Typical NWF fort

[Mike Donoghue]

Could anyone help me out with an understanding of how a typical NWF fort was constructed, what it may have looked like? My grandfather was posted in Nowshera up until 1912. I have been trying to find information on the fort, maps, diagrams and have had little luck with searches pertaining to that location.

Judging by the wonderful photos in a few posts back, a variety of construction materials were used in building structures. I was wondering if the further north you went the more they were like 'Kutcha' style buildings, ( dried brick and mud with a plaster finish.)

The only picture I've seen of the Nowshera fort is one where the 1st Bn of the Munsters (my grandfathers regiment) is on parade, beating a retreat previous to their departure to Burma. There seems to be a brick and mortar structure in the background.

Any thoughts or help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Mike

[Sepoy]

Does this help - this photo was taken on the NWF during 1917

[Mike Donoghue]

Thank you, Sepoy, for that picture. It's similar to the ones I've seen. Some kind of mud-block or brick type of construction. It's too bad there any many around of the old forts. I'll try to attach the picture I have of the Munsters at the Nowshera fort.

[Mike Donoghue]

Hopefully this works

[Timbob1001]

Still after some images ? The one above is typical of a permanent piquet post-WW1. A good many of the older/larger constructions date back to the 1880s/90s construction of defences against a Russian invasion of British India.

A typical fort dotted along the administrative border was more of a ‘beau geste’ type - a large central keep, corner towers and curtain walls designed to resist attack by tribal lashkars as opposed to an opponent equipped with modern artillery.

Sepoy - a great photo! May I ask its source?

Tim

[Sepoy]

This is another photograph of a Frontier Fort.

Both of the photographs, posted by me here, come from an original photograph album put together by a member of the 25th (Cyclists) Battalion, London Regiment circa 1917.

[Timbob1001]

Another excellent pic - not a military one I am sure. This is a typical Pathan homestead - prepared for all round defence since the feuding common between all families, septs and tribes made hoemd efence essential.

Tim

[battiscombe]

I think Nowshera was quite a large cantonment/barracks. I have a preWWI picture of the artillery barracks somewhere ..

[tn.drummond]

This is another photograph of a Frontier Fort.

Both of the photographs, posted by me here, come from an original photograph album put together by a member of the 25th (Cyclists) Battalion, London Regiment circa 1917.

Hi

25th's are of particular interest to me.

Have you contacted the following http://www.25thlondon.com/. ?

May be a subject of mutual interest to you both.

Tim

[Mike Donoghue]

Thanks Tim and Sepoy for your photos and comments.

I did some further investigating and found this link provides some very good pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/13305961@N00/

While there aren't any close up photos of the fort proper at Nowshera, there are a couple which show it off in the distance.

There are also a couple of very good shots of the fort at Peshawar, which is only 20 miles to the west of Nowshera. It looks to be a very considerable fort. With Lahore to the east, I'm wondering if Nowshera was not as significant a fort as Peshawar was.

I hope the link works.

Regards,

Mike

[tn.drummond]

Mike

Link works fine and seems a really good resource. Will dedicate some time to it next week and will also dig out what photos of forts in NWP/NWF I have.

I've long felt a dedicated thread of Hill Forts would be useful but never got round to originating one. The problem I've kept encountering is the sheer number of such photographs where no indication of location is given.

Tim

[Mike Donoghue]

Thank you, Tim, I would look forward to seeing any of the photos you can dig up.

I also found some pictures, possibly some of the same ones on the other link, on a facebook page for Nowshera. I'm going to try to contact someone through that and find out a little more about where the fort may have been, and if any of the former cantonment still remains.

I think I'll dig into the Lahore and Peshawar forts for comparison info also. I imagine Peshawar was significant because of its proximity to the Kyber Pass.

Thanks again,

Mike

[Mike Donoghue]

Another good pic of the Peshawar Fort

[Timbob1001]

A classic 1880s/1890s fortification - great pic!

Tim

[Chris Henschke]

Here are some photographs of some smaller forts in the Malakand Pass area, only about 50 km North of Nowshera. The first is of Chakdara fort and the last is Churchill picket.

And some smaller outpost forts.

[MaureenE]

A Google Books snippet search result says

“The Nowshera Fort Another monument, assignable to the time of Akbar, is the Nowshera fort. lt was built by Zayn Khln Khukah during his governorship of Kibul on the bank of the river Kabul just opposite Sara'i Bara at an estimated cost of” ...

Quarterly journal of the Pakistan Historical Society - Volume 50 - Page 128

books.google.com/books?id=B-QvAQAAIAAJ Pakistan Historical Society – 2002

There is no mention of this fort in the Gazetteers published during the time the British were there, so I think it unlikely it was used as a fort by the British Army for defensive purposes. Nowshera was quite a settled place, wives were allowed to live in the cantonment and one of my relatives was born there. The photograph of the 1st Bn of the Munsters on parade in the 4^th post is almost certainly taken at the cantonment, not the fort.

For background information, the FIBIS Fibiwiki has pages Nowshera and 1st Bengal (European) Fusiliers, the earlier name of the Royal Munster Fusiliers.

http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Nowshera

http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=1st_Bengal_(European)_Fusiliers

Cheers

Maureen

1.

[Chris Henschke]

Mike, perhaps your grandfather may have been at Risalapur. It is so close to Nowshera and there is a fort there. The Pakistan Army Engineers have an training establishment at Rislapur but they refer to it as "Nowshera".

[Mike Donoghue]

Thank you all for your posts. I managed to find a picture of the Nowhsera fort/cantonment.

Maureene, do you think the fort and the cantonment are in two different places. The picture attached seems to be the cantonment rather than the fort.

I did read an exerpt where it was said the officers barracks were completely washed away by a flood. Must have been the Kabul during spring run-off, I suppose.

Thanks again,

Mike

[MaureenE]

Hello Mike

Yes, in Nowshera I think the fort and cantonment were separate places. You will see the photograph in your last post is labelled "British Infantry Lines", Nowshera. I don't know whether the word 'Lines' is used generally in the Army, but in the context of India it meant lines of housing. So the photograph was of the barracks and other housing for the British Infantry regiments, and this was in the cantonment, as opposed to the "Civil Lines" which were outside the cantonment. The terminology horse lines, or elephant lines was also used

Cheers

Maureen

[Mike Donoghue]

Thanks Maureen, that makes a lot of sense. I'm getting a much better picture of it all now, no pun intended. And here is a photo I found of the barracks at Peshawar. I imagine, then, that these barracks may have been off-site from the fort proper as well. The arched columns of one of the buildings closely resembles the style in the 1st Bn Munster picture at Nowshera.

Thanks again, everyone, for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

Mike