The story details an 1897 military campaign on the Northwest Frontier (an area now part of Pakistan). Churchill participated in the campaign as a second lieutenant in the cavalry; he volunteered for the posting, having become bored of playing polo in India.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force by Sir Winston S. Churchill
Churchill in 1895 |
The War in Afghanistan and Pakistan
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More and more Canadians are feeling the pain of the war in Afghanistan as witnessed by young men and women from the area being called upon to serve. It will be good to revisit the Victorian era and re-read Churchill's book about his service in 1897 on the border of present day Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is the story of the Malakand Field Force. We forget that the tribal people in that region never recognized lines on pieces of paper that the west called 'maps'. They still do not. 18/02/2009 10:24 PM
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It's a very powerful book. You will notice that the tribes are the
same, the mountains remain and how to achieve anything is still somewhat
of a mystery. Once you finish this book, you might want to read "The River War", which is a great work about Churchill's adventures in the Nile War. These two books taken together tell us much about our present time, the clash terrorism and how we deal with fanatics.
If you would like to read more online or download the entire book for free, please click here. |
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