The camp at Haidri Kach, 1920 circa (b/w photo)

The camp at Haidri Kach, 1920 circa. Photograph by Randolph Bezzant Holmes (1888-1973), India, North West Frontier, 1920 circa. This view of a British camp in Waziristan probably depicts part of Major-General Sir Andrew Skeen’s Derajat Column. Note the camels in the foreground. Despite the wide scale use of motor transport in areas where the terrain permitted it, the British-Indian forces still relied on pack animals like mules and camels to move the bulk of their supplies. The one-hump Arabian camel, or dromedary, was used by the Indian Army for many years. Well adapted to the sort of barren terrain encountered in the frontier regions, they were able to walk for many miles a day. One of 26 photographs taken by R B Holmes, relating to operations in Waziristan, 1919-1920 and the 3rd Afghan War (1919).