494 CHAPTER XII.

THE TIRAH EXPEDITION.

/"THE expedition which was directed against the Afridis and Orakzais, under the -*" command of Sir William Lockhart,had to penetrate into a difficult, and to a great extent unknown, mountain land. It had to meet as enemies well-armed and warlike tribes whose fighting-men were numberedby tens of thousands. The Afridis alone werebelieved to be able to put 30,000meninto the field,of whom at least a half werearmedwith modernrifles.

MAIN COLUMN. (Under thepersonalcommandofSirW.Lockhart.) Chief of the Staff— Brigadier-General G. W.

Nicholson. ist Division— Major-General W.P. Symons.

ist Brigade:— Brigadier-General Ian Hamilton, V.C.— 2nd Derbyshire and ist Devonshire Regiment ; 2nd Battalion ist Goorkhas;30th Punjaubis.

2ndBrigade:— Brigadier-GeneralGaselee— 2nd Yorkshire and ist West Surrey Regiments; 2nd Battalion4th Goorkhas ; 3rd Sikhs. The intentions of the Indian Government were clearly set forth in a memorandum publishedon the eveof the advance. "Thegeneral object of this expedition," it said," is to exact reparation for the unprovoked aggression of the Afridiand Orakzai tribes on the Peshawur and Kohat borders, for the attacks on our frontier posts, and for the damage to life and property which have been inflicted on British subjects, and on those in theBritish service. It is believed that this object can best be attained by the invasion of Tirah, the summer home of the Afridis and Orakzais, which has never before beenentered by a British force."

Attached to the Division:— Two squadrons 18th Bengal Lancers ; three mountain batteries (one British and two native); 28th Bombay Pioneers;Nabha Imperial ServiceInfantry;and somecompaniesof Bombay andImperial Service Sappers.

2nd Division— Major-General Yeatman-Biggs. jrdBrigade:— Brigadier-General Kempster— 1st Gordon Highlanders; ist Dorsetshire Regiment; 15th Sikhs; and ist Battalion 2nd Goorkhas.

4thBrigade:— Brigadier-GeneralWestmacott— 2ndKing's Own Scottish Borderers;ist Northamptonshire Regiment; 36th Sikhs; and ist Battalion3rd Goorkhas.

The large armyassembled for these operations wasofficially knownas the"TirahExpeditionary Force." It was divided into five large sections. First there was the main body, an army corps of two divisions,which was to do the chief work of fighting its way into Tirah, starting from the neighbourhood of Kohat. Then a smaller force wasprovided to hold the linesof communication behind the advancing army. A brigade,known as the Peshawur Column, washeldin reserveat the frontier fortress, and another brigade, the KurramMovableColumn,waskept in theKurram Valley to observe the east end of the Samana Range. Then, as the army advanced, one auxiliary force guarded its communications; two others preventedanychance of the tribesmoving in the direction of Peshawur or the Kurram Valley. A third brigade was heldin reserve at Rawul Pindi in case reinforcements should be needed at any point.

Attached to the Division:— Two squadrons iSthBengal Lancers; three mountain batteries (two British,one native); a machine gun,and iletachment supplied by 16th Lancers; 21st Madras Pioneers ;3rd Imperial Service Infantry; and some companies of Madras and Imperial Service Sappers.

LINE OK COMMUNICATION TROOPS. Commander— Lieutenant-GeneralSir A.Bovver Palmer, 2nd and 22nd Punjaubis; 2nd Battalion 2nd Goorkhas ; 30th Garhwal Rifles ; 3rd Bengal Cavalry ;a Kashmir mountain battery;and a company of BengalSappers.

PESHAWUR COLUMN. Commander— Brigadier-GeneralA.G.Rammond.

2ndRoyalInniskilling Fusiliers; 2nd Oxfordshire Light Infantry ;9th Goorkhas;45thSikhs; 34th Pioneers; 57th Field Battery, and 3rd The following was the detailed organisation of Sir W. Lockhart's army, the largest force put into the field in India since the Mutiny ;—