FAMOUS BATTLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 206, 1 September 1938, Page 6

FAMOUS BATTLE.

AFGHAN CAMPAIGN,

i- BRITISH,WERE DEFEATED. oia> souorEß's memories. '} '■'■ '-:'-■■'■ ' ' ■ —- ' \ , ;. Memories .of ■ the. days' of, General' Roberts in India, ' when jSTorth-west frontier was perhaps a greater, source of trouble than nowadays because over in the background loomed the menace, of the Russian Bear, are recalled.by;the intended'visit to-■" Auckland' of Mr.' Samuel ■G. Jones, aged ■ 80 years, aveteran of the Afghan ami Egyptian wars;. Mr., Jones was one of the few survivors", of the famous battle; of 'Maiwand; whiclf.was fought as part pf the Afghan campaign in 1880.- ..; . ; Mr. Jones, though SO years .old,'..will come to Auckland .on Saturday,by ae.'oplane, and on arrival at Mangore he ivill lie met-by three : generations pi Ills family. ' ■ - .' , , .. ". Recently Mr.' Jones wrote to'liio old friend, in Berkshire, Mri J. -W. DavejY late drum-major of the : Fourth JJnttalion, Royai Berkshire Regiment, .'telling of Mr. Jorice' personal experiences of the . battle, in which" the -British" troops retreated. The telling'-brings back those days, unknown to the great, majority", of -the. when peace in India -.was:still' insecure, and wheri Roberts ;made' his"celebrated march froni , Kabul to' Kandahar.*!- •" Story Told in a Letter. "The setback, (of Maiwand )" lie wrote, "lias forrned the basis, of , many discussions, but none of them appear to have its main-cause. In the first place our force, which had been sent from Kandahar on July 4, 1880, was so inferior in numbers that it was unable to stop the progress of the Ayub Khan's army, which' proceeded from Herat. To complicate matters, a native force, consisting of two regiments of

infantry, a small battery of artillery, and some cavalry, had been sent out by Wali, a native Governor of Kandahar, but after arriving at Ghirisk, on the banks 'of the river Helmund, deserted to the enemy.""" .' ~ "The Berkshire. Regiment (Mr. Jones served in- the 00th Berkshires) recaptured" the giins, but the majority of the infantry managed to escape. Havjng .some . 'small ' knowledge :of military training madp all- the'difference, so tlllit when we nnnlly met on the field of SIaV wand, on July 27, 1880, we were simply, .overwhelmed. - " _/■-, . ' ' .\- "'/.'. . "Unfortunately, one regiment' of our force, the Jacob's Rifles, which-had not been long raised,.were unreliable, as the result proved.'- They had'beeii under the command, of a Russian officer, who by previous espionage, was well awaro of the, weak spot. It was there that the line Vas broken, and before bur long thin line could bo formed into squares, or groups, it was charged down toy our own artillery, which had been formed on what might be called the large end of a hen's egg. To save the guns it.had scattered us in all directions, killing and maiming many of our own men, .. ;- . * -■ ;.' 'i' No Thought of Retreat. "Had it been left to the Berkshires, whoso lines of five companies had been extended to avoid being outflanked, probably they would havo stayed in their places to the last man. There was no thought of danger or retreat among the men, for, during intervals, they were chatting to one another as though on a cricket field instead of a battlefield." Mr. Jones denied that the battle was a defeat, as it had so often been called, for the losses the British inflicted on the enemy were so serious that they made the victory of General Roberts on tho termination of his famous march from Kabul to Kandahar comparatively easy. ■ . ■•. ■; "Seeing all was lost," Mr. Jones' letter continues, "General Burrows gave the order to make the best of our.way to Kandahar, a distance of 50 miles, with no roads, but only rough tracks. "I ignored the command, and it was not until I found, myself with only one round of ammunition and : no hope of replenishing' ifc...that. I-finally..decided to make for Kandahar. I arrived about midnight the next day, exhausted to tho limit of human .endurance';':learning to the utmost..wliat thirst, with all its terrible suffering meant." .. i■ ' ■ Mr. Jones then described how, had the sequel" been more fortunate, he would have been, decorated for his part in the battle.. While eitting in his tent a couple of days later, a Sergeant Milne asked for Jiis number, informing him that his name would be ee'nt to the general in command, -with a recommendation for aspecial award in recognition of his service. Unfortunately, however, General Brooks and the sergeant took par.t in a sortie next morning, and were killed in action. Consequently his recdminenda<tiori was not'sent on to. headquarters. Saw Long Service. He is not undeeorated, however. He has the Afghan and the Egyptian medals. As a young soldier he was present at the review in Windsor Great "Park by Queen Victoria, in .1877. He was 911 duty on the occasion of her diamond jubilee in 1897, arid also at the funeral ih.1901. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1008, and on the outbreak of the Great War he. .volunteered for further service. He 1 was rejected for health reasons. His son carried on his father's traditon, only to be ,killed'.:"ia . France in 1915. ■

- The'.-'ilyttle , gi-ouj),■:-comprising three generations, winch:will meet Mr. Jones on Saturday, are: Mrs. E. Carmicliael, his daughter," Mr. L. Carmichael, her son and Mr. Jones' grandson, lan Carmichael, a little boy of some two years, who is Mr. Jones' great-grandson, and Mr. L. Cariniehacl's son, and Joyce Ealam, granddaughter .of Mrs. Carmichael, another great-grandchild. There are 23 • pth'ec ; 'great-graudch^