Troops with camels fording the Tank Zam River, 1919 circa (b/w photo)

Troops with camels fording the Tank Zam River, 1919 circa. Photograph, North West Frontier, Waziristan, 1919 circa. Despite the wide scale use of motor transport in areas where the terrain permitted it, the British-Indian forces operating during the 3rd Afghan War (1919) still relied on pack animals like mules and camels to move the bulk of their supplies. The one-hump Arabian camel, or dromedary, was used by the British and Indian Armies for many years. Well adapted to the sort of barren terrain encountered in the frontier regions and able to walk for miles a day, they were vital beasts of burden. One of 267 photographs probably compiled by Private A E Neal, 2/6 Bn the Royal Sussex Regiment, India 1916-1919, Waziristan, 1917 and Afghanistan, 1919.