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| Colonel James Graves Kelly is the man with the beard in the centre of the pioneer officers. Kelly was building roads near Kashmir when he heard what was occurring over in Chitral. He gathered what troops he could muster including 400 Sikh Pioneers, 40 Kasmiri Sappers with 2 mountain guns and 900 Hunza Irregulars. Although his force was small he had the advantage that the Chitralis did not think that anyone would be fool enough to cross 150 miles of mountains in late winter. He left Gilgit on 23 March and by 30 March had crossed the snowline at 10,000 feet. The main problem was the 12,000 foot Shandur Pass at the head of the Gilgit River which was crossed in the waist-deep snow dragging the two mountain guns on sledges. Fighting began the next day when the Chitralis became aware of them. By 13 April they had driven the enemy from two main positions and by 18 April the road to Chitral was clear. |
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