The division was formed in September 1914 and organized over the next month, arriving in the line in October.
The 54th Reserve Division fought on the Western Front, entering the line in mid-October, participating in the so-called Race to the Sea and fighting in the Battle of the Yser.
After two months in army reserve in the winter of 1916, the division returned to the trenchlines in the Flanders and Artois regions.
It was engaged heavily in the Battle of the Somme in 1916, and returned to the line in Flanders and the Artois until the end of the year.
Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and the enlargement of combat engineer support to a full pioneer battalion.