Toy Soldier Collector Magazine

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Sketches from Afghanistan

Colin Luxford reminisces about the Afghan wars of the late 1800’s with the help of some old copies of the Illustrated London News and a few toy soldiers

During the 1930s, my father unfortunately arrived too late to prevent a pile of old Illustrated London News from being thrown onto a bonfire, apart from two bound editions that covered the whole of the year 1879. He didn't know which issues were destroyed but at least 1879 was a pretty good year to save as it covered both the Zulu War and 2nd Afghan War.

It is a very time-consuming exercise going through them as it is almost impossible not to be distracted from the subject in hand by all the other fascinating articles and advertisements on every page. We are nowadays used to seeing ‘breaking news’ straps crossing our television screens bringing details of things happening at that very moment from the other side of the world. It was slightly different in 1879. For example, the news about Rorke’s Drift and Isandhlwana (called initially ‘Isandula’) which took place on January 22 was first reported nearly a month later in the February 15 edition starting: ‘The War Office has received from Lord Chelmsford the following telegraphic despatch: - St Vincent, Feb.10, 6.40 p.m. I regret to have to report a very disastrous engagement, which took place on Jan. 22...’

However, back to Afghanistan, a country that seems to have been in conflict continuously for hundreds of years!

The 2nd Afghan War 1878-1880 came about because of the threat posed to India by the Russians who were having increasing influence upon Afghanistan. This is sometimes expressed as the 2nd and 3rd Wars to separate the beginning and end phases of the conflict which had a period of ‘peace’ during May to September 1879. After the peace treaty was ratified in May to end what transpired to be only the first phase, it is interesting but not surprising to read that ‘really good commercial advantages to British traders have been secured.’ Not all Britons shared imperialistic ideals, when the British Resident Major Cavagnari was murdered along with the entire staff at the Residency in Kabul prompting the second phase of the war, part of the report mentioned ‘... that portion of the English public which has constantly disapproved of the late war…’

The reports were none the less ‘news’ so did not have the advantage of ‘being wise after the event’ unlike history books written years later when greater analysis is possible. Many small incidents were newsworthy at the time but as they had no long term significance, ended up on the cutting room floor of history's editors. The ILN undoubtedly provides pictures and details invaluable and inspirational to modellers. Like those of the Toy Soldier Collector though, ILN readers took exception to any uniform details they perceived as being incorrect. One very irate reader complained about a sketch of some 72nd Highlanders doing a ‘Tullock-gorum reel’ as it showed them in kilts which were not worn by this regiment. The response was that the rank and file wore trews but the pipers who were the ones featured did wear kilts.

It is interesting just to pick out extracts from that year in Afghanistan and to see how manufacturers have produced models that represent these events.

Although photography was well established by 1879, the pictures in the ILN were all sketches and perhaps reflected the spirit of the times by portraying heroic actions as well as camp life and portraits of the individuals involved. The main ‘Special Artist’ for the ILN during this conflict was William Simpson whose watercolours of Indian life made over many years, are well worth seeing. A foreword to a book containing the sketchbooks of William Simpson, mentions that ‘he was happier amongst outlaws than royalty and that he went everywhere, he saw everything, he met everyone ...was particularly skilful at talking to - and sketching - rebels and outlaws.’ Certainly in the ILN he made several portraits along with detailed backgrounds of the various Afghan tribesmen and clans. Various makers have made models of Afghans and those by Andrew Rose, Trophy Miniatures, Irregular Miniatures and New Hope Design feature in my collection and are shown here amongst the group on the rocks.

On March 31, 1879, two columns set off from Jellalabad in different directions. Two days later one of these fought a successful action in which Wigram Battye of the Guides was killed. He was described in the ILN as ‘one of the bravest and beloved officers in the Indian service.’ He was later immortalised by M M Kaye where he was one of the real people woven into her Far Pavilions novel.

The other column had to cross the Cabul River at night, at a ford where only a day or two earlier a temporary bridge had been removed. By the time the 10th Hussars crossed, the whole manoeuvre had, un-noticed, gradually drifted downstream from the correct crossing route. They were caught by a section of rapid water resulting in 46 of them drowning. A later sketch of the Royal Engineers laying a bridge is tagged as ‘showing how to obviate a similar misfortune’

Apart from the illustrations, descriptions were very detailed including those of uniforms. For instance, ‘Those familiar with the 10th Hussars at home might fail to recognise them if they could see the regiment on service in Afghanistan, most of the regular uniform has been left behind, and quite a new outfit, adopted for the work, has been assumed by both officers and men. The well known "khaki rung", or dust colour has become the prevailing tint; the helmet is of that hue, so is the coat. The sword scabbards are covered with leather, so that they will not glitter and catch the eye of the enemy. With the officers, the swords are carried in "frogs" and they have their revolvers on the off-side of the sword-belt. The men have a grey blanket rolled behind the saddle with three wooden pegs above it; a corn-bag is strapped above the cloak in front of the saddle; over this is again strapped a tin pan, on the left side. A heel rope is coiled on the near side, behind the sword. On this campaign the blue trousers with double yellow stripe are retained.’

The Britain's 10th Hussars that I have are in ceremonial uniform but at least the box acknowledges ‘Afghanistan’ in the battle honours. Rose Miniatures made a set of the 10th Hussars for this war operating a heliograph, a piece of equipment featured in the ILN. I would expect that even today mobile (cell) phone signals are not too reliable in that terrain so using an environmentally friendly solar signalling system was 130 years ahead of its time! Whilst on this subject one of the ILN ‘distractions’ mentions ‘Edisons loud speaking telephone’ that ‘by means of this instrument ... a conversation can be maintained between two persons at a distance...’

Camels, elephants and mules were used extensively to convey artillery and supplies. ‘The greatest difficulty will be that of collecting beasts of burden, camels, bullocks and mules for the transport service.’ The terrain was to say the least, challenging and this extract not only describes an incident where no roads existed but I think the style is evocative of the spirit of the time.

‘I have just witnessed a frightful accident, the cart which was attached to a limber ran along on one wheel; then the other wheel struck a great stone and down fell the store-cart crushing into the nullah. The staff broke but the coupling chains held, so dragging down the limber with horses and drivers. To the very last these noble fellows stuck to their horses, the leading driver only throwing himself off when the two rear drivers had been dragged down. "Stick to it Bill" was all one heard during these frightfully exciting seconds while the gallant fellows were battling for their lives. Imagine, six horses with a couple of men and a cart and limber all falling in a heap together at the bottom of the rocky bed of the stream.’

The whole process was clearly extremely dangerous for beasts of burden, a sketch as early as June 1879 showed dead camels with mention that a Times reporter estimated that nearly 40,000 camels alone had died thus far in the campaign. Shown in this article is a war artist (next to the heliograph set) looking upon a column of pack animals led by Trophy Miniatures elephant carrying a screw gun by itself. Elephant batteries also featured and Mark Time's and Tradition's versions were shown in issues 17 and 18 of this magazine respectively.

One sketch which has etched itself into my memory, since I was a child, is of an attack on Fort Ali Musjid. This is on one of the ILN’s extra large ‘extra supplement’ fold out inserts (measuring 30.5" x 22.5") but the part that has stuck, is the centre-piece showing a wounded soldier and one of those single poled stretchers with a covered canopy that were characteristic of that period. I have never seen a model of one so will have to add this to my list of models to scratch-build. A set though that presents a similar impression is the Steadfast ambulance with rolled-up canvas sides and Indian orderlies. Also in the sketch are mules carrying a screw gun. For obvious reasons these were the most widely used ordnance during this campaign, being carried in pieces on mules and assembled where needed. W Britain made its iconic mountain battery set early on in its history but many other manufacturers have since made screw guns in action or being transported by mules. Shown here are crews in action by: British Bulldog, Steadfast and Hinchliffe. Mountford Metal Miniatures made a set assembling a screw gun (based no doubt on a photo by Fred Bremner).

The regiments that seem to have been mentioned most often were 72nd Highlanders and the Gurkhas (then called Goorkhas). Ghurkhas were shown in all kinds of situations including one double page sketch of them charging up a hillside. Shown here are Ghurkas in action, made by Mark Time Models.

This set of ILN’s ends abruptly of course at the end of 1879, and thus does not complete the story. The war came to an end in the autumn of 1880 when after a series of British set-backs, the situation was saved when Sir Frederick Roberts led a force of nearly 10,000 men from Kabul to Kandahar to defeat and break-up the Afghan forces. In the end though all British troops withdrew to India but gained some concessions over a few strategically important areas.

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