The 11th Indian Division was formed in Egypt on 24 December 1914, taking under command the 22nd (Lucknow) and 32nd (Imperial Service) Brigades. The 31st Indian Brigade was formed in January 1915 as the division's third brigade and served with it on the Suez Canal Defences. After the defeat of the Turkish attempts to cross the canal on 3–4 February 1915, the division acted as a relieving depot for the divisions in France. The division was broken up on 31 May 1915 and the brigade came under direct command of the Suez Canal Defences.