Afridi Jemadar, Frontier Constabulary, 1934 (b/w photo)

Afridi Jemadar, Frontier Constabulary, 1934. Photograph by Lieutenant L H Landon, Royal Artillery, India, North West Frontier, 1934. A jemadar was an Indian rank equivalent to a British second-lieutenant. The individual shown here was a member of the Afridi tribe, one of the most powerful on the frontier. When their clans were not fighting each other or attacking other Pathan tribes, they were frequently engaged against British-Indian forces. The British respected their fighting qualities and went at great lengths to enlist them into the Indian Army and frontier militias. The latter units provided a useful link between the British and the local tribes and helped keep the peace. One of 4 photographs taken by Lieutenant L H Landon, Royal Artillery, while on leave in the Kagan Valley, 1934.