Afghani Gallery

'The Afghan War, 1879: The Death of Major Wigram Battye in the Battle of Futtehabad

'The Afghan War, 1879: The Death of Major Wigram Battye in the Battle of Futtehabad, April 2', (1901). British soldier Major Wigram Battye (1842-1879) of the Punjab Frontier Force was shot in the chest and thigh while charging Kugiani tribesmen at the village of Khuja near Futtehabad (or Fatehabad) in Afghanistan. His orderly later reported; 'I called to Wigram, "You are wounded; you had better stop." Wigram said "Keep quiet", charged, and killed four men before he was killed'. From "The Illustrated London News Record of the Glorious Reign of Queen Victoria 1837-1901: The Life and Accession of King Edward VII. and the Life of Queen Alexandra". [London, 1901]

© The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The sortie of the garrison of Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 1842. Artist: Unknown

The sortie of the garrison of Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 1842. The British were besieged at Jalalabad by the Afghans under Akbar Khan from October 1841 during the First Afghan War. After reinforcements arrived from India in 1842 the Afghans were heavily defeated in a battle outside the city. A print from Cassell's Illustrated History of England.

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images

Surrender of Dost Mohammad Khan, Kabul, First Anglo-Afghan War, 1838-1842. Artist: James Atkinson

Surrender of Dost Mohammad Khan, Kabul, First Anglo-Afghan War, 1838-1842. Dost Mohammed Khan, ruler of Afghanistan, surrendering to William MacNaghten (1793-1841) taking his morning ride outside Kabul with an escort of soldiers. MacNaghten was shot by Akbar Khan, Dost Mohammad Khan's son, on 23 December 1841. The British fought the Anglo-Afghan Wars in an attempt to block the expansion of Russia's sphere of influence towards India. From Sketches in Afghanistan by James Atkinson. (London, 1842).

© Ann Ronan Picture Library / Heritage-Images