Indian Army signalling party, Zakka Khel Expedition, 1908

Photograph, North West Frontier, 1908.

A group portrait of Indian soldiers with signalling equipment. It shows the three main types of communication at the time: signalling flags, signal lamps and heliographs. Heliographs consisted of a small mirror mounted on a tripod and worked by reflecting sunlight in order to flash Morse code messages.

The Zakka (or Zakkha) Khel Expedition was also known as the Bazar Valley Field Force campaign and took place in 1908. The expedition was undertaken to punish the Zakka Khel, an Afridi tribal clan inhabiting the Peshawar border area on the North West Frontier of India, for cross-border raiding.

From an album of photographs, letters and newspaper cuttings associated with the 18th King George's Own Lancers, 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse) and 19th King George's Own Lancers, 1858-1961; inscribed on cover, 'Presented by the 19th KGV's Own Lancers Ex-officers Reunion Association 1958', with a foreword by Major General Roland Dening, 1960.