The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Encyclopedia
The Story of the Malakand Field Force: An Episode of Frontier War was an 1898 book written by Winston Churchill
; it was his first published work of non-fiction.
on the Northwest Frontier
(an area now part of Pakistan
). Churchill participated in the campaign as a second lieutenant in the cavalry
; he volunteered for the posting, having become bored of playing polo
in India.
Moving through the land mostly by political care, and paying local khans
to support them, they moved into the mountains to fight an essentially punitive campaign against the Pashtun
tribes, in response to repeated brutal armed raids on the villages of the Plains of India. Crops were burnt, wells were filled with stone and houses burnt, and the occasional firefight broke out in the mountains. This campaign effectively neutralised the aggressors for several decades.
Churchill makes some observations about fanaticism of the tribal warriors:
The Indian government was concerned about where the frontier of India should be. The Russian frontier had advanced in a few decades to the Pamirs, and there was real concern that a force of cossacks could traverse the Hindu Kush
and invade India. To resist this the Forward Policy held that the passes should be held by the Indian government through its vassals. A recent uprising in Chitral
, arising from a series of dynastic murders, had more or less accidentally led to a campaign to relieve the British garrison there. In the aftermath of the campaign a substantial force held the road, based at the Malakand, and subsidising local rulers. The peaceful conditions improved the lot of the Pashtuns, but eventually an uprising occurred, and the camp was attacked.
The attacks were beaten off, but a force was assembled under Sir Bindon Blood
to punish the aggressors, many of whom had come out of Swat and Bunerwal which had not felt the force of British power and were spoiling for a fight. A young Winston Churchill arranged to be attached to the force.
His experiences in this campaign meant that, unlike most military thinkers of the time, he could better understand the stalemate of WWI trench warfare
. This undoubtedly influenced his choice to invest government research and funds into the development of the tank
via the Landships Committee
when he was First Lord of the Admiralty.
Churchill also came to believe that British imperialism could be used to establish the rule of law
, promote commerce, and eventually encourage the development of stable political institutions in these regions. In sum, he maintained that the British Empire
was a civilizing empire, capable of improving the physical and moral conditions of the uncivilized.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
; it was his first published work of non-fiction.
Writing
It details an 1897 military campaignSiege of Malakand
The Siege of Malakand was the 26 July – 2 August 1897 siege of the British garrison in the Malakand region of colonial British India's North West Frontier Province...
on the Northwest Frontier
Northwest Frontier
North West Frontier is a 1959 British adventure film starring Kenneth More and Lauren Bacall. The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson from a screenplay by Robin Estridge and also features Wilfrid Hyde-White, Herbert Lom and I. S...
(an area now part of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
). Churchill participated in the campaign as a second lieutenant in the cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
; he volunteered for the posting, having become bored of playing polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
in India.
Moving through the land mostly by political care, and paying local khans
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
to support them, they moved into the mountains to fight an essentially punitive campaign against the Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
tribes, in response to repeated brutal armed raids on the villages of the Plains of India. Crops were burnt, wells were filled with stone and houses burnt, and the occasional firefight broke out in the mountains. This campaign effectively neutralised the aggressors for several decades.
Churchill makes some observations about fanaticism of the tribal warriors:
The Indian government was concerned about where the frontier of India should be. The Russian frontier had advanced in a few decades to the Pamirs, and there was real concern that a force of cossacks could traverse the Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
and invade India. To resist this the Forward Policy held that the passes should be held by the Indian government through its vassals. A recent uprising in Chitral
Chitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
, arising from a series of dynastic murders, had more or less accidentally led to a campaign to relieve the British garrison there. In the aftermath of the campaign a substantial force held the road, based at the Malakand, and subsidising local rulers. The peaceful conditions improved the lot of the Pashtuns, but eventually an uprising occurred, and the camp was attacked.
The attacks were beaten off, but a force was assembled under Sir Bindon Blood
Bindon Blood
General Sir Bindon Blood GCB was a British military commander who served in Egypt, Afghanistan, India and Africa.-Military career:...
to punish the aggressors, many of whom had come out of Swat and Bunerwal which had not felt the force of British power and were spoiling for a fight. A young Winston Churchill arranged to be attached to the force.
Legacy
In the book, Churchill observes the incredible killing power of the new breech loading weapons. The Pashtun tribesmen, sure of victory by numbers and simply overrunning British camps, were cut down en masse by repeating rifles of the British Imperial forces. Six-foot-high piles of bodies are described outside the fire trenches surrounding the temporary Brigade camps.His experiences in this campaign meant that, unlike most military thinkers of the time, he could better understand the stalemate of WWI trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
. This undoubtedly influenced his choice to invest government research and funds into the development of the tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
via the Landships Committee
Landships Committee
The Landships Committee was a small British war cabinet committee established in February 1915 to deal with the design and construction of what would turn out to be tanks during the First World War...
when he was First Lord of the Admiralty.
Churchill also came to believe that British imperialism could be used to establish the rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
, promote commerce, and eventually encourage the development of stable political institutions in these regions. In sum, he maintained that the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
was a civilizing empire, capable of improving the physical and moral conditions of the uncivilized.