The outbreak of the First World War saw Allied forces across Africa preparing to drive the Germans out of their possessions. Four men earned the Victoria Cross in the prolonged struggle that ensued. Two further VCs were awarded to men of the Indian Army as the British sought to retain control of the North-West Frontier. Fourteen VCs were won in Palestine from mid-1917, as the British went on the offensive and attacked the Ottoman army from bases defending the Suez Canal.

Following the Austro-German rout of Italian forces at Caporetto in October 1917, British troops were deployed in Italy. Four VCs were won in this theatre, as the Allies first repelled Austro-German attacks and then launched a series of offensives of their own. Two VCs were also awarded to members of the British Salonika Force, which fought in the Balkans from October 1915.

British troops also saw action in Mesopotamia, now Iraq, firstly to protect their country's oil interest and later to prosecute the war against the Turks. Despite initial success, the British suffered an unprecedented military disaster in April 1916 when a substantial British and Indian force was compelled to surrender to its Ottoman opponents at Kut-el-Amara. The unsuccessful attempts to relieve the Kut garrison resulted in the award of eleven VCs; in total, twenty were won in this theatre.