The Story of the Malakand Field Force: An Episode of Frontier WarChurchill, Winston
History
The Story of the Malakand Field Force: An Episode of Frontier War
Churchill, Winston
Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965; North-west Frontier Province (Pakistan) -- History; Prime ministers -- Great Britain -- Biography
BRITISH OFFICERS.
Killed--Hon. Lieutenant L. Manley, Commissariat Department.
Wounded dangerously--Major W.W. Taylor, 45th Sikhs.
Wounded severely--Lieut.-Colonel J. Lamb, 24th P.I.
" " Major L. Herbert, D.A.A.G.
" " Captain H.F. Holland, 24th P.I.
" " Lieutenant F.W. Watling, Q.O. Sappers and
Miners.
Of these Lieut.-Colonel Lamb and Major Taylor died of their wounds.
NATIVE RANKS.
Killed...... 21
Wounded..... 31
As soon as the first light of morning began to grow in the valley, two
companies of the 24th advanced and cleared the bazaar of such of the
enemy as had remained behind to plunder. The whole place had been
thoroughly ransacked, and everything of value destroyed or carried off.
The native manager had had a strange experience, and one which few men
would envy. He had remained hidden in the back of a tent during the
whole night in equal danger and terror of the bullets of the soldiers
and the swords of the enemy. Hearing the friendly voices, he emerged
uninjured from his retreat.
Desultory firing was maintained by the tribesmen all day.
While the close and desperate fighting, which has been described,
was raging in the south camp, the north camp had not been seriously
involved, and had spent a quiet, though anxious night. On the sound of
the firing on the Kotal being heard, four guns of No.8 Mountain Battery
were moved over to the south-east side of the camp, and several star
shells were fired. No large body of the enemy was however discovered.
Twice during the night the camp was approached by the tribesmen, but a
few rounds of shrapnel were sufficient to drive these away.
When General Meiklejohn found that the garrison of the north camp had
not been severely engaged, he ordered a force consisting of two guns and
the 31st Punjaub Infantry, under Major Gibbs, covered by forty sowars
of the 11th Bengal Lancers, and supported by a wing of the 24th, to move
out, reconnoitre the valley and clear it, as much as possible, of the
enemy. The column advanced in pursuit as far as Bedford Hill. Here they
came upon a large gathering of tribesmen, and as it was now evident that
a great tribal rising had broken out, Major Gibbs was ordered to return
and to bring his stores and troops into the Kotal camp without delay.
The infantry and guns thereupon retired and fell back on the camp,
covered by the 24th Punjaub Infantry.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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