History of the 17th Indian Division
The 17th Indian Division began to form in Mesopotamia in August 1917. Most of its units had been serving in that theatre of war for some time, although often on the lines of communication. It was initially made up of 50th, 51st and 52nd Indian Infantry Brigades but 50th was soon exchanged for the 34th Indian Infantry Brigade from 15th Indian Division.
Under command of Major-General Webb Gillman.
An artillery officer, Gillman had served as a staff officer of 13th (Western) Division and had seen service at Gallipoli and Salonika. He left the 17th Indian Division to take up the post of Chief of General Staff of the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force.
Under command of Major-General George Arthur James Leslie, from 17 December 1917.
Leslie had an unusual and distinguished military background before being appointed to the division: see notes below.
The division is recognised as participating in the following actions:
- Actions of Fat-ha Gorge and on the Little Zab (23 – 26 October 1918, under I Corps)
- Battle of Sharqat (28 – 30 October, same)
The division remained in the theatre after war had ended, to play a part in the occupation of Iraq.
Order of Battle
*units marked thus are British. All others are of the Indian Army.
Divisional Headquarters
Divisional Troops
| Units | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1/32nd Sikh (Pioneers) | Joined November 1917, left November 1918 | From Corps Troops. Went to 18th Indian Division |
| 276th Machine Gun Company* | Joined November 1917. Merged into MG 17th Battalion November 1918 | Formed at Magil Camp 24 November 1917 |
| 17th Machine Gun Battalion* | Formed November 1918 | |
| 7th Mobile Veterinary Section | ||
| 17th Divisional Train |
Artillery
| Units | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 220 Brigade RFA* | Formerly known as 1/1st Home Counties Brigade | |
| 221 Brigade RFA* | Formerly known as 1/2nd Home Counties Brigade | |
| 17th Divisional Ammunition Column | ||
| X.17 Medium Trench Mortar Battery | Joined July 1918 |
Engineers
| Units | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sirmur Imperial Service Sappers | ||
| Terhi Garhwal Imperial Service Sappers | ||
| Maler-Kotla Imperial Service Sappers | ||
| 17th Divisional Signal Company |
Infantry
| Units and sub-formations | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 34th Indian Infantry Brigade HQ | Joined August 1917 | Commanded the units below |
| 2nd Battalion Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)* | ||
| 31st Punjabis | Left September 1918 | Went to 83rd Brigade in British 27th Division |
| 1/112th Infantry | ||
| 114th Mahratta Light Infantry | ||
| 129th Machine Gun Company* | Merged into MG 17th Battalion November 1918 | |
| 34th Light Trench Mortar Battery | Joined February 1918 | |
| 51st Indian Infantry Brigade HQ | Commanded the units below | |
| 1st Battalion Highland Light Infantry | Joined September 1917 | From Corps Troops |
| 1/10th Gurkha Rifles | Joined August 1917 | From Corps Troops |
| 1/2nd Rajputs | Joined September 1917, left October 1918 | From Corps Troops. Went to British 67th Infantry Brigade in 22nd Division |
| 14th Sikhs | Joined October 1917, left November 1918 | From 50th Indian Brigade. Went to Corps Troops |
| 257th Machine Gun Company* | Joined November 1917. Merged into MG 17th Battalion November 1918 | |
| 51st Light Trench Mortar Battery | Joined February 1918 | |
| 52nd Indian Infantry Brigade HQ | Commanded the units below | |
| 1/6th Battalion Hampshire Regiment* | Joined August 1917 | From Ambala Brigade in 16th Indian Division |
| 45th Sikhs | Joined August 1917 | From Corps Troops |
| 84th Punjabis | Joined August 1917, left September 1918 | From Corps Troops. Went to British 28th Division |
| 1/113th Infantry | Joined August 1917 | From Corps Troops |
| 1/94th Infantry | Joined November 1918 | From Corps Troops |
| 258th Machine Gun Company* | Joined 17 November 1917. Merged into MG 17th Battalion November 1918 | |
| 52nd Light Trench Mortar Battery | Joined February 1918 |
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