'The Tirah Expedition'; 'The disaster of the Dorset Regiment', North west Frontier, India, 1897

Pencil sketch, signed by Melton Prior (1845-1910), 1897. Annotated, 'Night Scene', Enemy on top of nullah' and 'hand to hand fighting with the enemy in a nullah'. Prior was an artist and war correspondent for 'The Illustrated London News'.

Soldiers involved in a desperate battle in a 'nullah', or ravine.

In October 1897, Lieutenant-General Sir William Lockhart's Tirah Field Force campaigned against the Afridis and Orakzais in the Tirah. The two tribes had attacked several forts, but also captured posts in the Khyber Pass, which bordered the north of their territory.

After fighting a major battle at Dargai, Lockhart's force then fought its way into Tirah and established a fortified camp at Maidan from which columns were sent out to pacify the surrounding valleys and regain control of the Khyber Pass.

A force under Brigadier General Francis James Kempster set out on a raid on 13 November 1897. The rearguard covering its return to Maidan was attacked and took heavy casualties. Two companies of the Dorsetshire Regiment and elements of the 36th Sikhs were sent to cover the withdrawal. One company of Dorsets was isolated in a building and two officers and nine men were killed when they attempted to make their escape.