Sidney H. Shadbolt
Comprising historical and biographical divisions, and containing a rapid sketch of the war, maps illustrating the operations and the movements of the forces, 140 facsimile Woodburytype photographs of officers who lost their lives in the campaigns and recipients of the Victoria Cross, with memoirs prepared from materials furnished by their relations and surviving comrades, summaries of the movements in the field of the various regiments which were engaged, and separate records of the services of every British officer who was employed in the war. In 1878-80, British-Indian forces fought a war to ensure that Afghanistan remained free from Russian interference. Although the campaign was eventually brought to a successful conclusion, the British suffered several setbacks in their struggle to control the volatile country.Throughout the 19th century, the British Government was convinced that the extension of Russian influence over Central Asia constituted a real threat to its Indian domains. This had led Britain to first invade Afghanistan in 1839, with disastrous consequences.In 1876, the spectre of Russian interference appeared once more when the Emir of Afghanistan, Sher Ali, was visited by a Russian diplomatic mission. When he then refused to accept a British envoy, the Viceroy of India, Lord Lytton, decided to act. The war was fought as part of Britain’s ’Great Game’ with Russia for influence in the traditionally turbulent wilds of Afghanistan.The British left Afghanistan in the hands of Abdur Rahman, who agreed to conduct his foreign policy through the Government of India. They also seized several Afghan districts in the Khyber and Kurram border areas. However, the provocative policy of maintaining a British resident in Kabul was quietly dropped. The last British and Indian soldiers left the country in April 1881.
