Military Divisions of Northern India, 1907

The military districts, divisions, and brigades of British India differed from the administrative boundaries and divisions. They had distinct names, covered different geographical areas, operated under separate command structures, and were often depicted on maps less familiar to the general public. This discussion will focus on the northern region of British India, spanning from the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Kashmir to the far reaches of Punjab.

In terms of provinces, this area included the Princely States of Jammu & Kashmir, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kapurthala, Patiala, Jind, Faridkot, and various smaller Punjab States. The provinces encompassed the remaining territories of NWFP and Punjab. However, the military divisions in this region were particularly intriguing. The following were the military divisions of these areas:

1. Divisional (from Tirah to the Gilgit-Baltistan)
2. Peshawar (from Peshawar to Mardan)
3. Abbottabad (from Abbottabad to Khagan)
4. Rawalpindi (from Attock to Talagang to Rawalpindi)
5. Jhelum (from Mankera to Jhelum)
6. Sialkot (from Shorkot to Sialkot)
7. Divisional (from Jammu to Muzaffarabad to Ladakh)
8. Jullundur (from Amritsar to Dankar)
9. Sirhind (from Sirsa to Narnaul to Jind and to Simla and further east)
10. Ferozepore (from Abhor to Ferozepore)
11. Divisional (from Ubaoro to Dorata to Lahore)
12. Derajat (from Kashmor to Dera Ismail Khan and northwards)
13. Bannu (from Datta Khel to Isa Khel)
14. Kohat (from Kurram to Khushalgarh)

Delhi was interestingly part of the Meerut division, stretching from Jataoli, Jhajjar, Rohtak, and Delhi in the west to Bulandshahr and Meerut in the east. The Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) had some of the largest numbers of garrisons or cantonments in British India, including notable names like Chitral, Peshawar, Jamrud, Cherat, Nowshera, Hangu, Fort Lockhart, Thal, Campbellpur, Attock, Chakdara, Kala Drosh, Malakand Pass, Abazai, Bannu, Jandala, Dera Ismail Khan, and Shekh Budin.

Interestingly, Kashmir didn't have any British garrisons, and on many maps, the outer boundaries are irregularly shaped. In Himachal Pradesh, there were several garrisons near Simla, such as Jutogh, Kasauli, Dagshai, and Subathu. The Divisional or Lahore region, extending from Bahawalpur to Lahore in the east, was the largest division but only had two garrisons - Lahore and Multan.

Currently, there are no military districts in South Asia, although there are headquarters and cantonments. The administrative structure has not changed. Consequently, the maps, including the Composite map: India and adjacent countries. East and West sheets 1907, were discarded soon after independence and permanently scrapped.

Here is a recreated map of a section of the Composite map: India and adjacent countries. East and West sheets 1907.