A Land of War-like Tribes

Radio Record, Volume VI, Issue 11, 23 September 1932, Page 1

A Land of War-like Tribes

' A series of ‘talks on the North-West Frontier will be given from 1YA on. Wednesday evenings, at 9.2 p.m., commencing September 28, by Captain R. R.: B. Falcon, of the Indian Army, who is at present in New Zealand on furlough. The accompanying article, intended as an introduction to this series, outlines the history of this small but most turbulent of Great Britain’s possessions.

| 4 A scrimmage in a Border Stattonan A canter down some dark defileTwo thousand pounds of education Drops to a ten-rupee *jezail. --Kipling, "Arithmetic on the Frontier." . *Rifle. ie the average man were asked to name the , ‘ greatest danger spot in the British Empire he would probably hesitate and change the conversation to the visiting Australian. cricketers, or.the unemployment problem. Actually, the question is not difficult to answer, for those who have kept abreast of the times in their study of world affairs would have no hesitation in pointing to the North-West Frontier of India as the weakest link: in Britain’s chain of Empire possessions. . : .Eighty-three years have passed since this country of turbulent tribesmen was annexed by Great Britain, and during this period there has seldom been a time when the authorities have not been engaged in suppressing rebellion, either actual or incipient. Since the war the North-West Frontier province has been a hotbed of Soviet agents, who have worked assiduously to make the province a "point d’appui" for their-nefarious activities against Britain’s Indian | Empire. © oT It is perhaps not generally known that at the end of last -year plans had been completed by the "Red Shirts" (insurgents) for a general rising. Everything was in readiness, but on Christmas Eve lightning raids by police and military broke up the masses of "Red Shirts" and the arrest of their ‘leaders caused the collapse of the rebellion. . i A series of talks on the North-West Frontier will be given from 1Y4, Auckland, on’ Wednesday evenings at 9.2 p.m., commencing on. Segrember 28, by Captain R. R. B. Falcon, of the Indian Army, who is at present in New Zealand on furlough. , APTAIN FALCON was born on the Frontier, his father being an officer in the Frontier Force. He left India when seven years of age and returned there as an Army officer in 1904. He spent fifteen years in the Frontier Force, and has an intimate knowledge of the. villages and tribes, as he has acted as recruiting officer for the Pathans. \ The North-West Frontier. Province is the most northerly province iof British India. It was created on October 25, 1901, and comprises ‘the country north of Baluchistan, between the Indus and Afghanistan. It may be described as the country of the Pathans. Around this nucleus have collected many tribes of foreign origin. They now have a common language, but remain tribally distinct. For centuries they maintained their independence. After the second Sikh war, by ‘the proclamation of March 24, 1894, the frontier districts were annexed by the British Government. The: proposal to make the: frontier’ districts

into a separate province administered by an officer of special experience dates back to the Vice-Royalty of Lord Lytton, who in April, 1877, said :-- . "Y believe that the North-West. Frontier presents at this moment a spectacle unique in the world; at ledst. I know of no other spot where, after 25 years of peaceful occupation, a great civilised Power has obtained so little influence over its semi-savage (Continued overleaf.),

ont De neighbours, and acquired so little know‘ledge of them that the country within a@ day’s ride of its most important gartison is an absolute terra incognito, and that there is absolutely no security for British life 3 mile or two. beyond our border." The result of this minute was that a frontier Commissionership, including Sind, was sanctioned by the Home Government and Sir Frederick (after Lord): Roberts, had been designated as the first Commissioner when the outbreak of the second Afghan War caused the project to be postponed. Twenty-three years later the project was successfully brought to completion by Lord Curzon, but on a more modest scale than Lord Lytton’s proposals. In the course of 2 recent interview Captain Falcon stated that things on the frontier were quiet at present; any isolated uprisings were purely local, The tribes, he said, were very pleased with their new system of government. They were governed by a Army officer. The reason for the long history of trouble on the frontier could be explained by the natural desire of the tribes to fight. They could not help it, it was more or less inherited. They were always fighting, and they Were always looting. The disturbances that had taken place were merely ordinary occurrences in ‘the normal lives of the tribes. . These, rather naturally perhaps, had been exaggerated in the eyes of the public,. by. rea#on of the fact that India, where there was serious trouble at times, was apt te be confused with the border region. Any recent raidings in the border were purely normal happenings. The tribesmen, Captain Falcon added, were very fierce, bearded and warlike men. They were very treacherous, and were always ready to plunder, or to kill or murder. They needed to be dealt with firmly. Captain Falcon is well’ known in ‘Auckland, where he delivered’ a number of lectures on conditions in Afghananistan and surrounding country some years ago. He is shortly to return to his army position at Poona.