Shoulder title, Chitral Scouts, 1903

White metal badge in the form of the unit title, 'Chitral'; an early version of the badge.

The Chitral Scouts were raised in 1903. Commanded by British officers on secondment from regular Indian Army units, they were responsible for policing Chitral, a state first occupied by the British in 1895. During the 3rd Afghan War (1919), they remained loyal to the British and to the Mehtar of Chitral, Shuja-al-Mulk, helping to resist the Afghan incursion across the frontiers of their mountainous homeland. The scouts still exist today and are currently engaged in fighting Islamic extremists in northern Pakistan.

From the Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Indian Army Collection.