| 7th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
 Formation sign for the 7th Infantry Division.[1] | |
| Active | 1940-present |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Ferozepur |
| Nickname | Golden Arrow Division |
| Engagements | Battle of the Admin Box Battle of Kohima Battle of Central Burma Irrawaddy River |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Frank Messervy Geoffrey Charles Evans |
The7th Infantry Division is a war-formedinfantrydivision, part of the British Indian Army that saw service in theBurma Campaign.
The division was created on 1 October 1940 atAttock, under the command ofMajor GeneralArthur Wakely. Its formation sign was an arrow, pointing bottom left to top right, in yellow on a black background. The division was sometimes known as the "Golden Arrow" division from this sign. When first formed, the division consisted of the13th,14th and16th Indian Infantry Brigades, but within eighteen months, both the 13th and 16th Brigades were removed and dispatched toBurma, where both fought during theJapanese conquest of Burma. The 14th Brigade was renumbered the114th Indian Infantry Brigade and remained with the division.
During 1942, the33rd and89th Brigades were added to the division. The division trained for operations in the deserts in the Middle East but by the end of the year, theNorth African campaign was clearly at an end. In early 1943, the division was reassigned to theBurma campaign and Major GeneralFrank Messervy, a veteran of the fighting in North Africa, was appointed to command, replacing Major GeneralThomas Corbett.
After extensive retraining and preparation, 7th Division took part in an offensive inArakan, the coastal province of Burma. Starting in December 1943, the division advanced down the Kalapanzin River valley as part ofXV Corps. In February 1944, Japanese troops infiltrated through the division's front and overran the divisional HQ. Units of the division took part in the subsequentBattle of the Admin Box, in which the Japanese failed to capture positions supplied by parachute drops and were forced to retreat.
During March, the Japanese launched a major offensive (codenamedOperation U-Go) intoManipur. Having been withdrawn from the Arakan battles, the division proceeded by road and rail toDimapur, where it came under command ofXXXIII Corps and took part in theBattle of Kohima. The161st Indian Brigade, part of the5th Indian Division, came under command, while the 89th Brigade was flown to Imphal, to replace 161st Brigade in 5th Division. During early May, 33rd Brigade completed the recapture of Kohima Ridge, while the main body of the division recaptured Naga Village to the north of the ridge. During the later part of the month and early June, the division advanced through heavymonsoon rains along rough tracks to the east of the main road from Kohima to Imphal, and cleared Japanese stragglers fromUkhrul.
From July to October, the division regrouped near Kohima, and 89th Brigade rejoined. Late in 1944, Major General Messervy was promoted to commandIV Corps and was replaced in command of the division by Major GeneralGeoffrey Charles Evans. Now commanded by IV Corps, the division advanced down the Gangaw Valley west of theChindwin River, with the28th (East Africa) Brigade under command, screened untilPauk was reached by the lightly equippedLushai Brigade. During late February 1945, the division captured vital bridgeheads across theIrrawaddy River nearPakokku. During March, as part of the decisiveBattle of Central Burma, the division was involved in several battles atMyingyan andYenangyaung.
During April, the division once again came under command of XXXIII Corps and advanced down the west bank of the Irrawaddy. AfterRangoon, the capital, was captured in early May, the division was directly commanded by the new headquarters ofTwelfth Army and resisted Japanese diversionary attacks across theSittang River during the monsoon.
After the war ended, in September 1945, the division moved toThailand, where it disarmed the Japanese occupying army, and liberated and repatriated Allied prisoners of war.
Following thePartition of India in 1947 the 7th Division local units were split between India and Pakistan, and both armies continue to have a 7th Infantry Division with the Golden Arrow formation sign.
All these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II.[2]