INDIAN FRONTIER BATTLE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 23, 3 January 1916, Page 6

INDIAN FRONTIER BATTLE.

l HILL TRIBES REPULSED. k A SPLENDID REi^IF"MARCH. An officer describing the “biggest fight” on the Indian north-west frontier since 1&97 .says the British and native forte v rovered a ;y mile • march to Abazai, - where the revolting Mohinand and Hunan Khel tribes'were reported in force, in 10 actual marching hours, “which,,’ 1 he.-says r “is niost f extraordinarily good as we were night marching and going along die most appalling roads I have ever seen. The Katpha Road, which, runs along the whole length of the 'Swul Canal from Takh Bhai to Abazai, was. about 2ft. deep in dust,and you con imagine what this was, like .with xayalry on ahead of us and all our transport. I shall never forget the march as long as I live nor will the others } and added to the dust was; tlje- fryjbtfirl heat. Not a man fell out, which is an extraordinary performance, especially as the last nine miles frdm Zearn P"* to Abazai were done hottest part of the day—l2 to 3 p.m. SURROUNDED BY MOHMANDS. Arrived at Abazai, the hottest and most mosquito and sandfly ridden . place on the frontier, the weary soldiers were bitten terribly all night. At 9 a.m. (September 4) they were ordered to^Mata levy 4 post' on • tile Shnbkadr-Ahazai Road. At .Malta they . learned front the levies (120 rifles and 30 sowars) that tfiev- had been heavily engaged by the ’cjicniV Oil the' Foothills, “It was only by the grace of Heaven that they ever reached the post, as the Mohmands, estimated at 3000 strong, had' 1 pVailicit-ily surrounded them.” “The euerfty, reported to he about • 20,000 strong, were occupying a very • strong position on a rahge oi hills call- , ed the Hafiz Kor, about four miles west of Shabkadr, and it was the intention of the General Officer Commanding to attack viodt dajv a Si inday. The British and native troops numbered in ail some 10,000, Next day we started lor Malta at 5.30 a.m., reaching tlibre ‘ at 1 a.m. From here we could see thousands ol the enemy flying for their lives I coin the plain towards the hills, and we all said “The cavalry 1 HfaVe*- -'info them.”

ACCURATE RIFLE FIRE. ■ mnrf ’ vaavmiw “Heavy howitzers began to shell the retreating enemy and the enemy on the hills. The shells raised ewjimous clouds of dust fiiidM these were all high-explosive shells and must have played great havoc. We then got the order p. udvmumumd swere5 were soon in action. gan firing at us at lIQP yal’ds, and their lire was extraordinarily accurate. "Wo have two mountain battery guns which were ary accuracy. We could distinctly see the shells bursting over the enemy's position and the enemy evacuating the sangars as quickly as . possible. “After about an hour and a-half we were getting very »H‘ar the cuicmy’s position, and their firej®E®ilei!ltei&, very hot, and very accurate. 1 was on ahead with the Officer Commanding when up rode thretf{lMUW#WßteJ from the direction of fehahkadi to find out what was happening. We, stood in the shade of a trqe exceedingly hot. No sooner had uo all got there than the enemy spotted us and let us have it last ; so wo ch-ai-ed as tlieir fire was too accurate to he pleasant.

‘We advanced aniicAmc 'into 'sortie open country with not a shred ol cover of any.sort.. had got the range of this to an inch. I -,. was in a horrid funk, as this was my first effort under really heavy fire. The enemy were especially keen on shooting down the officers, and whenever they saw a sign ol an officei they let.him have it. The. enemy, t°°, were very brave. Six got within 50 yards of the guns .before they were seen and shot ip# >1 f C?' vlt fit “In the meanwhile- the enemy had , . worked round our final?'and, we wcrein a bad position, as they WiM% heavily enfilading us and still4hevF- fire was very accurate’, 'had to'•shift and take np another position.- How we * did not Me heavily-na'one knows, -Imfi wo managed Id 'get oiit'of 'rather.'- a nasty position - in the midk’’of time and. took up VsWdhgei’’ tVUe TaVthor hack,, which We had time to consolidate. “In th© meanwhile.. there was a hot battle golrig*oil'. on .oqr.fett flatik. fine brigade were very ’ heavily pressed. The enemy yvo'fe' retiring and farther into the’ hills,, and as the General Officer { | want to/get'into a Ty’ilpWrdni which it jvonlcl have been clifficdft to extricate himself ho ordered a general retirement. ‘ ■ '

ENEMY IN KflAKf,

“The e flic same as ours, and they came on line atfeV line iii dxtcduWl. 'order. They' ‘ 'Wel'o controlled tllb some -1 as «rtr people. AH,'Or nearly AUI, Whre Wear- : lug khaki or greyish clothes, which made' them invisibly at''long ranges'. They harassed Wa(Ftlio W;jy hack . to Matta, luit llrftl-Vt groiit •iVspe( ; f. Tor nil! 1 'guns, : a''satcj distance. . ~ • ' ■ j “One brigade Was very heavily pressed indeed in the retirement as they had got right into the Whs. end into the Mohmand country.''W learnt on', the 7th Um|,the ca v ?ilr^^^de.hadr got right .into thy onejpy, and kilhuh 1000 itt their,..The. had inip Wp,, l^V ns r a h‘ l

thfen, of course, there was no hope lor them, : a.s ■ the ca valry got into them, and thejpewple Ve first of all saw running likhhares into the hills were the survivors of the cavalry charge. uTlie authorities say that this is the biggest fight they have had on the frontier since 1897.”

“The officer adds that the British casualties were Five officers killed, eight wounded. Twenty-seven men killed and 83 wounded. “This is extraordinarily heavy for one action and is witness to the excellent markmanship of the Mohmands. Their losses are estimated at 1130 to 1250 killed and wounded. The. Mohmands got hold of a Sikh in the 72i)d Punjabis, gouged out his eyes, and then skinned him alive—a most awful -sight. I saw the body after. They mutilated all British officers.”