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66-605: The cemetery was built in 1879 for British soldiers killed in the Second Anglo-Afghan War , replacing an earlier graveyard for the First Anglo-Afghan War , with some graves dating back to that 1842 defeat. Some 160 soldiers from that period are thought to be buried here. It also contains the remains of others, mainly civilians of various nationalities, who died in Kabul between the 19th and 21st centuries, and who required

132-491: A Christian burial. During the 2000s, ten marble plaques were placed on the cemetery's southern wall, listing the names of British service personnel who died in Afghanistan after 2001. The cemetery is laid out as a garden, with rose bushes and trees and is enclosed by a tall wall, giving it a peaceful atmosphere and an unassuming exterior appearance. It is one of the few foreign historical and Christian landmarks to have survived

198-400: A beggar squealin' out for quarter as 'e ran, An' I thought I knew the voice an' - it was me! We was 'idin' under bedsteads more than 'arf a march away; We was lyin' up like rabbits all about the countryside; An' the major cursed 'is Maker 'cause 'e lived to see that day' An' the colonel broke 'is sword acrost, an' cried." The events of the battle were also commemorated in a poem by

264-563: A condolence message to Sher Ali, the British informed Sher Ali that the mission would leave Peshawar for Kabul in September. Lord Lytton , the viceroy of India , ordered a diplomatic mission to set out for Kabul in September 1878 but the mission was turned back as it approached the eastern entrance of the Khyber Pass . A deadline was established for 20 November, where if a response was not given by

330-625: A continuing buffer between the British Raj and the Russian Empire . Ironically many of these polices had been desired by Sher Ali Khan , and war could have been prevented had they been implemented earlier. The war was expensive for Britain, spending some 17 million pounds during the war, which was three times the estimated cost. The costs rose just before the British left in March 1881, estimating to be around 19.5 million pounds. Despite attempts from

396-722: A different route. At the end of the first phase of the war in May 1879, the Peshawar Force was withdrawn, while the Kandahar Force was reduced in size. In September 1879, at the beginning of the second phase, additional British and Indian Army units were despatched to Afghanistan, while the Kurram Valley Force was reinforced, and redesignated the Kabul Field Force. [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from

462-638: A lion (the Maiwand Lion ) was built by George Blackall Simonds in Reading and unveiled in 1886 to commemorate those who died in battle. A monument was built in the 1950s on the Maiwand Square in Kabul in commemoration of the battle by an Afghan architect Is-matulla Saraj. A memorial was erected in central London to a remarkable canine survivor of the engagement: Bobbie , the Berkshires' regimental mascot. Bobbie

528-644: A mountain pass while it snowed, arriving at Rostaq , where its garrison defected. With the fall of Rostaq, Abdur Rahman met the Mir of Badakhshan in battle, forcing him to flee to Chitral while Abdur Rahman annexed Badakhshan. Abdur Rahman requested from Sultan Murad of Kunduz for military access so he could advance on Kabul . This request was denied. However, Ghulam Haidar Khan, Yaqub's governor of Balkh , attacked Kunduz, occupying it, and forcing Sultan Murad to flee to Fayzabad . Sultan Murad then aligned with Abdur Rahman, and encouraged rebellion against Ghulam Haidar, with

594-406: A publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh , ed. (1911). " Abdur Rahman Khan ". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 37–38. Battle of Maiwand [REDACTED] British Empire The Battle of Maiwand ( Dari : نبرد میوند, Pashto : د ميوند جگړه), fought on 27 July 1880, was one of the principal battles of

660-497: A result of this pressure was swept away by the pressure of the Ghazi attack. E Battery of B Brigade Royal Horse Artillery (Captain Slade commanding) and a half-company of Bombay Sappers and Miners under Lieutenant Henn (Royal Engineers) stood fast, covering the retreat of the entire British brigade. E Battery kept firing until the last moment, two sections (four guns) limbering up when

726-398: A result, seeing some 6,000 women being enslaved, with forces from Sher Ali to repel the raids being defeated. With Sher Ali's death, a tumultuous period began over his succession. One of his sons, Muhammad Ali Khan, attempted to seize Takhtapul , however the garrison mutinied, forcing him to move south towards Dai Zangi , where he began assembling an army against Yaqub Khan. Yaqub Khan

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792-533: A small army in June, and a brigade under Brigadier-General Burrows was detached from Kandahar to oppose him. Burrows' brigade, some 2,500 strong with about 500 British troops including a battery of 9-pounder guns (4.1 kg), advanced to Helmand , opposite Gereshk , to oppose Ayub Khan, but was there deserted by the levies of Shere Ali, the British-appointed wali of Kandahar. Burrows's troops engaged and defeated

858-452: A three-hour artillery duel ensued at an opening range of about 1,700 yards (1,600 m), during which the British captured smoothbore guns on the left expended their ammunition and withdrew to replenish it. This enabled the Afghans to force the left battalion back. The left flank comprising Indian infantry regiments gave way and rolled in a great wave to the right; the 66th Regiment of Foot , as

924-519: Is also mentioned in Jeffery Deaver 's short story The Westphalian Ring . The main character, Peter Goodcastle, had served in the Royal Horse Artillery there and had turned to burglary to avenge the shoddy treatment he had suffered on his return to Britain. In the short story, he was arrested by none other than Dr. Watson, but later managed to escape suspicion by outsmarting Sherlock Holmes, so

990-537: The Amir – Sher Ali Khan to flee. Ali's successor Mohammad Yaqub Khan immediately sued for peace and the Treaty of Gandamak was then signed on 26 May 1879. The British sent an envoy and mission led by Sir Louis Cavagnari to Kabul, but on 3 September this mission was massacred and the conflict was reignited by Ayub Khan which led to the abdication of his brother Yaqub. During this period, Abdur Rahman Khan , an opponent of

1056-506: The Bukharans aided Muhammad Ishaq Khan, a son of Mohammad Azam Khan . He occupied Aqcha , but was later defeated. Following his defeat, the Afghan governor of Balkh , Muhammad Khan, purged much of the province of Afzalid supporters, seizing lands and exacting imprisonment and execution on those thought to be sympathizers. Districts that had aided the rebellion faced hefty fines, and the rulers of

1122-650: The Chahar Wilayat were mandatorily forced to re-affirm their allegiance to Sher Ali Khan by traveling to Kabul every year. In 1875, Husain Khan, the ruler of Maimana , refused to honour his oath and executed several government officials, declaring allegiance under the ruler of Bukhara. The rebellion was quelled, however when the leaders of the insurrection were brought before Sher Ali, he refused to execute them in honour of their former oaths, and instead had Muhammad Khan killed. These circumstances of events brought further support to

1188-575: The First Anglo-Afghan War . Mazar-i-Sharif was safe as well, with winter already ongoing, the British would be unable to pass the snow littered Hindu Kush . Alongside this, over 15,000 Afghan soldiers were present in Afghan Turkestan , which Sher Ali began preparing to assemble more men across Afghanistan. Sher Ali also attempted to appeal in person to the Russian Tsar for assistance, but he wasn't allowed to enter Russian territory, and their insistence

1254-407: The Second Anglo-Afghan War . Under the leadership of Ayub Khan , the Afghan forces defeated a much smaller British force consisting of two brigades of British and Indian troops under Brigadier-General George Burrows , albeit at a high price: between 2,050 and 2,750 Afghan warriors were killed, and probably about 1,500 wounded. British and Indian forces suffered 1,200 dead. Before the battle,

1320-524: The Treaty of Gandamak on 26 May 1879. According to this agreement and in return for an annual subsidy and vague assurances of assistance in case of foreign aggression, Yaqub relinquished control of Afghan foreign affairs to Britain. British representatives were installed in Kabul and other locations, and their control was extended to the Khyber and Michni passes, and Afghanistan ceded various North-West Frontier Province areas and Quetta to Britain, including

1386-570: The 'Iron Amir'. He also refused to give information regarding his troops, with his own autobiography criticizing British policy, while also violating the Lyall agreement by instead of allowing the British to oversee his diplomatic affairs, held them himself with numerous countries including Iran , the Ottoman Empire , and the German Empire . Abdur Rahman also wrote in pamphlets, encouraging Jihad against

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1452-622: The 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot at the Battle of Maiwand, following so soon upon the loss of the Colours of the 2nd/24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment at the Battle of Isandlwana (22 January 1879) during the Anglo-Zulu War , resulted in colours no longer being taken on active service . Rudyard Kipling , who had researched this battle in 1892, included the small yet dramatic poem entitled "That Day" about

1518-487: The Afghan government, war would be declared. A day before the deadline, Sher Ali sent a messenger to Peshawar but failed to arrive on time, and turned away after news of the British invasion began. The first campaign began in November 1878 when a British force of about 50,000 fighting men, mostly Indians, was distributed into three military columns which penetrated Afghanistan at three different points. The British victories at

1584-633: The Afghans in this battle, because he had lost so many men to gain a small advantage. Ayub Khan did manage to shut the British up in Kandahar, resulting in General Frederick Roberts 's famous 314-mile (505 km) relief march from Kabul to Kandahar in August . The resulting Battle of Kandahar on 1 September was a decisive victory for the British. The loss of the Queen's Colour and regimental colour of

1650-477: The Afghans were 15 yards (14 m) away, but the third section (Lieutenant Maclaine) was overrun. Maclaine was captured and held as a prisoner in Kandahar, where his body was found at Ayub Khan's tent during the British attack on 1 September, apparently murdered to prevent his liberation. The British guns captured during the action were also recovered at Kandahar. E Battery came into action again some 400 yd (370 m) back. The Sappers and Miners retreated as

1716-763: The Afzalids in Samarkand, with many Amirs of the Chahar Wilayat beginning to correspond with Abdur Rahman Khan and the Afzalid faction. After tension between Russia and Britain in Europe ended with the June 1878 Congress of Berlin , Russia turned its attention to Central Asia. That same summer, Russia sent an uninvited diplomatic mission to Kabul. Sher Ali Khan , the Amir of Afghanistan , tried unsuccessfully to keep them out. Russian envoys arrived in Kabul on 22 July 1878, and on 14 August,

1782-503: The Afzalids. Ayub Khan began facing anarchy in Herat, with much of the forces from the expelled from Maimana demanding payment. Ayub Khan sent numerous requests to Mazar-i-Sharif, imminently requesting aid in cash. Despite receiving funds, the troops began rioting, and were turned away by Ayub Khan towards Yaqub Khan, stating he would be capable of paying them. With British forces occupying Kabul , Sher Ali's son and successor, Yaqub Khan, signed

1848-725: The British and the Russians, claiming both wished to end Afghanistan as a state. Senior British officials found it extremely difficult to further cooperate with Abdur Rahman Khan and Afghanistan due to the Turkestan atrocities, as well as his actions against the Hazaras . The British believed they had no other alternative but to support Abdur Rahman Khan, scoring a diplomatic victory for him. Despite this, no further trouble resulted between Afghanistan and British India during Rahman's period of rule. The Russians kept well out of Afghan internal affairs, with

1914-573: The British at the battle of Maiwand . The campaign ended in September 1880 when the British decisively defeated Ayub Khan outside Kandahar . Abdur Rahman Khan, now the sole ruler, created the buffer the British wanted between the Raj and the Russian Empire. British and Indian soldiers then withdrew from Afghanistan. A significant political group in Afghanistan at the time were the Afzalids. The Afzalids were originally supporters of Mohammad Afzal Khan to

1980-414: The British demanded that Sher Ali accept a British mission too. The British informed Sher Ali that a British mission would arrive in Kabul as well with or without his consent. However, as news of this arrived, Sher Ali's son and heir, Abdullah Jan had died. With mourning and the funeral taking place, nobody wished to show Sher Ali the British message. Eventually the message was revealed by his chamberlain. In

2046-544: The British in the war to come. Many of the governors, having been imprisoned for longer than a decade, all due to similar oaths being broken. As a result, seeing an opportunity to declare independence, Muhammad Khan, the former governor of Sar-I-Pul , alongside Husain Khan, the former governor of the Maimana Khanate , all declared independence against Afghan rule, rallying their own armies and expelling Afghan garrisons. A wave of Turkmen raids also began into Afghan Turkestan as

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2112-642: The British infantry. On the afternoon of 26 July information was received that the Afghan force was making for the Maiwand Pass a few miles away (half-dozen km). Burrows decided to move early the following day to break-up the Afghan advance guard. At about 10 am horsemen were seen and engaged, and the brigade started to deploy for battle. Burrows was not aware that it was Ayub's main force. The Afghans numbered 25,000 including Afghan regular troops and five batteries of artillery, including some very modern Armstrong guns . The Afghan guns gradually came into action and

2178-546: The British informed Abdur Rahman that they were prepared to recognize him as the ruler of Afghanistan, inviting him to Kabul for a ceremony. Abdur Rahman called a Jirga , with many tribal leaders declaring for him, while Abdur Rahman was declared the Amir of Kabul . Ayub Khan, who had been serving as governor of Herat, rose in revolt, defeated a British detachment at the Battle of Maiwand in July 1880 and besieged Kandahar. Roberts then led

2244-546: The British no longer wished to uphold a British envoy in Afghanistan. However, both sides continued to differ, with the British wishing to keep Kandahar under their control with Sardar Sher Ali as governor, while Abdur Rahman saw it imperative as a part of Afghanistan. Believing that the British might withdraw, Abdur Rahman Khan arrived in Charikar sometime in July 1880, where religious leaders from regions such as Panjshir , Kohistan , and Tagab welcomed his arrival. On 19 July,

2310-518: The British to dissuade Afghanistan from Russian influence, Abdur Rahman Khan adopted an autocratic government similar to the Tsars of Russia, inspired by Peter the Great from his time in exile in Turkestan. Alongside this, despite the British attempting to prop up Afghanistan as a key ally, Abdur Rahman Khan often acted against the British, with atrocities horrifying even Queen Victoria , and he became known as

2376-405: The British, began distinguishing himself as a possible successor candidate to become the Amir of Afghanistan through his exploits in northern Afghanistan. Eventually after moving on Kabul , he was crowned and then later recognized by the British as the ruler of Afghanistan. The second campaign began when Ayub Khan , the governor of Herat , rebelled in July 1880 and marched on Kandahar, defeating

2442-479: The British, with his own men wishing for Jihad against them. While negotiations continued, the British considered numerous political solutions, including dividing Afghanistan into numerous kingdoms. The British were seeking to a quick conclusion to the war due to the resignation of Lytton , with his successor, the Marquis of Ripon , wishing to withdraw all British troops from Afghanistan as quickly as possible. With this,

2508-474: The Russians allowed Abdur Rahman Khan to re-enter Afghanistan. Abdur Rahman made way for Badakhshan , whose ruler he had marriage ties with. While on route, he did a pilgrimage to the shrine of Khwaja Ahrar , taking his banner after claiming he had a vision that ensured victory. The ruler of Badakhshan did not permit Abdur Rahman to ford the Amu Darya, to which Abdur Rahman did so further downstream. He then crossed

2574-521: The Sherpur Cantonment in December 1879. The rebellion collapsed after the failure of a direct attack on Roberts' force on 23 December. Yaqub Khan, suspected of complicity in the massacre of Cavagnari and his staff, was obliged to abdicate. The British considered a number of possible political settlements, including partitioning Afghanistan between multiple rulers or placing Yaqub's brother Ayub Khan on

2640-504: The Treaty of Gandamak, whereby the British took control of the territories ceded by Yaqub Khan. The provocative policy of maintaining a British resident in Kabul was abandoned, but instead British Indian Muslim agents were to be left to smooth liaison between the governments. Britain would also handle Afghanistan's foreign policy in exchange for protection and a subsidy. The Afghan tribes maintained internal rule and local customs, and provided

2706-451: The action at Maiwand in his Barrack-Room Ballads collection: "There was thirty dead an' wounded on the ground we wouldn't keep - No, there wasn't more than twenty when the front began to go; But, Christ! along the line o' flight they cut us up like sheep, An' that was all we gained by doing so. I 'eard the knives be'ind me, but I dursn't face my man, Nor I don't know where I went to, 'cause I didn't 'alt to see, Till I 'eard

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2772-513: The battles of Ali Masjid and Peiwar Kotal meant that the approach to Kabul was left virtually undefended by Afghan troops. An alarmed Sher Ali left for Mazar-i-Sharif . This was done in hopes of the British overstretching their armies in Afghanistan, and make it difficult for the British to occupy parts of southern Afghanistan for an indefinite period of time, as well as that the Afghan tribes would eventually rise up. Further drawing off of Dost Mohammad Khan and Wazir Akbar Khan 's tactics in

2838-403: The campaign had gone well for the British. They had defeated Afghan tribesmen at Ali Masjid , Peiwar Kotal, Kabul , and the Battle of Ahmed Khel , and they had occupied numerous cities and towns, including Kandahar , Dakka, and Jalalabad . Ayub Khan , Sher Ali Khan 's younger son, who had been holding Herat during the British operations at Kabul and Kandahar, set out towards Kandahar with

2904-475: The cavalry losses were much smaller. British and Indian regimental casualties were: One estimate of Afghan casualties is 3,000, reflecting the desperate nature of much of the fighting, although other sources give 1,500 Afghan "regulars" and up to 4,000 Ghazis killed, and 1500 seriously wounded. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded for acts of valour performed during the battle and during the retreat to Kandahar. Both medals went to members of E/B Battery, RHA. One

2970-495: The cemetery in 2009, described it as a "labour of love. ... It's very important to us. It would be great to think that in ten years' time, families might be able to come out here and see it and enjoy the tranquillity." Second Anglo-Afghan War [REDACTED]   United Kingdom [REDACTED]   Afghanistan Total: 10,000 dead Total fatalities are unknown The Second Anglo-Afghan War ( Dari : جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, Pashto : د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه )

3036-405: The commander of Takhtapul declaring for Abdur Rahman. Ghulam Haidar fled across the Amu Darya, leaving the entirety of Afghan Turkestan under Abdur Rahman's control. The British, eyeing for a suitable candidate to be the ruler of Afghanistan , scouted Abdur Rahman Khan, and began negotiating with him. Abdur Rahman was reluctant to accept such a proposal, as he considered himself an opponent of

3102-458: The enemy and perished. Henn is the only officer who has been positively identified in that band and he led the final charge. No Englishman lived to tell the story of the Last Eleven at Maiwand. It was reported to the British later that year by a former officer of Ayub Khan's army, who said that the Afghans had been truly impressed by the bravery of those men. Word of the disaster reached Kandahar

3168-518: The exception of the Panjdeh incident three years later, resolved by arbitration and negotiation after an initial British ultimatum. In 1893, Mortimer Durand was dispatched to Kabul by British India to sign an agreement with Rahman for fixing the limits of their respective spheres of influence as well as improving diplomatic relations and trade. On November 12, 1893, the Durand Line Agreement

3234-541: The fact that the cemetery survived. Notable burials include: There is a grave in Russian script to a Russian Cossack who fled to Kabul in the aftermath of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution . The cemetery is not formally recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and is still owned by the city of Kabul. However, Colonel Simon Diggins, the British defence attaché who coordinated fundraising for

3300-423: The first period of Taliban rule that ended in 2001. The caretaker of the cemetery from the 1980s was an Afghan man called Rahimullah, a shepherd who used the cemetery to graze his animals. When he died in 2010, his son Abdul Sami continued to tend the cemetery, telling a reporter that "this place is very nearly not here" and crediting his father's devotion, including during the first period of Taliban rule, for

3366-538: The following landay (Pashto Poetry): The battle was the subject of several paintings and was covered extensively in the illustrated press. Frank Feller , a Swiss artist domiciled in England painted The Last Eleven at Maiwand in 1882 depicting a small group of men from the 66th Regiment making a last stand. The events surrounding E/B Battery Royal Horse Artillery were portrayed by Godfrey Douglas Giles , Richard Caton Woodville and Stanley Wood . A cast iron statue of

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3432-424: The following day and a relief force was dispatched. This met the retreating force at Kokeran. The British were routed but managed a withdrawal due to their own efforts and the apathy of the Afghans. Of the 2,476 British troops engaged, the British and Indian force lost 1,200 men. The Grenadiers lost 64% of their strength and the 66th lost 62%, including twelve officers. Of those present (two companies being detached)

3498-412: The guns withdrew. Henn and 14 of his men afterwards joined some remnants of the 66th Foot and Bombay Grenadiers in a small enclosure at a garden in a place called Khig where a determined last stand was made. Though the Afghans shot them down one by one, they fired steadily until only eleven of their number (two officers and nine other ranks) were left, and the survivors then charged out into the masses of

3564-487: The main British force from Kabul and decisively defeated Ayub Khan on 1 September at the Battle of Kandahar , bringing his rebellion to an end. With Ayub Khan defeated, the war was officially over with Abdur Rahman Khan ruling as Amir, he was seen as the real victor of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Despite attempts by the British to hold on to Kandahar , they decided to return it to Afghanistan. Rahman confirmed

3630-682: The next phase of the Second Afghan War. Major General Sir Frederick Roberts led the Kabul Field Force over the Shutargardan Pass into central Afghanistan, defeated the Afghan Army at Charasiab on 6 October 1879, and occupied Kabul two days later. Ghazi Mohammad Jan Khan Wardak , and a force of 10,000 Afghans, staged an uprising and attacked British forces near Kabul in the Siege of

3696-420: The notoriously bad Scottish poet William McGonagall entitled "The Last Berkshire Eleven". Poems of the victory at Maiwand have passed into Pashtun and Afghan folklore. As Afghan legend would have it, the battle created an unlikely hero in the shape of an Afghan woman called Malalai , who on seeing the Afghan forces falter, used her veil as a standard and encouraged the men by shouting out: She also spoke

3762-403: The rebellious levies and captured four smoothbore 6-pounder guns and two smoothbore 12-pounder howitzers (5.4 kg). Burrows then fell back to a position at Kushk-i-Nakhud, halfway to Kandahar where he could intercept Ayub Khan if he headed for either Ghazni or Kandahar. He remained there a week, during which time the captured guns were added to his force with additional gunners drawn from

3828-513: The strategic fort of Jamrud . Yaqub Khan also renounced all rights to interfering in the internal affairs of the Afridi tribe. In return, Yaqub Khan only received an annual subsidy of 600,000 rupees, with the British pledging to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan excluding Kandahar . However, on 3 September 1879 an uprising in Kabul led to the slaughter of Sir Louis Cavagnari , the British representative, along with his guards, and staff – provoking

3894-425: The throne of Afghanistan during the civil war on Dost Mohammad's succession . The Afzalids were eventually defeated by Sher Ali Khan but many fled in exile to Samarkand in the Russian Empire under the authority of Abdur Rahman Khan , who was actively given asylum by the Russian government and brought worries to the British about a future pro-Russian claimant to the throne of Afghanistan. On one such occasion,

3960-474: The throne, but also looked to install his cousin Abdur Rahman Khan (half nephew of the former Sher Ali) as Amir instead. Abdur Rahman Khan meanwhile had been in exile in Turkestan. Upon the death of Sher Ali Khan he requested from the Russians to enter Afghanistan as a claimant of the throne. This request was denied. However, following Yaqub Khan 's abdication, as well as the British occupation of Kabul,

4026-687: Was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty , the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan . The war was part of the Great Game between the British and Russian empires. The war was split into two campaigns – the first began in November 1878 with the British invasion of Afghanistan from India . The British were quickly victorious and forced

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4092-449: Was awarded to Sergeant Patrick Mullane , for attempting to save the life of a wounded colleague during the withdrawal of their battery from the field; the other went to Gunner James Collis , who during the retreat to Kandahar drew the attention of enemy fire upon himself instead of upon wounded colleagues. The battle dampened morale for the British side, but was also partly a disappointment for Ayub Khan, Governor of Herat and commander of

4158-484: Was declared the new Amir, with many sardars that were thought to have ties with the Afzalid faction were imprisoned. In Mazar-i-Sharif, Yaqub Khan's son, Muhammad Musa, assembled a force and seized Takhtapul, sending the leader of the mutineers to Kabul, where he was executed. Ayub Khan, supporting his brother's succession, did not oppose him. However, much of the military forces and officers in Balkh and Herat instead supported

4224-659: Was reached. This led to the creation of a new North-West Frontier Province . There were several decisive actions in the Second Anglo–Afghan War, from 1878 to 1880. Here are the battles and actions in chronological order. An asterisk (*) indicates a clasp was awarded for that particular battle with the Afghanistan Medal . In November 1878, at the start of the war, the British established three Field Forces – designated Peshawar Valley , Kurram Valley and Kandahar respectively – each of which invaded Afghanistan by

4290-434: Was that he should seek terms of surrender from the British. He returned to Mazar-i-Sharif , where his health began to suffer, leading to his death on 21 February 1879. Before leaving for Afghan Turkestan, Sher Ali released the surviving governors of the Chahar Wilayat that he had previously imprisoned. Upon Sher Ali's arrival to Mazar-i-Sharif, Sher Ali promised them the return of their states if they had assisted against

4356-619: Was wounded during the fighting, but was spotted the following day by survivors, making his way back to the fort. The fictional Doctor Watson , companion of Sherlock Holmes , was wounded in the Battle of Maiwand (as described in the opening chapter of A Study in Scarlet ). He may have been based upon the 66th regiment's Medical Officer, Surgeon Major Alexander Francis Preston. The battle has also been documented in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's short story The Summer . The Battle of Maiwand

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