SIKKIM - 1888 Early in 1888, Tibetan troops occupied part of Sikkim on the borders of Tibet, an area over which Britain had treaty rights. With the objective of turning the Tibetan garrison out of Lingtu, Colonel T. Graham R.A. took the field, on 25th February 1888, with 200 men of the 2nd Bn. Derbyshire Regiment; 400 men of the 13th Bengal Infantry and 700 men of the 32nd Pioneers with 4 guns of the Royal Artillery. Ordered not to invade Tibet,.he was instructed that, if attacked, he could pursue his attackers over the border and he was to try to effect surrender or dispersion of the Tibetan garrison without loss of life on either side. Hampered by thawing snow at 12,600 feet above sea level the force advanced along a steep road through a bamboo jungle in two columns to attack and capture without loss some stockades and a rudimentary fort garrisoned by Tibetans armed with matchlooks, bows and-slings. During the operation archers in the trees fired large numbers of arrows without much effect. Later, in June, about 3,000 Tibetans attacked the Base Camp at Gnathong and were repulsed after three hours heavy fighting with the loss of 100 men against British casualties of 3 killed and 11 wounded. These operations were made unpleasant for the force through incessant rain -- the average rainfall in this area is 140 inches and lasts from May to November. Graham was reinforced until he had 1,700 men with 4 guns and in September the force turned out to attack a wall four feet high and three miles long constructed by the Tibetans on a ridge near the Jelap-La-Pass. It was manned by about 7,000 Tibetans who ineffectively discharged jingals and smoothbore cannon but were soon demoralised by the artillery as Graham advanced in a heavy mist with the Turkhas, the Derbyshires and the Pioneers taking position after position. THE HAZARA FIELD FORCE On 7th September 1888, a punitive expedition under Brigadier-General J.W. McQueen was sent into th Black Mountains to punish tribes for killing two British officers and four Ghurkhas. Totalling nearly 9,500 officers and men, the expedition consisted of three Mountain Batteries; one Company of Sappers and Miners; nine Bns, of Native Infantry; Royal Irish Regiment; Northumberland Fusiliers; Suffolks; Seaforth Highlanders and Royal Sussex, plus Gatling guns. No tents were taken and the only baggage allowed was half a mule load for each officer and 16 lbs per other rank. Each man carried 70 rounds of ammunition with 30 rounds per rifle loaded on to mules; five days food supplies were carried. Marching out in five columns on 3rd October 1888, the force were fiercely engaged almost at once in rocky and mountainous country and over steep slopes and crags. The paths were so steep that even the mules could not ascend them and fourteen mules were killed by falling over precipices while one mile long ascent took a column twelve hours to cover. Constant casualties were caused by tribesmen sniping at camps during the night and many villages were destroyed during hard and bitter fighting before the tribesmen submitted and were dispersed, British casualties consisted of 2 officers and 23 men killed, 3 officers and 54 men wounded. The columns were back in British territory on 13th October. OPERATIONS IN THE BLACK MOUNTAINS - 1891 On 12th March 1891 Major-General W.L.Elles marched out with a force of 7,300 officers and men with 15 guns, including Seaforth Highlanders; Royal Welsh Fusiliers and K.R.R.C. Working in two columns, the force were heavily engaged in the narrow streets of Kanar village where the enemy fired from the flat rooftops. Through the force occupying all the commanding ground within range, the tribesmen were forced to withdraw. Those tribes who did not make their submission had their villages burned and the British force returned by 9th June, having lost 9 killed and 39 wounded. EXPEDITION TO THE ZHOH VALLEY - 1890 Major-General Sir G.S. White led the Zhoh Field Force into the Zhoh Valley on 1st October 1890 to capture Dost Muhammad, a rebel leader but unable to find him or his band of outlaws, there was no fighting. Subsequently Sir George White decided to impress the natives by marching troops to the top of the celebrated Takht-i-Suliman, the highest part of the great mountain range, using paths up the precipitous eastern face that were considered impassable even to mountain cattle and sheep. Often scrambling up on hands and knees after lying sleepless under 6 of frost at night, the men accomplished the hard climb, Writing in his despatch General White said: "The ascent .... was by far the most difficult physical operation I have ever called upon soldiers to perform, and the fact that the Britis] soldiers and Baluchi sepoys, fully accoutred, scaled these dangerous heights, will not be lost on the Shiranis." (the local tribesmen). THE SECOND MIRANZAI FIELD FORCE - 1891 Although not such fine men nor as formidable as the Afridis, the Ovakzai tribe were wiry mountain who had frequently been troublesome so that punitive expeditions consisting of native troops had been sent against them in the past. Brigadier Neville Chamberlain in 1863; Major Jones and Lieutenant P. Cavagnari in 1868; and in 1869 two company's of the 36th Foot took part in an expedition under Lieutenant Colonel Keyes. The first Miranzai Field Force under General Sir William Lockhart went out in January 1891, encountering light opposition but sustaining 33 cases of frostbite because of the 200 below freezing night-time temperature. After an apparently successful operation the force broke up, but a few days later further murderous and treacherous attacks were made on small parties of troops. Lockhart raised another force of about 7,400 men including King's Royal Rifles and half a battalion of the Manchester Regiment, marched out on 17th April 1891. Covering a lot of ground, the operations were highly successful and culminated in the blowing-up of their defensive towers in the presence of tribal gatherings. Two powerful tribes had their countries traversed and mapped for the first time and the Afridis in the Khanki Valley were shown that the British had the power to reach them. Total British casualties between 4th April and 15th May amounted to 28 killed and 73 wounded. EXPEDITION AGAINST THE ISAZAI TRIBES-- 1892 In 1892 there was a widespread coalition among the tribes in the Chagarzai territory against the British. Almost without precedent on this border, the situation could be compared with the Ambela outbreak of 1863 and, similarly due to a misunderstanding, the unrest was stimulated by the belief that a British force was going to march through Chagarzai territory to Thakot. Consequently, Major General Sir William Lockhart mounted an expedition, consisting of 6,250 men and 2 guns, which marched out in September 1892 to confront the Isazai tribes at Baio. Reaching the village without any opposition, the force destroyed the fort and then withdrew. The expedition is chiefly notable for the fir recorded use of the Maxim machine-gun on the frontier. Also exceptional was the unusually indifferent health record of the force who lost 24 men through cholera. SOMALILAND - 1890 Following an attack on a caravan by the White Ise tribe, in January 1890 an expedition was mounted consisting of a Naval Detachment; the Bombay Infantry and local levies. During the march to the territory of the tribe, the force were heavily attacked while within a zariba built for night protection, losing 4 killed and 16 wounded including the commander of the force in beating off the enemy. The tribe was punished by having their encampment burned and their stock driven off. MANIPUR - 1891 In 1890, the ruler of Manipur State voluntarily abdicated and his brother was appointed Regent his place - a situation that necessitated the Government of India demonstrating its strength by sending a military mission to the area. 400 men of the Gurkha Rifles were sent as escort to the Chief Commissioner of Assam but the force encountered difficulty and fought its way back to Cachar with some losses. In April 1891, a force of about 4,000 men including the 4th Bn. K.R.R.C. with some artillery were sent out and after encountering spasmodic but stubborn resistance reached Manipur later in the month. Manipur State was then declared forfeit to the British Crown. THE WAZIRISTAN FIELD FORCE - 1894 Following the mustering of a large force on the frontier to supervise the demarcation of the boundaries of Waziristan, the tribesmen of that area caused heavy casualties in a sudden night attack on the camp at Wana, only being beaten off after hand-to-hand fighting with Gurkhas. Subsequently 2nd December, Lieutenant-General Sir William Lockhart formed the Waziristan Field Force, consisting three brigades each made up of native infantry, cavalry and artillery with 2nd Bn. Border Regiment the 1st Brigade. Moving in columns, the force marched into Mahsud country in December 1894 and, all without opposition, carried out their task of extracting fines, destroying towers and fortifications and taking hostages together with sheep and 3attle. The 2nd and 3rd Brigades were back in camp by 22nd January 1895 while, under Colonel Gaselee the Border Regiment with Gurkhas and Punjab Infantry went out as the Demarcation Party. By the end of February the new boundaries had been established on 30th March the Waziristan Field Force was broken up. THE TOCHI FIELD FORCE Under the command of Major-General Corrie-Bird, the Tochi Field Force was formed, consisting of two brigades and included Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the Rifle Brigade in addition to native infantry and cavalry. Marching out on 20th July, the force engaged in sporadic skirmishing until October when the tribes submitted and paid their fines. The Tochi Field Force was gradually broken up by January 1898, having lost 6 men killed and 8 wounded in a campaign remarkable for the unusual amount of sickness amongst the troops. The climate of the Tochi valley is at all times try and the hurried marches in the middle of the hot weather encouraged a severe epidemic form of dysentery. OPERATIONS AGAINST THE OVAKZAIS AND CHAMKANNIS - 1897 There had been smouldering discontent among these tribes since 1891 when the British had occupied the Samana posts and in August 1897 the situation became serious enough to send reinforcements to the area, among them the Royal Scots Fusiliers. On 27th August Major-General Yeatman-Biggs marched out with a force composed of 180 Scots Fusiliers, 481 Punjab Infantry with artillery and a squadron of Punjab cavalry. In an engagement that took place in intense heat, 86 of the Scots Fusiliers had to be carried back to Kohat in ambulances, prostrate with the heat, while the total casualties were 2 killed and 1 officer and 7 men wounded. Reinforcements arrived at Kohat on the following day including 2nd Royal Irish Regiment and a Field Battery of the Royal Artillery and the force relieved some British garrisoned forts with dificulty. For the next few days large numbers of tribesmen burned, raided and destroyed posts and villages and besieged many of the forts that dotted the area, where the small British garrisons held out against large numbers of tribesmen until relief columns broke through. The operations concluded when the advancing British columns pushed back the tribesmen until the various tribes, one by one, made their submissions. "Consequently, in due course of time it became the soldier's fate to be cast for the role of a dependent or servant; and to this fundamental origin his later lowly state may partially be ascribe as well as to the fact that his condition continued to grow more and more depressed as all threat of invasion receded. Farther and farther from home did his service lead him, His finest hours might spent far from his native land. His triumphs, his fortitude in adversity, his patience in long periods of hardship, could pass unobserved. He might meet an heroic end in some distant region, yet remain unhonoured and un-sung. Such was his destiny during the many long years of England's early expansion overseas." Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 176 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1976 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com