Afghanistan
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On Guard Duty |
On 11 May the 1st Cavalry Brigade, of which the KDG formed a part, received sudden orders to march to Jamrud Fort on the frontier. On the 13th they moved on to Landi Khana and then to Dakka, a village in Afghan territory, north west of the Khyber Pass. They arrived at 1.30 p.m. to find Dakka deserted. The Afghans had established a camp and advanced base at Dakka, which had been bombed on the 11th by the RAF, causing the Afghans to abandon everything and flee. On the 15th ‘B’ Squadron under Captain Cooper went out to deal with some snipers and was fired upon. Lieutenant Card was slightly wounded but the accompanying guns of the RHA soon dispersed the tribesmen.
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The British Lines Kyber Pass |
At 5 a.m. on 16 May ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ Squadrons moved out to reconnoitre towards Basawal. Two troops under Lieutenants Card and Jacques examined Robart Fort and Sherabad Cantonment and found them clear of the enemy. The Khurd Khyber Pass was cleared by the infantry and, with the KDG acting as advance guard, moved into the plain beyond. Two troops under Lieutenants Ward and Boogle-Smith occupied a prominent conical hill as about a hundred of the enemy retired. While the rest of the regiment closed up, these two leading troops gave chase, galloping for about 1,000 yards but unable to come to grips because of the bad going. They therefore dismounted and dispersed the enemy with rifle fire. As the Afghans took refuge in Girdi village, the two troops remained as left flank guard while ‘D’ Squadron under Captain Wilson secured Girdi. The 15th Sikhs then advanced to clear the hills beyond, but it at once became clear that the Afghans had assembled in large numbers and resistance was stiffening. Supported by machine guns and artillery, a strong Afghan force started to work around the British left flank. A withdrawal to camp was ordered, and immediately the Afghans came on with great boldness and rapidity.
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KDG in the Kyber Pass |
As the 15th Sikhs and KDG retired by bounds, the Afghan rifle fire, augmented by two guns, began to cause casualties. This, in the need to take back the wounded, slowed down the regiment. Many of the Sikhs were evacuated on the KDG horses, and all the wounded were got back safely. As the force retired through the Khurd Khyber Pass, with ‘B’ and ‘C’ Squadrons KDG covering the withdrawal, the Sikh company picketing the heights was pulled in. ‘D’ Squadron then held the pass, retiring through ‘B’ and ‘C’ who had leapfrogged back to cover the exit to the pass. As the squadrons debouched onto the plain by Robart Fort, they came under heavy fire from the so-called ‘friendly’ Mohmand village of Lalpura, and this caused a number of casualties. While two troops under Lieutenant Parker, and another under Lieutenant Barrett, took up positions at Sherabad Cantonment, to cover the guns of the RHA, the remainder of the squadrons formed up south of Robart Fort under Captain Cooper. The enemy was now advancing in heavy numbers across the open plain. Captain Cooper, forming ‘B’ and ‘C’ Squadrons into line, gave the order to charge. The two squadrons rode through the Afghans, scattering them and doing severe execution. Captain Cooper, in the lead, was badly wounded in the shoulder. To the rear, Captain Wilson quickly rallied ‘D’ Squadron, ready to reinforce Cooper, and then covered his withdrawal. The charge had halted the enemy and gained the time needed for the infantry to pull back into camp.
During the early part of the action Lieutenant Ward, having moved his troop, had reported to Captain Cooper. On leaving, he failed to rejoin his troop and was next seen being brought in, severely wounded, by his orderly, Lance Corporal Sheppard, who had placed him on his own horse, as Ward’s had been killed under him. Ward died of his wounds, and Sheppard was himself badly hurt. Sheppard was later awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. It is presumed that they were caught on their way back to their troop.
It was not until the troops left in the camp at Dakka saw the KDG charge that they realised the proximity of the enemy. ‘A’ Squadron under Captain Hadfield immediately saddled up, taking up position outside the camp, until by 1 p.m. the whole force was back within the perimeter. The Afghans then occupied the high ground overlooking the camp and opened up with rifles and artillery. At 9 p.m. that night an attack was launched from the south west in an attempt to storm the camp, but it was beaten off by the troops manning the perimeter. The following day the battle recommenced, with the KDG remaining in reserve, their horses being held in a nullah to give some protection against rifles and shellfire, which caused some casualties. On the arrival of five more battalions of infantry, together with a battery of howitzers, from Landi Khana, the heights were stormed and cleared and the Afghans retreated. During the 16 and 17 May the KDG had one officer killed and one wounded; three other ranks were killed, five died of wounds and twenty-five were wounded. Twenty-two horses had been killed and twenty-eight wounded. For this action Captain Cooper was awarded the DSO and Lieutenants Card and Waggett the MC, with Sergeant Browning and Lance Corporal Sheppard receiving the DCM, and Corporal Bell the Military Medal.
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KDG Column Dakka 1919 |
From 18 May, and onwards throughout June and July, active patrolling was carried out on a daily basis by the regiment, with contact being constantly established with the enemy. There was constant sniping and from time to time patrols were fired at and returned the fire; but the regiment was not engaged in any major action, although the hills around Dakka were teeming with the enemy. On 19 June a squadron of the KDG helped to lay an ambush along with a company of the 1/9 Gurkha Rifiles. The KDG rode towards the enemy and then feigned a retirement. As the cavalry pulled back, the enemy at once started to follow up, only to be caught by two Gurkha platoons in hiding, who killed ten to fifteen tribesmen before they were able to get back into cover. The Third Afghan War had become a typical frontier operation, requiring constant vigilance against a crafty enemy, who would take immediate advantage of any carelessness. On the night of the 23/24 June, which was particularly dark, a party of tribesmen crawled into the camp and quietly cut the ropes holding a large KDG tent, which was used as a coffee shop and had another tent of similar size attached to it. As they rolled up the first tent they realised they had not been spotted, so they proceeded to remove the second tent as well, working so quietly that the sentry did not notice until they were dragging their booty away. He then raised the alarm, but not before the tribesmen had managed to disappear with their prizes.
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Afghan Peace Delegation |
On 8 August 1919 the peace treaty with Afghanistan was officially signed, and the following day, in true frontier style, ‘A’ Squadron, out on patrol, had a brush with fifty of the enemy and had one trooper wounded. On 12 August three squadrons turned out to chase some raiders who had cut and stolen telegraph wire. Three men carrying wire were seen in the Khyber Pass; one was killed, the other two got away. On 25 August 1919 the KDG left Dakka and marched by easy stages back to their station at Risalpur, arriving on 28 August.
