The I Indian Corps was an army corps of the British Indian Army in the World War I. It was formed at the outbreak of war under the title Indian Corps from troops sent to the Western Front. The British Indian Army did not have a pre-war corps structure, and it held this title until further corps were created. It was withdrawn from the Western Front in December 1915 and reconstituted as I Indian Corps in Mesopotamia until the end of the war.
I Indian Corps formation badge.
A group of soldiers from the Indian Corps who had been mentioned in dispatches during fighting on the Western Front
The Indian Army during British rule, also referred to as the British Indian Army, was the main military force of the British Indian Empire until 1947. It was responsible for the defence of both British India and the princely states, which could also have their own armies. As quoted in the Imperial Gazetteer of India, "The British Government has undertaken to protect the dominions of the Native princes from invasion and even from rebellion within: its army is organized for the defence not merely of British India, but of all possessions under the suzerainty of the King-Emperor." The Indian Army was an important part of the forces of the British Empire, in India and abroad, particularly during the First World War and the Second World War.
A painting showing a sowar of the 6th Madras Light Cavalry, c. 1845
117th Mahrattas at a fort in the North West Frontier, India, 1909
Flag party of the 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) at Kohat, with their regimental colours in 1905
Punjabi Muslim soldiers, France, WW1