Basra Indian Forces Cemetery & Cremation Memorial

During World War I, the British Indian Army made up the overwhelming majority of Commonwealth forces in Mesopotamia—around two-thirds to three-quarters of all troops deployed, with Indian soldiers serving in nearly every combat, medical, and logistical unit. While the campaign began as a limited mission to secure oil supplies at Basra, poor planning and overambitious advances by British commanders led to disaster, most infamously the Siege of Kut (1915–1916), where over 13,000 troops—mostly Indian—were captured after months of starvation and disease. Historians widely regard the campaign's early phase as a failure of British leadership, marked by inadequate medical support, supply shortages, and underestimation of the Ottoman Army. Despite these failures, Indian troops endured appalling conditions and ultimately enabled the reformed Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force to capture Baghdad in 1917, turning a humiliating setback into a hard-won strategic victory.

From 1918 to 1945, the British Indian Army remained central to maintaining imperial control and stability across Mesopotamia (Iraq) and the wider Middle East. In the aftermath of World War I, Indian troops garrisoned key towns and supply routes during the Arab Revolt's aftermath and the 1920 Iraqi Uprising, bearing the brunt of counterinsurgency operations as Britain struggled to impose its mandate. Though officially under "Iraqi" administration after 1932, Britain continued to rely heavily on Indian forces to secure oil installations, railways, and airbases at Basra, Habbaniya, and Shaibah—critical links between India, the Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean. During World War II, Indian divisions again formed the backbone of the Allied presence in Iraq and Persia under the Persia and Iraq Command (PAI Force), defending against Axis influence and keeping the vital Persian Corridor open for Lend-Lease supplies to the USSR. Across this 27-year span, Indian troops constituted the majority of Commonwealth manpower in the region—often over 70% of deployed forces—yet they served under predominantly British leadership, which frequently suffered from cultural misunderstanding, logistical neglect, and strategic overreach. Despite these shortcomings, the Indian Army's endurance, discipline, and adaptability were decisive in sustaining British power and Allied operations across the Middle East from the end of the First World War through the Second.

Indian forces formed the backbone of British operations in Mesopotamia from 1914 onwards. They fought at Qurna, Shaiba, Ctesiphon, Kut, and throughout the advance to Baghdad and beyond. Many died from disease as much as from battle.