'Popham Panel for signalling to aircraft', India, 1936

Photograph, North West Frontier, India, 1936.

Indian Army soldiers lay out a recognition panel for British aircraft flying overhead during an operation in Waziristan. Named after Air Chief Marshal Sir Henry Robert Moore Brooke-Popham (1878-1953), of the Royal Air Force, 'Popham panels' were textile panels used to signal to aircraft from the ground. Morse Code messages were delivered by means of a moveable, elasticated slat. While the process could be slow, the panels were an effective back-up when radio communications failed.

In late 1936 there was growing agitation against British rule in Waziristan, led by the Waziri leader Ghazi Mirzali Khan Wazir, 'the Fakir of Ipi'. In response the British launched a military operation into the Khaisora Valley, hoping that a show of strength alone would suffice to reduce unrest. However, the two main columns of troops met stiff resistance and their supply lines were disrupted, forcing them to retire. The operation's failure triggered a wider insurrection and the ensuing guerrilla war drew in more British and Indian forces. Over 30,000 troops, together with aircraft and armoured cars, were deployed to the region. Violence subsided in late 1937 and after brief flare-ups in 1938 and 1939 the North West Frontier was relatively quiet until India became independent in 1947.

From an album of 347 photographs compiled by Captain (later Major) Wynne Howes-Roberts, 1st Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles, India and UK, 1936-1937.