BACK TO CHAKDARA

Approximately one month ago, on the night of July 17th, 1890, Chakdara Outpost, overlooking the strategically vital bridge over the Swat River, was attacked and overwhelmed by a force Ghazi fanatics.  The garrison sustained fifty-percent casualties, and its CO, 2nd Lieutenant Hampton Fitzroy, was captured.

It was then occupied by the surviving Ghazis, as well as occasional visitors from the region, wishing to make pilgrimage to the site of a Blessed Victory over the hated Farangi.  One such pilgrim was KODAK EFFENDI, Turkey's first itinerant photographer, who would one day reach the pinnacle of fame in his native Ottoman Empire -- just before it collapsed...

Extremely rare photo of Kodak Effendi & camera crew, in action on the Swat River:

Kodak Effendi took a series of photographs at Chakdara, immortalizing both the victorious Ghazis and the British dead.  One such photo is seen here:

Since then, the number of Ghazis present on any particular date has varied, but tonight it was a large number, nearly 20...

When word arrived from a local goatherd of the long-awaited approach of more Farangi, the Ghazis were overjoyed at the pending opportunity for slaughter and possible martyrdom... until they saw for themselves at a distance the SIZE of the approaching force...

It was not a detachment or a wing or even a battalion -- BUT A FULL BRIGADE -- which they also noted with surprise was coming from the OPPOSITE DIRECTION they had expected.

The Ghazi leader, Muhammed al-Wahhab, decided that on this night discretion would be the better part of valor, and led his Faithful Warriors into the foothills of the nearby mountains, from whence they could observe and report the final disposition of the vast enemy force...

And so, as 1st Brigade Chitral Field Force's ADVANCE PARTY of 2nd Gurkhas and 77th Bengal Lancers reached Chakdara Outpost...

They found it abandoned, and moved on.

The rest of the Brigade, under command of Brigadier-General McGuinness, marched past the Outpost and then crossed the bridge over the Swat River, en route to relieve Chitral Fort...

Advance Party 2nd Gurkhas crossing the Bridge over the Swat River...

More 2nd Gurkhas and 77th Bengal Lancers securing the Bridge...

1st Battalion 66th KRRC march past Chakdara Outpost en route to the Bridge...

Bengal Mountain Battery (mule born) march past Chakdara...

1st Battalion, 72nd Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders march past...

Guides Infantry marching past...

Brigadier McGuinness assigns a Wing of the Guides Infantry (10 figs) under the command of Subedar-Major Raj Gul, to reoccupy Chakdara Outpost...

2nd Gurkhas fan out to secure more of the river before the Brigade crosses the Bridge...

The Wing of Guides Infantry (10 figs) under command of Subedar-major Raj Gul secure Chakdara Outpost... which they will hold until relieved.

Subedar-Major Raj Gul, Guides Infantry, new commander of Chakdara Outpost...

Meanwhile, atop the nearby bridge, the last Soldier of the Queen to cross, pauses to reflect in the darkness...

He is Regimental Sergeant-Major Lawrence Brom, 72nd Highlanders, and he's reflecting on the approach of his 50th birthday, and how his daughters Lorelai and Christine had promised to travel from their family home in Glasgow, Scotland, to wherever he was posted, in order to celebrate that coming day together with him...

But with revolt in the air all along the Frontier, Sgt. Major Brom thanks his lucky stars that his daughters have not done so... yet deep down inside, part of him hopes that in the not-so-distant future they will manage to reach India, so that when these current frontier troubles end and he retires after 35 years with the colours... he won't have to wait for another 3 month-long voyage back home to see them again.  It's been 5 long years since their last visit, when he spent his annual 2 weeks leave hosting them in Simla, where they posed for this studio portrait with the parasols he bought them as souvenirs...

A memory fresh and yet so far...

Sgt. Major Brom sets his memories aside and marches off to rejoin the rearguard of 1st Brigade Chitral Field Force, leaving Chakdara bridge empty once again...

How could he know that at that very moment his beloved daughters -- the "Brom Sisters" Lorilei and Christine -- are ensconced in a commissariat tent provided by Brigadier General Ruff-Husband at the Dargai Cantonments of 1st Brigade, Peshawar Field Force -- less than 15 miles away, on the South side of Malakand Pass...

Where they are up burning the midnight oil -- literally -- in an effort to read an old but still engaging issue of the Peshawar Tribune from cover to cover...

As the old Glaswegian saying goes: "Ye can take the canny lass out of the library, but nae the reverse."

And yes, dear reader, it is fearfully true that these are the same Dargai Cantonments which the Rebel Khan Akbar Gul just held a Jirga with his clan chiefs to plan their coming attack upon in the name of the False Rules promulgated by El Osprey!

TO BE CONTINUED...