-raising
The government of India decided to raise a separate command to oversee operations in the northern borders with PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Lt Gen P.S. Bhagat, VC
Premindra Singh Bhagat
Lieutenant General Premindra Singh Bhagat VC, PVSM was an officer in the Indian Army during World War II and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, and the PVSM,...
was appointed as the first Army Commander in June 1972. Bhagat's main activities as Army Commander were the improvement of defences and the living and working condition of his troops.