Military History of The North-West Frontier
Military History of The North-West Frontier
Military History of The North-West Frontier
FA
TA
Northern Areas
Mastuj
NW
CHITRAL
Gilgit
Chitral
Kalam
Afghanistan
Saidu
Sharif
BAJAUR
AGENCY
MOHMAND
AGENCY
Jalalabad
Kabul
Dasu
KOHISTAN
SWAT
Dir
SHANGLA
Naran
Battagram
Malakand
BUNER
Mansehra
Charsadda Mardan
Parachinar
KURRAM
AGENCY
Peshawar
Landi Kotal
Nowshera
KHYBER
AGENCY
ORAKZAI
Darra Adam
AGENCY
Khel
HANGU
Thal
Miramshah
Bannu
Lakki
Marwat
Jandola
SOUTH
WAZIRISTAN
Tank
Haripur
Abbottabad
1 Contestants
Kashmir
Murree
Islamabad
Kohat
Karak
NORTH
WAZIRISTAN
Razmak
Swabi
Punjab
Pezu
1.1 Afghanistan
Wana
BALOC
Kulachi
HISTA
Dera
Ismail
Khan
DERA ISMAIL
KHAN
1.2
1.3
CHRONOLOGY
2 Chronology
2.1 18001837 (Afghan-Sikh Wars)
Battle of Attock (1813)
Battle of Multan (1818)
Battle of Shopian (1819)
Battle of Nowshera (1823)
Battle of Jamrud (1837)
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the East India Company controlled southern India, Bengal, Bihar,
and Orissa (modern Odisha). Dominance was gained at
the expense of its French equivalent, the Compagnie des
Indes. Britain and France were at war, and the FrancoPersian alliance of 1807, followed the same year by the
2.5
2.3
184958 (Second Sikh War to Sepoy 2.5 18781898 (Second Afghan War to
Revolt)
Frontier Rebellion)
2.4
2.6
2.7
CHRONOLOGY
5
Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919)
Operations in Waziristan (191920)
Operations in Waziristan (192124)
Pinks War (1925)
Operation against the Mohmands (1927)
Afridi and Red Shirt Rebellion (193031)
Mohmand and Bajaur Operations (1933)
Loe Agra Campaign (1935)
Second Mohmand Campaign (1935)
Operations in Waziristan (193639)[31]
2.9
2.10 Withdrawal
3 Treatment of prisoners-of-war
According to the British ocer John Masters, Pathan
women in the North-West Frontier Province (1901
1955) of British India during the Anglo-Afghan Wars
would castrate non-Muslim soldiers who were captured,
especially British and Sikhs.[37][38] Pathan women urinated into prisoners mouths.[39] A method of execution
by this is recorded: captured British soldiers were spread
out and fastened with restraints to the ground, then a stick,
or a piece of wood was used to keep their mouth open to
prevent swallowing. Pathan women then squatted and urinated directly into the mouth of the man until he drowned
in the urine, taking turns one at a time. There is an incident mentioned when a Hindu man was brutally raped by
a gang of Pashtun women, before they drowned him in
their urine.[40][41][42][43][44][45][46] This method of execution was reported to have been practiced specically by
the women of the Afridi tribe of the Pashtuns.[47]
4 Military formations
4.1 Corps of Guides
Main article: Corps of Guides (British India)
Corps of cavalry and infantry, raised at Peshawar in
1846 by Lt. Harry Lumsden, and later based at
Hoti Mardan.[48] Originally one troop of cavalry and
two companies of infantry,[49] the cavalry component
later expanded to 2 squadrons, and the infantry to
4 companies.[48] Two further infantry battalions were
raised in 1917.[50]
From its inception the corps was clothed in native style,
with smock, baggy trousers and turban of home-spun cotton, and jerkin of sheepskin. The cotton was dyed grey
with a derivative of a dwarf palm known as mazari, while
the leather was dyed khaki with mulberry juice. Thus
was military dress rst coloured khaki for its camouage
eect, and the Guides were the rst troops to wear it.[51]
The drab colour is well suited to the barren rocky terrain of the North-West Frontier, and all but one of the
other Punjab frontier units soon followed the Guides
example.[52]
MILITARY FORMATIONS
During the Second Sikh War both the 1st and 2nd Irregular Horse earned further distinction with 'MOOLTAN',
'GOOJERAT', and 'PUNJAUB'.[63]
4.2
Formed in 1846 to guard the southern part of the NorthWest Frontier. Initially consisting of just the Scinde
Irregular Horse, the force under Capt. John Jacob was 4.2.3 Artillery
part of the Bombay Army.[58]
The force was augmented with No. 2 Coy. Bombay Native Artillery in 1875, when that company relieved the
men of Jacobs Res manning the guns of the force head4.2.1 Cavalry
quarters at Jacobabad.[68]
The Scinde Irregular Horse was raised at Hyderabad in Converted to a mountain battery the following year, the
1839 by Capt. Ward.[59]
company was accordingly redesignated No. 2 Bombay
Mountain
Battery.[69]
The regiment earned its rst battle honour during the
Operations in Scinde 1839-42, when it was awarded the
unique distinction 'CUTCHEE'.[60] For the subsequent
Scinde Campaign of 1843 it was awarded 'MEEANEE'
and 'HYDERABAD'.[61]
For its part in the Second Afghan War the battery was
awarded the honour AFGHANISTAN 1878-80[66]
Later re-numbered as No. 6 (Bombay) Mountain Battery, and then briey renamed the Jullundur Mountain
A second regiment was raised at Hyderabad in 1846 by Battery, the unit took its place in the reformed Indian
Capt. J. Jacob.[62]
Army of 1903 as 26th Jacobs Mountain Battery.[69]
4.5
4.3
Frontier Brigade
Created in 1846 to police the newly acquired Punjab border against the Pakhtun hill tribes.[70]
The brigade was formed by Lt. Col. Henry Montgomery
Lawrence from four regiments of infantry raised in 1846
from veterans of the Sikh forces disbanded after the First
Anglo-Sikh War: 1st Regiment, raised at Hoshiarpur by Capt. J. S.
Hodgson.[71]
2nd Regiment, raised at Kangra by Capt. J. W. V.
Stephen.[72]
3rd Regiment, raised at Firozpur by Capt.
Winter.[73]
F.
C.
3rd Regiment
4th Regiment, raised at Lahore by Capt. George
Gladwin Denniss II.[81]
5th Regiment, raised at Leiah by Capt. James Eardley Gastrell.[82]
6th Regiment, originally raised at Karachi in 1843
as the Scinde Camel Corps, and redesignated Punjab
Infantry in 1853.[83]
The brigades Frontier designation was discontinued in Formed in 1851 by combining the Corps of Guides, the
Transfron1847, and the four regiments became Sikh Local In- four regiments of Sikh Local Infantry, the[58]
tier
Brigade,
and
ve
batteries
of
artillery.
The units
fantry.
of the force came to be known collectively from its initials
For their part in the Second Sikh War the 1st and as Piers.
2nd (or Hill) regiments were awarded the battle honour
'PUNJAUB'.[71][72]
4.5.1 Cavalry
4.4
Transfrontier Brigade
The Punjab Cavalry regiments were redesignated Cavalry, Punjab Irregular Force.[84]
Cavalry
Five cavalry regiments were raised in 1849 and designated Punjab Cavalry:-
S. J.
W. G.
4th Regiment
5th Regiment, raised at Multan by Capt.
Fitzgerald.[78]
4.4.2
R.
Infantry
Batteries were raised from various sources: No. 1 Horse Light Field Battery, PIF
No. 2 Horse Light Field Battery, PIF, raised at
Bannu in 1851 by Lt. H. Hammond, from detachments of horse artillery formerly in the service of
the Lahore Darbar.[87]
No. 3 Horse Light Field Battery, PIF, raised at Dera
Ghazi Khan in 1849 by Lt. D. McNeill, from a disbanded troop of horse artillery formerly in the service of the Lahore Darbar.[88]
No. 4 or Garrison Company, PIF, raised at Bannu in
1851 by Lt. S. W. Stokes, from the supernumeraries
of a Sikh detachment of artillery which had been
broken up and drafted into the horse light eld
batteries.[89]
MILITARY FORMATIONS
The Horse Light Field Batteries were generally known as 4.6.1 Cavalry
Punjab Light Field Batteries.[87][88]
Ocially designated Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force,
Later the force gained two further batteries:the earlier style endured, and was restored in 1901.[84]
Four of the regiments were honoured for service in the
Hazara Mountain Train Battery, PIF, in 1856.
Second Afghan War:(Formed at Haripur in 1851, by Lt. G. G.
Pearse.)[90]
1st
Punjab
Cavalry;
AHMED
KHEL,
AFGHANISTAN 1878-80
Peshawar Mountain Train Battery, PIF, in 1862.
(Formed at Peshawar in 1853 by Capt.
Brougham.)[90]
4.5.3
T.
Infantry
AHMED
KHEL,
KANDAHAR
1880,
The six Punjab Infantry regiments were simply redesig- The 4th regiment served on the frontier before being disnated Infantry, Punjab Irregular Force.[92]
banded in 1882.[98]
The 4th Regiment of Sikh Infantry served in the Second In 1903 the four remaining regiments were brought into
Burma War, winning the honour PEGU, and then the new Indian Army line by adding twenty to their origmarched 900 km from Abbottabad in thirty days to help inal numbers:suppress the revolt in Delhi, and like the Guides going into action on arrival.[53] There it won also DELHI
21st Prince Albert Victors Own Cavalry (Frontier
1857.[54] The other Sikh Infantry regiments remained in
Force) (Dalys Horse)[75]
[93]
the Punjab.
22nd Sam Brownes Cavalry (Frontier Force)[76]
Leaving the 3rd, 5th, & 6th Punjab Infantry Regiments
to guard the frontier, the 1st, 2nd, and 4th were sent to
23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force)[77]
put down the revolt in Delhi.[94] There they earned the
honour DELHI 1857. The 2nd and 4th regiments were
25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)[78]
[54]
also rewarded with LUCKNOW.
From 1861 the force included a 7th Infantry Regiment, 4.6.2 Artillery
formed from the Hazara Gurkha Battalion, which later
that year joined the Gurkha Line as the 5th Gurkha Reg- The two mountain trains were redesignated mountain
iment.[95]
batteries in 1865.[90]
In 1876 the three Punjab Light Field Batteries were reduced to form two further mountain batteries,[58] and the
4.6 Punjab Frontier Force
four were then renumbered according to their relative
precedence, and designated Punjab Mountain BatterIn 1865 the Punjab Irregular Force was renamed the Punies, Punjab Frontier Force.[99]
jab Frontier Force, and the constituent units were redesThe former Garrison Company was also renumbered in
ignated accordingly.
the same sequence to become the No. 5 Garrison BatDuring peacetime the Force was under the direct control
tery, Punjab Frontier Force.[89]
of the Lt.-Governor of the Punjab,[96] but in war it came
All four mountain batteries were honoured for their part
under the Commander-in-Chief, India.[70]
in the Second Afghan War:After the three Presidency armies, it was the most important military force at the Governor-General's disposal.
No. 1 (Kohat) Punjab Mountain Battery; PEIWAR
Deployed and engaged in numerous border expeditions,
KOTAL, KABUL 1879, AFGHANISTAN 1878-80
it became the most experienced body of ghting troops in
[70]
India. Most of the force saw action during the Second
No.
2 (Derajat) Punjab Mountain Battery;
Afghan War. The designation Punjab Frontier Force was
CHARASIA, KABUL 1879, KANDAHAR 1880,
dropped in 1901, but with the Kitchener Reforms of the
AFGHANISTAN 1878-80
British Indian Army two years later, the former distinc No.
3 (Peshawar) Punjab Mountain Battery;
tion was restored to the newly re-numbered regiments in
AFGHANISTAN 1878-79
the form of the subsidiary title Frontier Force.
4.7
Frontier Corps
No. 4 (Hazara) Punjab Mountain Battery; ALI Spending cuts after the war resulted in the disbandment
MASJID, KABUL 1879, AFGHANISTAN 1879- of the 3rd Punjab Infantry in 1882.[103]
80[97]
Spared the same fate, the 4th Sikh Infantry was employed in the expedition of 1895 earning the honour
In 1895 the Derajat and Hazara Mountain Batteries were CHITRAL.[100]
part of the relief expedition that was rewarded with the
The Frontier Revolt of 1897-8 saw the 3rd Sikh and
honour CHITRAL.[100]
2nd Punjab Infantries employed in the Tirah CamThe Frontier Revolt of 1897-8 saw the Kohat and Derajat paign, earning them the honors TIRAH and PUNJAB
batteries in action again, earning the honours TIRAH and FRONTIER. The 5th Gurkha Ries was also awarded
PUNJAB FRONTIER.[101]
PUNJAB FRONTIER.[101]
In 1901 the battery numbers were dropped, and they be- In 1903 the four Sikh Infantry regiments were brought
came known by name only.[102] Two years later the four into the new Indian Army Line by adding fty to their
mountain batteries were re-numbered from twenty-one, original numbers:and the former Pier batteries were thus: 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)[87]
22nd Derajat Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)[88]
23rd Peshawar
Force)[90]
Mountain
Battery
(Frontier
[89]
4.6.3
Infantry
Although never designated as such, the 5th Gurkha RegThe 5th Gurkha Ries (Frontier Force) took on the subiment was brigaded with the force in practice.[70]
sidiary title denoting their origin.[95]
All but two of the infantry regiments took the eld in the
Second Afghan War, and their subsequent awards were:-
10
MILITARY FORMATIONS
Chronology
[106]
[110]
11
See also
Military history of Pakistan
List of Pashtun empires and dynasties
[27] Ocial History of Operations on the N. W. Frontier of India 1920-35 pp. 66 & 67
[28] Stiles p. 105
Bannu District
Gomal River
Kohat Pass
Tank
Notes
[37] John Masters (1956). Bugles and a tiger: a volume of autobiography. Viking Press. p. 190. Retrieved 5 April
2011.
12
6 NOTES
[65] Roger, p. 56
[96] The Punjab then included what later became the NorthWest Frontier Province
[98] Gaylor, p. 84
[100] Roger, p. 63
[101] Roger p. 64-5
[102] Gaylor p. 107
[103] Gaylor, p.175
13
[112] Formed from the remnant North Waziristan Militia, Chenevix Trench, p. 51
[113] Formed from the Mohmand Militia and the remnant South
Waziristan Militia
[114] Chenevix Trench, p.263
[115] Formed by upgrading the Mekran and Chagai Levy Corps
[116] Chenevix Trench, p.280
[117] Incorporated the Gilgit Scouts
[118] Formed from Labour Battalions raised in the 1930s
[119] Chenevix Trench, p.281
[120] The Third Afghan War 1919 Ocial Account, p.19
Robson, Brian (2007). The Road to Kabul: The Second Afghan War 18781881. Spellmount. Stroud,
Gloucestershire. ISBN 978-1-86227-416-7.
Roger, Alexander (2003). Battle Honours of the
British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces
16621991. Crowood Press. Marlborough, Wiltshire. ISBN 1-86126-637-5.
Stiles, Richard G. M. (1992). The Story of the India
General Service Medal 19081935. Terence Wise.
Knighton, Powys. ISBN 1-85674-010-2.
Sumner, Ian (2001). The Indian Army 19141947.
Osprey Publishing. Oxford. ISBN 1-84176-196-6.
References
Army Headquarters, India (1919). Quarterly Indian
Army List January 1919. Calcutta.
Barthorp, Michael (1982). The North-West Frontier,
New Orchard (rst edition, later edition below).
Barthorp, Michael (2002). Afghan Wars and the
North-West Frontier 18391947. Cassell. London.
ISBN 0-304-36294-8.
Battles Nomenclature Committee (1921). The Ofcial Names of the Battles and other Engagements
fought by the Military Forces of the British Empire
during the Great War, 19141919, and the Third
Afghan War 1919. His Majestys Stationery Oce,
London.
Chenevix Trench, Charles (1985). The Frontier
Scouts. Jonathan Cape. London. ISBN 0-22402321-7.
Cross, J. & Buddhiman Gurung (2002). Gurkhas at
War. Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-727-4.
Jackson, Maj. Donovan (1940).
Sampson Low. London.
Indias Army.
8 Further reading
General Sta Branch, Army Headquarters, India
(1923). Operations in Waziristan 1919-20. Government Central Press. Delhi. Republished jointly by
the Naval & Military Press and the Imperial War
Museum. ISBN 1-84342-773-7.
Ocial History of Operations on the N. W. Frontier of India 193637. Republished jointly by the
Naval & Military Press and the Imperial War Museum. ISBN 1-84342-765-6/
Greenwood, Adrian (2015). Victorias Scottish Lion:
The Life of Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde. UK: History Press. p. 496. ISBN 0-75095-685-2.
Stewart, Jules (2007). The Savage Border: The
Story of the North-West Frontier. Sutton Publishing.
Stroud, Gloucestershire. ISBN 978-0-7509-44526/
Moreman, Tim (1998). The Army in India and
the Development of Frontier Warfare 18471947.
Macmillan: London.
9 External links
Sikhs contribution in First World War
14
War One and Its Impact Upon Punjabis
True Face of the Sikhs
The Risings on the North West Frontier
Pashto History - the Frontier Corps
Learning from History
EXTERNAL LINKS
15
10
10.1
10.2
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