History of the 15th Indian Division
The 15th Indian Division began to form in Mesopotamia on 7 May 1916. It replaced the 12th Indian Division on the Euphrates front and took over two of its infantry brigades. The third such brigade arrived from India.
Under command of Major-General Sir Henry Triscott Brooking.
Brooking was a Brigadier-General when the division formed but was promoted on 5 June 1916.
The division is recognised as participating in the following actions:
- Action of As Salihan (11 September 1916)
- The Capture of Ramadi (28-29 September 1917)
- Occupation of Hit (9 March 1918)
- The Action of Khan Baghdadi (26-27 March 1918)
The division remained in the theatre until being disbanded in March 1919.
Order of Battle
*units marked thus are British. All others are of the Indian Army.
Divisional Headquarters
Divisional Troops
| Units | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 48th Pioneers | Joined June 1916 | Renumbered on joining, having been 2/48th |
| 275th Machine Gun Company* | Joined 10 November 1917 | Arrived at Magil Camp from France |
| 16th Mobile Veterinary Section | ||
| 15th Divisional Train |
Artillery
| Units | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7th Mountain Battery | Joined May 1916, left April 1917 | |
| 222 Brigade RFA* | Joined July 1916 | Formerly known as 1/3rd Home Counties Brigade |
| Volunteer Battery | Left April 1918 | Went to 17th Indian Division |
| 15th Divisional Ammunition Column | ||
| 77th (Howitzer) Battery | Joined January 1917 and came under 222 Brigade RFA | |
| 72nd (Howitzer) Battery | Attached between June and September 1917 | |
| 215 Brigade RFA* | Joined October 1917 | From 3rd (Lahore) Division |
| M, N and O Light Trench Mortar Batteries | Joined September 1917 and allocated one to each infantry brigade, then numbered as shown below | |
| X.15 Medium Trench Mortar Battery | Joined July 1918 |
Engineers
| Units | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4/1st Field Company Sappers & Miners | Left December 1916 | |
| Maler-Kotla Imperial Service Sappers | Left March 1917 | |
| 15th Divisional Signal Company | ||
| 448th Field Company RE* | Joined January 1917 | Formerly 1/3rd Northumbrian Field Company |
| 449th Field Company RE* | Joined March 1917 | Formerly 2/2nd Northumbrian Field Company |
| 450th Field Company RE* | Joined January 1917 | Formerly 3/1st Northumbrian Field Company |
Infantry
| Units and sub-formations | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 12th Indian Infantry Brigade HQ | From 12th Indian Division. Commanded the units below | |
| 1/5th Battalion Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment)* | ||
| 90th Punjabis | ||
| 1/43rd Infantry | Joined June 1916 | From Corps Troops |
| 128th Machine Gun Company* | Joined c.December 1916 | From England |
| 2/39th Garhwal Rifles | Joined April 1917 | From India |
| 12th Light Trench Mortar Battery | Joined February 1918 | Previously M Battery (see above) |
| 34th Indian Infantry Brigade HQ | Left August 1917 | From 12th Indian Division. Commanded the units below. Went to 17th Indian Division |
| 2nd Battalion Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)* | Re-formed and joined June 1916 | The battalion had been severely affected by loss at the surrender of Kut-al-Amara in April 1916 |
| 114th Mahrattas | ||
| 112th Infantry | Joined June 1916 | From Corps Troops |
| 31st Punjabis | Joined June 1916 | From Corps Troops |
| 129th Machine Gun Company* | Joined November 1916 | From England |
| 42nd Indian Infantry Brigade HQ | Formed April 1916 but units assembled from February onwards | Commanded the units below |
| 1/4th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment* | Joined February 1916 | From Ambala Brigade in Lahore Divisional Area |
| 1/4th Battalion Devonshire Regiment* | Joined February 1916, left April 1917 | From Ferozepore Brigade in Lahore Divisional Area. Went to 41st Indian Infantry Brigade |
| 2/5th Gurkha Rifles | Joined April 1916 | From 3rd (Abbottabad) Brigade in 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division |
| 2/6th Gurkha Rifles | Joined April 1916 | From 3rd (Abbottabad) Brigade in 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division |
| 1/5th Gurkha Rifles | Joined March 1917 | From 2nd (Nowshera) Brigade in 1st (Peshawar) Division |
| 130th Machine Gun Company* | Joined 6 January 1917 | From England |
| 42nd Light Trench Mortar Battery | Joined February 1918 | Previously N Battery (see above) |
| 50th Indian Infantry Brigade HQ | Joined September 1917 | From attachment to 3rd (Lahore) Division. Commanded the units below |
| 1st Battalion Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry* | Joined August 1917 | From Corps Troops |
| 6th Jats | Joined August 1917 | From Corps Troops |
| 14th Sikhs | Joined August 1917, left October 1917 | From Corps Troops. Went to 51st Indian Infantry Brigade in 17th Indian Division |
| 1/97th Infantry | Joined August 1917 | From Corps Troops |
| 24th Punjabis | Joined September 1917, left September 1918 | From Corps Troops. Went to 66th Infantry Brigade in British 22nd Division |
| 256th Machine Gun Company* | Joined 3 December 1917 | From India |
| 50th Light Trench Mortar Battery | Joined February 1918 | Previously O Battery (see above) |
Medical
| Units | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd Combined Field Ambulance | ||
| 19th Combined Field Ambulance | ||
| 35th Combined Field Ambulance | ||
| 36th Combined Field Ambulance |
Major-General Leslie
A most informative 1936 obituary of this officer can be found here (pdf format)
Research tips
The war diaries of units serving in Mesopotamia have been digitised and can be downloaded (free, if you register which is also free) from the National Archives website.
The volumes of the Official History of the campaign in Mesopotamia have been digitised and can be downloaded from archive.org.
India General Service Medal