Fort of Ali Musjeed, Khyber Pass Camp of the 4th Brigade of Major General Pollock's Force, April 1842

Watercolour by George Alfred Croly (1822-1845), 26th Bengal Native Infantry, 1842 (c).

The Khyber Pass is a 53-kilometer (33-miles) passage through the Hindu Kush. It connects the northern frontier of what is now Pakistan with Afghanistan. During the 1st Afghan War (1838-1842) the pass was the scene of numerous skirmishes between Anglo-Indian soldiers and local tribesmen who tried to control access to it. In April 1842 Major-General George Pollock's Army of Retribution forced the pass en route to relieving the besieged garrison at Jellalabad. This long-distance view depicts a camp, set in a river valley dwarfed by mountains, with tents and men busy with everyday tasks. Croly was later killed in action at the Battle of Ferozshahr (1845) during the 1st Sikh War (1845-1846).