Britain's Afghan Wars
by Peter Harrington
To many, Afghanistan is a distant, mysterious place known as a haven for terrorists, governed by Taliban extremists, and the scene of a 10-year war with Russia . For Britons, the name evokes images of the empire as it was just one more place among the litany of countries in which the British became embroiled in three conflicts in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Afghanistan is etched in the memory of Britain although that memory is fading quickly as a new generation emerges with little interest in empire stories. But for over a century, Afghanistan and the North-West Frontier (part of present-day Pakistan ) held the imagination of many due in large part to the writings of Rudyard Kipling, G. A. Henty, and others. Even Sherlock Holmes' fictional sidekick, Dr. John Watson, had fought in one of the wars. And just the mention of the Khyber Pass , the narrow traverse through the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan , conjured up scenes of lonely outposts, columns of troops being sniped at from the rocky ledges, and last stands. It entered the rhyming slang of the Cockneys of East London, and besides having an unprintable meaning, ‘up the Khyber' also meant being in a mess or in trouble, truth enough for the many who had the unfortunate experience of being stationed there.
Britain struggled mightily against the Afghans and the hill tribesmen of the Frontier but never succeeded in ruling the country. But that was never its aim. The Victorians viewed India as the ‘Jewel in the Crown' which had to be defended at all costs. While the country was developed as a market for British goods and a source of raw materials such as cotton, London was only too aware of the designs of the Russian empire on the region of south Asia . To ensure the security of India , it was vital to create a buffer zone of countries sympathetic to British rule, and the Indian Civil Servants set to work drawing-up treaties and alliances with local rulers, but not all were receptive to such overtures. Britain first invaded Afghanistan in 1838 to overthrow its ruler, Dost Muhammad, who was displaying sympathies towards Russia , and replace him with a puppet regime. The British columns stretched for miles due to the 50,000 camp followers and the 30,000 camels carrying everything including the officer's mess tents, tea services, folding beds and chairs, and all the ‘luxuries' the British officer took with him on campaign. The force was constantly being attacked by tribesmen while enduring temperatures of over 100°. Eventually Kabul was reached and Britain 's puppet-king, Shah Suja was installed. The country was under British rule for the next three years until November 1841 when the Afghans rose up against the foreigners and murdered one of the diplomats. Unable to move out of their barracks or cantonments as they were known, the British were pinned down. Relieving forces were defeated by the Afghans and the garrison was forced to evacuate Kabul . On January 6, 1842 , 4,500 British and Indian troops along with 12,000 camp followers set out in deep snow towards the relative safety of Jalalabad but were repeatedly harassed and attacked. Eventually, only one survivor, Dr. William Bryden, made it through, becoming a national hero and immortalized in oil by Lady Elizabeth Butler.
Over the next few years, relations between the country and British India remained tense and in 1878 another war broke out for the same reasons as the first. This time it was Shere Ali Khan who was making friendly moves towards the Russians. Following his rejection of an ultimatum, Anglo-Indian troops invaded the country. The first part of this conflict saw the British putting pressure on local rulers to support them, but following the massacre of a British mission in Kabul in 1879, the war took a turn for the worse with a number of British victories, and the humiliating defeat at Maiwand in 1880 where Dr. Watson was allegedly wounded. Lord Robert's famous march from Kabul to Kandaharl finally the forced abdication of the Afghan ruler. Some land including the Khyber Pass was ceded to Britain and a period of peace followed. The 1890s saw Anglo-Indian armies back on the North-West Frontier, this time fighting against Pathans, Mohmands, and Afridis who resented the British presence. It was in these conflicts that Kipling set his famous story of Gunga Din
In 1907, Britain and Russia pledged to respect Afghan sovereignty although Britain still had a strong influence over the country. The last war broke out in 1919 when, following a power struggle in the wake on the assassination of the Afghan leader, Habibullah Khan, the new government declared a jihad on Britain and sent troops across the border into India . These were difficult times for Britain having just emerged from four years of war which had fueled the growth of nationalism throughout its empire. This campaign was short-lived but did witness an aerial bombardment of Kabul . Peace was signed in August 1919 with Britain once again agreeing to recognize the independence of Afghanistan . Nonetheless, this war created instability on the North-West Frontier and sporadic fighting continued for several years particularly in the area known as Waziristan .
Although a peaceful people, when attacked or invaded Afghans proved formidable opponents and standard British tactics failed on more than one occasion against such resilient guerilla fighters. And if the British had the misfortune to be captured by the enemy, their demise was far from pleasant. As Kipling aptly put it in The Young British Soldier :
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan 's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
So-oldier of the Queen!
Peter Harrington is curator of the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection at Brown University Library
Reprinted from The Providence Journal with permission.