Movement of the 2/11th (Nth Devonshire) Foot, 2nd Afghan War

[Eckert1968]

Does anyone know when the 2nd Battalion, 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment arrived in India and on what troopship? Where were they stationed before they started their movement towards Kandahar? I am trying to piece together their movements from the time they arrived in India until they reached Kandahar.

Few transport animals were readily available and Baluchistan Distict had been suffering drought conditions for almost two years and forage was in a particularly short supply. A railway line had been laid towards the Bolan Pass during the earlier part of the war in 1878, but it was only single-tracked and was to be greatly strained by the numbers of men now being moved urgently forward. From the railhead at Sibi, most troops had to march the remaining eighteen miles to the Bolan Pass over a desert terrain, in temperatures averaging 120 degrees Fahrenheit and then on to Quetta. Moreover, through the hostility of the Marri and Kakar Tribes, the main effort beyond Quetta through the Khojak Pass would have to be preceded by pacifying columns.

When did 2/11th Regiment make it to Sibi and begin their trek through the Bolan Pass to Quetta?
When did they arrive in Quetta?
When did they pass through the Khojak Pass?

This is what I have so far and I am hoping others can add what they know:

23 July 1880 - Lt. Colonel W.T. Corrie led the 2/11th Regiment and was enroute to Dozan. Because they were not near line of communication they did not hear the terrible news of the defeat of General Burrows and his army at Maiwand. They moved on hurriedly to place called Gulistan Karez. (Would not reach Kandahar until 3 weeks after its relief by General Roberts on 31 August).

29 July 1880 – Was in the Bolan Pass enroute to Quetta.

30 August 1880 – General Phayre begins his advance through Khojak Pass. Realizing that General Roberts was already almost at Kandahar, Phayre found it appropriate to slow his advance and reduce his own force in order to compensate for the lack of supplies on his own route and in the vicinity of Kandahar. Ripon later praised Phayre’s ‘admirable self-denial’ in doing so. The only purpose now to be served was to advance sufficient troops to secure the supply route into the city. Was the 2/11th Regiment part of Phayre's advance through the pass on the 30th or were they elsewhere?
6 September 1880 – Phayre finally arrived at Kandahar by which time Roberts had dispersed Ayub Khan’s army.
20 September 1880 – According to historical records of the 11th Regiment, they did not reach Kandahar until 3 weeks after Roberts arrival on 31 August 1880 and that would make it around 20th September.

1 Jan 1881 – The 2/11th Regiment has a rough time. Their mortality was greater than is often the case with a regiment in the fiercest action. They lost two officers and a hundred and thirty-six men, while so severely had the climate and illness affected them that out of 715 that had marched six months before, only 215 were fit for service.
April 1881 – The British and Indian regiments finally withdrew from Afghanistan in April 1881.

How long did the 2/11th Regiment stay in Afghanistan? By the time they made it to Kandahar they were not in any shape to patrol or assist in manuevers. After leaving Afghanistan where were they stationed in India until 1885?

Did members of the 2/11th receive Afghan medals for their part? My wife's ancestor, Peter McGough was a soldier of the 2/11 and took part in the race for Kandahar.

Thank you with any assistance that you can give me.

David

[Liz]

Hi David

Welcome to the VWF. It's great to have somebody come along who has already done a fair bit of research on their topic and who is happy to share. Hopefully one of our 2nd Afghan War afficionados will have some more info for you on this issue and on your post about Peter McGough here http://www.victorianwars.com/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=1390. Cheers,

Liz

[Eckert1968]

Thanks Liz. I love the forum and look forward to hearing from the experts. Cheers, David

[Ann Smith]

Hi, David. I am new to this site, but have gleaned enough from it already to know that my great grandfather, who served for 21 years with the 11th Foot/Devonshire Regiment in India, must have been with the 2nd Battalion. I have quite a lot of info. from his service records about his movements; e.g. the entry " Recrossed frontier, 9th May 1881" answers one of your queries. If any of your other questions remain unanswered, please get in touch and I'll see if I have any relevant details.
Ann

[Garen]

I missed this message first time around, but I'm having a tea break, so thought I'd pop in a few answers (apologies, David, you've probably discovered all this now, so - just for the record...)

Does anyone know when the 2nd Battalion, 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment arrived in India and on what troopship? Where were they stationed before they started their movement towards Kandahar?

The 11th Foot left England aboard the Serapis on 9th Feb 1877. I am not sure of the exact date they arrived at Bombay, but it would be about four or five weeks later (edit: have since researched it, they arrived Bombay 13 Mar).

Before being ordered to the Afghan border in July 1880, the regiment was at Karachi and Hyderabad.

When did 2/11th Regiment make it to Sibi and begin their trek through the Bolan Pass to Quetta?
When did they arrive in Quetta?
When did they pass through the Khojak Pass?

The 11th moved by successive companies, so not all men of the regiment would have necessarily arrived and departed various locations on the same date. The regiment was to gather at Quetta, but on receiving the news of the defeat at Maiwand, they were hurried on to Gulistan Karez. By 24th Aug 1880, one wing was at Gulistan Karez, and the other was at Quetta. They reached Kandahar on the 18th Sep 1880.

How long did the 2/11th Regiment stay in Afghanistan? After leaving Afghanistan where were they stationed in India until 1885?

They left Karachi for Afghanistan on 23 July 1880 and left Kandahar on 15th Apr 1881, arriving at Quetta on 1st May (as Ann says above, it looks like they crossed the actual Indian border on 9th May) and then headed for Jullundur. The 2/11th (Devonshire) went from India to Burma in 1890 and were back in England on 14 Apr 1893 (after being stopped in Egypt for a short while).

Did members of the 2/11th receive Afghan medals for their part?

Yes, they received the single Afghan War medal.