A British camp in Waziristan, 1920 circa (b/w photo)

A British camp in Waziristan, 1920 circa. Photograph, India, North West Frontier, 1920 circa. The uprising in Waziristan in 1919-1920 led to the mobilisation of thousands of Indian Army troops. The subsequent campaign witnessed early setbacks for the British and much hard fighting before the situation was brought under control. In its aftermath the British embarked on an extensive programme of road-building. They also established a permanent garrison at Ladha. This was a major reversal of frontier policy. Prior to 1919, the British had focused on leaving the Waziristan tribes to themselves apart from undertaking occasional punitive expeditions to deal with tribal attacks on the settled areas - a policy also known as ‘butcher and bolt’. The scale of the 1919-1920 rising led to a much larger, and permanent, military presence. From an album of 58 photographs compiled by Sir Andrew Skeen, 1919-1920.