No white man had ever penetrated the upper valleys of Tirah, and our knowledge was based on the information of the Afridi officers and men, who for forty years had formed the backbone of so many of our Punjab regiments. The frontier town of Kohat formed the base of operations, which had of necessity, owing to the absence of roads, to be carried on in one single line. The advance took place on October 18, and two days later the Dargai Heights, which commanded the entrance to the valley, were stormed, with a loss of 200 killed and wounded. The Afridis were too wise to risk a general engagement. They had been trained in our own school, had studied under our officers, and had well learned their lesson. Instead of wasting life in futile attacks on our troops when in mass, they waged a ceaseless war against convoys or survey parties. Sir William Lockhart remained in occupation of the Afridi country until the middle of December, when negotiations for peace were opened; but it was not until the commencement of April, 1898, that the Afridis consented to pay the fines imposed or to give up the rifles demanded.
Battlefields in NORTHERN INDIA
Our casualties, which are set out in detail in the subjoined return, amounted to 23 British officers, 4 native officers, and 287 other ranks killed; 56 British officers, 16 native officers, and 853 of all ranks wounded—a tribute to the gallantry of our foe and to the musketry training of the British officers who had taught them how to shoot.
Casualties in the Tirah Expedition.
| Regiments. | Officers. | Men. | ||
| K. | W. | K. | W. | |
| Royal Artillery | 1 | 2 | 4 | 21 |
| 2nd Queen's | - | 2 | 10 | 29 |
| 11th Devons | - | - | - | 9 |
| 19th Yorkshire | 1 | 3 | 6 | 33 |
| 21st Roy. Scots Fusiliers | - | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| 25th K.O. Scottish Borderers | - | 3 | 7 | 34 |
| 39th Dorsets | 4 | 4 | 19 | 65 |
| 48th N'amptons | 3 | 1 | 23 | 41 |
| 75th Gordon H. | 2 | 8 | 9 | 63 |
| 95th Derbyshire | 1 | 1 | 8 | 33 |
| Roy. Engineers | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| 18th Bengal Lancers | - | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 15th Sikhs | 2 | 7 | 11 | 35 |
| 30th Punjabis | - | - | 3 | 8 |
| 36th Sikhs | - | 5 | 15 | 50 |
| 53rd Sikhs | - | 4 | 8 | 28 |
| 56th Punjab R. | 2 | - | 5 | 27 |
| 121st Pioneers | - | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| 128th Pioneers | - | 1 | 9 | 24 |
| 2nd Gurkhas | 4 | 4 | 23 | 75 |
| 3rd Gurkhas | 1 | 3 | 13 | 43 |
[CHAPTER XXVI]
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SOUTH AFRICA, 1899-1902