A new bridge in Waziristan, 1920 circa (b/w photo)

A new bridge in Waziristan, 1920 circa. Photograph by Randolph Bezzant Holmes (1888-1973). Maintaining infrastructure like roads and bridges was crucial as it allowed military columns to move freely in the tribal areas. Following the uprising in Waziristan in 1919-20, the British embarked on an extensive programme of road-building. They also established a permanent garrison at Ladha. This was a major reversal of frontier policy. Prior to 1919, the British had focused on leaving the Waziristan tribes to themselves apart from undertaking occasional punitive expeditions to deal with tribal attacks on the settled areas - a policy also known as ‘butcher and bolt’. The scale of the 1919-20 rising led to a much larger, and permanent, military presence. From an album of 39 photographs taken by R B Holmes.