History of Pakistan Army.

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The Inn skilling Fusiliers In Camp At Bara, Khyber Pass, North-West Frontier, 1897-98 (c).

 

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Sherwood Foresters Battalion March From Rawalpindi To Waziristan Crossing Bahadurkhel Tunnel, Teri State, 1926 (c).

 

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In The Dreaded Pezu Pass, Lakki Marwat, North-West Frontier Province, 1937 (c).

Indian Army soldiers on detachment to the frontier town of Tank on board a North Western State Railways train traveling through the Pezu Pass. The train was equipped with Vickers and Vickers Berthier machine guns to protect it from attacks by tribesmen.

The North Western State Railway was formed in 1886 from the amalgamation of several railway companies and remained in operation until Indian independence in 1947. The construction of railways was integral to the British strategy to establish and maintain security in the border region between Afghanistan and British India.

In late 1936, there was growing agitation against British rule in Waziristan, led by the Wazir leader Ghazi Mirzali Khan Wazir, 'the Fakir of Ipi'. In response, the British launched a military operation into the Khaisora Valley, hoping that a show of strength alone would suffice to reduce unrest. However, the two main columns of troops met stiff resistance, and their supply lines were disrupted, forcing them to retire.

The operation's failure triggered a wider insurrection, and the ensuing guerrilla war drew in more British and Indian forces. Over 30,000 troops, together with aircraft and armored cars, were deployed to the region. Violence subsided in late 1937, and after brief flare-ups in 1938 and 1939, the North West Frontier was relatively quiet until India became independent in 1947.

From an album of 347 photographs compiled by Captain (later Major) Wynne Howes-Roberts, 1st Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles, India and UK, 1936-1937.

 

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Photograph of the military camp at Chakdarra in the North West Frontier, taken by Alexander Caddy in the 1880's.

Large military parade at the signaling tower, Chakdarra.

Chakdarra is located in the northern territory of Pakistan on the south bank of the Swat River. Alexander the Great visited this site around 327 BC on his way to invade India, although the site was first fortified some time later, by the Mughal Emperor Akbar's general Zain Khan in 1587. Chakdarra was the scene of fierce fighting in the late nineteenth century.

In 1895, Chakdarra was garrisoned by the Chitral Relief Force, made up of regiments from the British and Indian armies, and kept on as an outpost. Two years later, it was the scene of a siege by 8,000 tribesmen; the garrison was finally relieved on August 2nd, 1897. In this photograph, a military camp can be seen in the foreground with a signaling tower on the hillside beyond.

 

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Indian Mountain Battery in action in the Khyber Agency, 1930's (c).

This could possibly be the 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force).
The road from Landi Kotal to Torkham can be seen in the right of the picture. Some soldiers of the 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment (Liverpool) can also be seen near the gunners.

 

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1947 , Quetta