Leather Afghan waterbottle, 1842 (c)

Water was vital for any soldier on the march in Afghanistan. After relieving the besieged British garrison at Jellalabad in April 1842, Major-General Sir George Pollock's 'Army of Retribution' stopped there for several weeks in debilitating heat. Outbreaks of cholera threatened to overwhelm Pollock's force. This bottle is not British issue and was acquired as a trophy by a British soldier during the Army's stay there.