The Bannu Brigade was formed after the 1903 reforms of the British Indian Army by Herbert Kitchener when he was Commander-in-Chief, India. The brigade was part of the Northern Army and deployed along the North West Frontier. In 1914 at the start of World War I the composition of the brigade was:
- Commander Major General O’Donnell
- 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
- 33rd Punjabis
- 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
- 55th Coke’s Rifles (Frontier Force)
- 29 Mountain Battery
The brigade was involved in the Operations in the Tochi between November 1914 and March 1915 when it was commanded by Major-General Vere Bonamy Fane.