| 9th (Secunderabad) Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1904 - 1922 |
| Country | British India |
| Allegiance | British Crown |
| Branch | British Indian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Internal Security |
| Size | Division |
| Part of | Southern Army |
The 9th (Secunderabad) Division was an infantry division formation of the British Indian Army. It was part of the Southern Army and was formed in 1904[1] after Lord Kitchener was appointed Commander-in-Chief, India between 1902 and 1909. He instituted large-scale reforms, including merging the three armies of the Presidencies into a unified force and forming higher level formations, eight army divisions, and brigading Indian and British units. Following Kitchener's reforms, the British Indian Army became "the force recruited locally and permanently based in India, together with its expatriate British officers."[2]
The Division remained in India on internal security duties during World War I, but some of its brigades were transferred to serve with other units. The 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade traveled to France and served on the Western Front as part of the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division. The 27th (Bangalore) Brigade served in East Africa as part of the Indian Expeditionary Force B. Force B was broken up in December 1914 and its units used for the defence of East Africa.[3][4]
At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, the division was commanded by Major-General A. Phayre[5] and had the following composition:[6][4]
Commander: Brigadier-General F.W.G. Wadeson[7]
Commander: Major-General P.S. Wilkinson[7]
Commander: Brigadier-General E.H. Rodwell[7]
Commander: Brigadier-General Richard Wapshare[7]
The brigade was reformed as 27th (Bangalore) Brigade and joined Indian Expeditionary Force B for service in British East Africa. The formation was:
Commander: Brigadier-General W.G. Hamilton[7]
