 |
| Churchill Piquet view |
Will Durant
says”
History is the record of the activities of mankind and it has
two sides — one is the crimes and absurdities and the other is the
contributions to civilization, the lasting developments which enabled each generation
to proceed with a larger heritage than the one before.”
I had an opportunity to visit the historic Churchill Piquet located near Malakand Fort(KPK) in December 2016 and was well briefed and shown different historical pictures. This piquet is named after Winston Churchill a British statesman, soldier, and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955, and died in London in 1965.
Winston Churchill writes in his book“ The Story of Malakand Force” that usually, the courage and equipment of the garrison enable them to hold out until a relieving force arrives, as at Rorke’s Drift, Fort Chitral, Chakdara or Gulistan. But sometimes the defenders are overwhelmed, and, as at Saraghari#-Kohat( referring to battle of Saraghari on 12 Sep 1897) or Khartoum-Sudan(Siege of Khartoum, March 13, 1884–January 26, 1885), none are left to tell the tale. There is something strangely terrible in the spectacle of men, who fight–not for political or patriotic reasons, not for the sake of duty or glory–but for dear life itself; not because they want to, but because they have to. They hold the dykes of social progress against a rising deluge of barbarism, which threatens every moment to overflow the banks and drown them all. The situation is one which will make a coward valorous and affords to brave men opportunities for the most sublime forms of heroism and devotion.
Chakdara holds the passage of the Swat River–a rapid, broad, and at most seasons of the year an unfordable torrent. It is built on a rocky knoll that rises abruptly from the plain about a hundred yards from the mountains. Sketches and photographs usually show only the knoll and buildings on it, and anyone looking at them will be struck by the picturesque and impregnable aspect of the little fort, without observing that its proportions are dwarfed, and its defences commanded, by the frowning cliffs, under which it stands.
 |
| Route to the Piquet |
Chakdara Fort was only one year old when it was attacked and besieged. Troops present inside
were at risk from sharpshooters on ridges. It was not until 2nd
August 1897 that reinforcement arrived from Nowshera under General Bindon blood.
Lieutenant Churchill was also
accompanying the reinforcements which comprised of 11 Lancers and Guides
Cavalry. 33 soldiers of the British Army lost their lives.
Churchill Piquet was constructed in 1885 by the British Malakand Field Force during frontier wars. The piquet has deteriorated over the years, necessitating necessary repair works. Pakistan Army Engineers renovated it in May 2015.
Historical Background of Churchill Piquet:
In 1897 Lt Churchill was deputed on this piquet adjacent to Chakdara Fort.
His task on this piquet was to send war despatches as war correspondent
The piquet has been under the use of different law enforcement agencies.
The piquet was well-sited and covered different approaches.
The siege of Malakand was Winston Churchill's
first experience of actual combat, which he later described in several columns
for The Daily Telegraph, receiving £5 per column; these
articles were eventually compiled into his first published book, The
Story of the Malakand Field Force, beginning his career as a writer and
politician.
There are many
historical places in Pakistan like Mehrgarh
(Neolithic archaeological site), located in Balochistan, Mohenjo Daro in Sind(
Indus Valley civilization), Harappa and Taxila in Punjab and Gandhara Civilization
in KPK( Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). We shall explore different sites in subsequent blogs.
 |
| Chakdara Fort |
In 2019 the Indian movie “Kesari” was made, which follows the events leading to the Battle of Saragarhi, a battle between 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army and 10,000 Afridi and Orakzai Pashtun tribesmen in 1897.
4 Comments