The 18th Indian Division was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

division of the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

that saw active service in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It took part in the

Mesopotamian campaign The Mesopotamian campaign or Mesopotamian front () was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the British Empire, with troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australia and the vast major ...

and formed part of the occupation force for Iraq post-war. The division was not reformed for the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

The 18th Indian Division was formed in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

on 24 December 1917, although the last of its brigades ( 55th) was not formed until January 1918. Many of the division's units transferred directly from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

so time was needed for them to become acclimatized. It remained in Mesopotamia for the rest of the

, taking part in the action at Fat-ha Gorge on the

Little Zab The Little Zab or Lower Zab (, ''al-Zāb al-Asfal''; or '; , ''Zâb-e Kuchak''; , ''Zāba Taḥtāya'') is a river that originates in Iran and joins the Tigris just south of Al Zab in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The Little Zab is approximatel ...

(23–26 October 1918) and the Battle of Sharqat (28–30 October 1918) under the command of I Corps. At the end of the war, the 18th Division was chosen to form part of the occupation force for Iraq. It took part in the Iraq Rebellion in 1920 and was broken up in the following year.

Order of battle

The division commanded the following units, although not all of them served at the same time:

53rd Indian Brigade

* 1/9th Battalion, Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) * 1st Battalion, 89th Punjabis * 1st Battalion,

3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles The 3rd Gorkha Rifles or Third Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 3 GR is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It was originally a Gurkha Gorkha regiments (India), regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1815. This regiment recruit mainly Magars an ...

* 1st Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles * 207th Machine Gun Company * 53rd Light Trench Mortar Battery

54th Indian Brigade

* 1/5th Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) * 25th Punjabis * 1st Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles * 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) * 238th Machine Gun Company * 54th Light Trench Mortar Battery

55th Indian Brigade

* 1/5th Battalion,

East Surrey Regiment The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ( ...

* 1st Battalion, 10th Jats * 87th Punjabis * 1st Battalion, 94th Russell's Infantry * 116th Mahrattas * 1st Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) * 239th Machine Gun Company * 55th Light Trench Mortar Battery

Divisional Artillery

* CCCXXXVI Brigade,

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It was created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of the regiment, the ...

(A, B, C and D ( H) Batteries) * CCCXXXVII Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (A, B, C and 341st (H) Batteries) * X.18 Medium Trench Mortar Battery * 18th Divisional Ammunition Column

Engineers and Pioneers

* 2nd, 5th, 6th and 8th Field Companies, 1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners * 18th Division Signal Company, Royal Engineers Signal Service * 106th Hazara Pioneers * 1st Battalion, 32nd Sikh Pioneers

Divisional Troops

* 249th Machine Gun Company * 18th Machine Gun Battalion * 37th, 38th, 39th and 40th Combined Field Ambulances, RAMC * No. 12 Mobile Veterinary Section, AVC * 18th Division Train, ASC

Commanders

The division was commanded from 7 January 1918 by Major-General H.D. Fanshawe and from 12 March 1919 by Major-General Theodore Fraser.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

* * {{Indian Expeditionary Forces British Indian Army divisions Indian World War I divisions Military units and formations established in 1917 Military units and formations disestablished in 1921