Waziri tribesmen, 1920 circa (b/w photo)

Waziri tribesmen, 1920 circa. Photograph by Randolph Bezzant Holmes (1888-1973), North West Frontier, Waziristan, 1920 circa. Waziri tribesmen pose with their long-barrelled jezails. The Waziris (or Darwesh Khel), had honed their fighting skills by years of raiding the settled areas to the east, along the Indus, and by attacking the trading caravans that travelled to and from Afghanistan. The Waziris consisted of the Tochi (or Utmanzai) Waziris who lived along the Tochi and Khaisora valleys, and the Wana (or Ahmadzai) Waziris who lived around Bannu and Wana. In 1919 their fighting strength was estimated at over 20,000 tribesmen. Apart from the Mahsuds, with whom they were frequently at war, the Waziris were the most formidable foes faced by the British on the frontier. Although these men are armed with old weapons, the British estimated that the Waziris also possessed around 7,500 modern rifles at this time. From an album of 56 photographs, including five loose, 9th Bn Middlesex Regiment.