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There
had been growing unrest among the frontier tribes, stimulated
by what is nowadays called Muslim Fundamentalism. There had been
the success of the Turks over the Greeks in 1895 and the Amir
of Afghanistan’s book in which he advocated Jehad, or Holy
War. There was the more direct influence of Moslem priests who
regarded British occupation of the Malakand and Chitral in 1896
as a serious threat to their influence and incited revolt. Tension
came to a head in the summer of 1897 when the Mohmands, who inhabited
the country north of Peshawar, attacked frontier forts and crossed
the border to raid villages. This led to the formation of the
Malakand Field Force which 1st Queen’s joined that August.
The Force took the initiative against the Mohmand tribes after
their initial attacks were repulsed. The heaviest fighting involving
the Queen’s was the repulse of a massive night attack on
their camp in the Mawagai valley on 20th September. The Battalion
was armed with the new Lee-Enfield rifle. Winston Churchill, who
was then a young military correspondent, watched the battle. In
his despatch he wrote:
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1st Bn The Queen’s Royal Regiment at the
action at Mawagai, 20th September 1897.
B Coy Lt H A Engleque, D Coy Capt Glasgow.
Winston Churchill was there.
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“The
fire of the British was crushing, their discipline was admirable,
and the terrible weapon with which they were armed, and its more
terrible bullet, stopped every rush. The soldiers, confident in
their power, were under perfect control. When the enemy charged,
the order to employ magazine fire was passed along the ranks.
The guns fired star shell. These great rockets bursting into stars
in the air slowly fell to the ground, shedding a pale and ghastly
light on the swarming figures of the tribesmen as they ran swiftly
forward. Then the popping of musketry became one intense roar,
as the cartridges which the magazine holds were discharged almost
instantaneously. Nothing could live in front of such fire. Valour,
ferocity, fanaticism, availed nothing. All were swept away. The
whistles sounded, the independent fire stopped with machine-like
precision, and the steady section volleys were resumed. This happened
not once but a dozen times during the six hours the attack was
maintained.”
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