Towards the end of the 1842 retreat from Kabul, the last survivors of the 44th of Foot (East Essex Regiment) on the 13th of January 1842 made a heroic last stand against Afghan tribesmen.With General Elphinstone’s army mostly destroyed in the valleys between Kabul and safety, 20 officers and 45 soldiers tried to push on to the garrison at Jalalabad, but quickly found themselves surrounded.
Moving to a snowy hill outside the village of Gandamak, with limited muskets and shot, the heroic men refused to surrender. When pressed to give up by the Afghans, a British sergeant is said to have cried back “Not bloody likely”. In what was a most savage massacre of the army, one can only imagine what they had seen happen to the injured who fell behind and what could be done with by the sharp blades of the avenging Afghans.
Multiple charges were fought off by hand to hand fighting, but each time more and more men fell. Sniping also took a heavy toll, a skill the Afghans had perfected during this period, usual from the hilltops down into advancing columns of men.
When the final charge took place, a Captain Souter was taken captive rather than killed. This was due to him wearing the regimental colours of the 44th around his waist to protect them. This fanciful appearance, had him mistook for a general or higher-ranking officer. He was taken prisoner at the very end alongside a handful of others.
The remaining men fell on the hill, and it is believed that evidence of the battle could still be seen as late as the 1970’S, indeed even to the 2010’s. Being in such a remote and arid location, I could well imagine this being the case.
