The 18th Indian Division was formed during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 in 1917 from units of the British Indian Army

British Indian Army

The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...

, for service in Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...

 and Persia, in what was called the Mesopotamia Campaign. The Division was attached to the Tigris Corps and was involved in the Actions at the Fat-ha Gorge and on the Little Zab

Little Zab

The Little Zab , , ) originates in Iran and joins the Tigris in Iraq. The river is approximately long and drains an area of c. . The river is fed by rainfall and snowmelt, resulting in a peak discharge in spring and low water in summer and early fall...

 between the 23–26 October 1918 and the Battle of Sharqat

Battle of Sharqat

The Battle of Sharqat was between the British and the Ottoman Empire in the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I, which became the final conflict that ended as a result of the signing of armistice....

 between 28–30 October 1918.

At the end of the war the division would remain in Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 as part of the Iraq Occupation Force, until it was disbanded in 1920.

53rd Brigade

• 1/9th Btn Middlesex Regiment
  Middlesex Regiment
  The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
  
  
• 89th Punjabis
  89th Punjabis
  The 89th Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1798 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 89th Punjabis in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922...
  
  
• 3rd Gurkha Rifles
• 7th Gurkha Rifles (at Falluja Temporarily attached to 15th Indian Infantry Division
  15th Indian Infantry Division
  The 15th Indian Division was a formation of the British Indian Army, operational from 1916 to 1919.The division was formed on 7 May 1916 on the Euphrates Front in Mesopotamia, as a replacement for 12th Indian Division. It served throughout the war on the Euphrates Front, and was formally disbanded...
  
  )
• 1 Squadron Patiala Lancers
• 2 Squadrons 10th Lancers

54th Brigade

• 1/5th Btn Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
• 25th Punjabis
  25th Punjabis
  The 25th Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as the 17th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 25th Punjabis in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment in 1922...
  
  
• 39th Garhwal Rifles
  39th Garhwal Rifles
  The 39th Garhwal Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1887, when they were raised as the Aligarh Levy, but was disbanded after disgracing itself at the Rawalpindi Review in 1888....
  
  
• 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
  52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force)
  The 52nd Sikhs was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 2nd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 52nd Sikhs in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922...
  
  

55th Brigade

• 1/5th Btn East Surrey Regiment
  East Surrey Regiment
  The East Surrey Regiment was a regiment in the British Army formed in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 31st Regiment of Foot and the 70th Regiment of Foot...
  
  
• 10th Jats
  10th Jats
  The 10th Jats were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1823, when they were known as the 1st Battalion, 33rd Bengal Native Infantry. Over the years they became known by a number of different titles...
  
  
• 94th Russell's Infantry
  94th Russell's Infantry
  The 94th Russell's Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1813, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion of the Russell Brigade for the Princely state of Hyderabad...
  
  
• 116th Mahrattas
  116th Mahrattas
  The 116th Mahrattas were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1800, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry....
  
  

Divisional Artillery

• 336th Brigade Royal Field Artillery
  Royal Field Artillery
  The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
  
  
• 337th Brigade Royal Field Artillery

Further reading

• ACCOUNT OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE 18TH (INDIAN) DIVISION IN MESOPOTAMIA DECEMBER 1917 TO DECEMBER 1918, Navy and Military Press, Lieut Col WE Wilson-Johnston, ISBN 978-1-84574-323-9
• Perry, F.W. & Becke, A.F. (1945). History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions: Indian Army Divisions Pt. 5B. London HMSO. ISBN 1-871167-23-X
• Haythornthwaite P.J. (1992). The World War One Sourcebook, Arms and Armour Press.
• Moberly, F.J. (1923). Official History of the War: Mesopotamia Campaign, Imperial War Museum. ISBN 1-870423-30-5