Something to pore over when there's nowt else to entertain. Love much Sally > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7325117.stm > > Monday, 21 April 2008 > > Why Britons walked warily in Waziristan > > BBC News > > In 1919, a young British army officer, Francis Stockdale, was deployed to > the > Waziristan area of British India. > > The title of his book, "Walk Warily in Waziristan" seems no less > appropriate now > than it did 90 years ago, because today the autonomous Pakistani tribal > region > of North and South Waziristan is the centre of militancy orchestrated by > pro-Taleban and al-Qaeda militants. > > It is also an area where many believe the al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin > Laden, may > be hiding after the September 2001 World Trade Centre attacks. > > It wasn't until the 1980s that Capt Stockdale's family published a handful > of > copies of the book, only a few of which survive. But because or renewed > interest > in the region, the family in the English county of Norfolk are considering > reprinting it. > > 'Wait, watch and pounce' > > The book provides a fascinating account of what was regarded then - as it > is > today - as a thoroughly dangerous area. > > One of the main towns close to Waziristan is Tank. Capt Stockdale > describes it > as being "the worst station in British India". > > "It was known as 'Hell's door knocker' because in the summer the > temperature > would rise so high that a village nearby rejoiced in the highest > temperature in > the world - a modest 131 degrees in the shade. > > "But it was also an area where hostile tribesman waited, watched and > pounced," > he wrote. > > "My memories of Tank are characterised by sporadic outbreaks of rifle fire > by > night and spasmodic outbreaks of cholera during the day. The town fully > deserved > its poor reputation." > > Capt Stockdale goes on to describe just how dangerous the "hostile > tribesmen" > were in the Wana, the main town of South Waziristan, when a sniper > infiltrated > a British camp. > > "Like all tribesmen in this area, he was a marvellous shot," Capt > Stockdale > wrote, "and he killed the commanding officer with his first shot. > > "He killed or wounded 11 other men before his hiding place was > discovered." > > Ninety years ago, it seemed that British troops in Waziristan faced the > same > kind of dangers as Pakistani troops in the region do today. > > "One one occasion, tribesmen rolled down boulders in front of a military > convoy - effectively cutting them off. I could hear the firing in the > distance > and there were lots of casualties." > > Getting captured, it seemed, was not an option: "It would result in death > by > torture, an activity which I was informed the tribal women folk used to > luxuriate." > > The shortage of female company in these remote outposts of the British > empire > played heavily on officers and men alike. > > Capt Stockdale describes the lucky escape of one soldier who took to > writing > passionate letters to his wife and his mistress from a British encampment > in the > region that was surrounded by tribesmen. > > "Waiting for a target, they got bored and fired a bullet at random into > the > camp. It removed the digit finger of the man's right hand as he was > writing to > the loves of his life. > > "That incident kept me on the straight and narrow path for many months to > come - > not that there were many opportunities in Waziristan to be tempted or led > astray!" > > A book packed with colourful reminiscences, Capt Stockdale describes many > of his > brother officers. > > These included Whipples, who wore a monocle every time the bullets started > flying and specialised in using camels to provide supplies of whisky and > gin in > remote areas. > > "The tribesmen got Whipples in the end and I guarantee the monocle was in > when > the last bullet hit him," he wrote. > > He also describes attempts by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to drop bombs > on > tribesmen encamped close to the border with Afghanistan. > > "Their bombs did not always explode upon hitting the earth and the > tribesmen > soon adapted themselves to shooting at flying targets. The pilots carried > ransom > papers, so if they were captured and returned to safety, the reward would > be > large." > > Some of the unexploded bombs dropped by the RFC were "collected by the > tribesmen > who used them to decorate their mud huts or houses". > > Local fighters in the 1920s were as tough then as they are now. > > "We often used to ask ourselves, how could they survive so long living in > a > rocky area, with a film of earth capable of growing only scrub trees?" > > Capt Stockdale ended up serving two years in Waziristan and considered > himself > lucky to be returning home. > > "Many of my friends were killed, but I lived 60 years since then," he > wrote. > > Capt Stockdale - who was later promoted to be a major - died in 1989 aged > 93. > ====================== > > ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar > Nagpur, India > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message