.,.,.
In The Dreaded Pezu Pass, Lakki Marwat, North-West Frontier Province, 1937 (c).
Indian Army soldiers on detachment to the frontier town of Tank on board a North Western State Railways train traveling through the Pezu Pass. The train was equipped with Vickers and Vickers Berthier machine guns to protect it from attacks by tribesmen.
The North Western State Railway was formed in 1886 from the amalgamation of several railway companies and remained in operation until Indian independence in 1947. The construction of railways was integral to the British strategy to establish and maintain security in the border region between Afghanistan and British India.
In late 1936, there was growing agitation against British rule in Waziristan, led by the Wazir leader Ghazi Mirzali Khan Wazir, 'the Fakir of Ipi'. In response, the British launched a military operation into the Khaisora Valley, hoping that a show of strength alone would suffice to reduce unrest. However, the two main columns of troops met stiff resistance, and their supply lines were disrupted, forcing them to retire.
The operation's failure triggered a wider insurrection, and the ensuing guerrilla war drew in more British and Indian forces. Over 30,000 troops, together with aircraft and armored cars, were deployed to the region. Violence subsided in late 1937, and after brief flare-ups in 1938 and 1939, the North West Frontier was relatively quiet until India became independent in 1947.
From an album of 347 photographs compiled by Captain (later Major) Wynne Howes-Roberts, 1st Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles, India and UK, 1936-1937.