Action At Badama Post

A thrilling account of the rescue of RAF crewmen after their aircraft crashes in Afghanistan in 1919. This is the story of an unknown incident during the little-known Third Afghan War. An aircraft from the No. 20 Squadron RAF was lost while investigating gathering tribesman. The crew were rescued, and most of the aircraft was recovered by the Kurram Militia and the 22nd Battery Motor Machine Gun Service. It was an all-arms action—the lives of two airmen were saved at the cost of an Indian Militiaman and an unknown number of Afghan tribesmen. It also illustrates the experience of a virtually unknown group of soldiers, the 22nd Battery of the Motor Machine Gun Service. They had volunteered to serve as Motor Machine Gunners in France, had been through an intense, competitive, and sometimes costly selection process, and had now suddenly found themselves dispatched half way round the globe to the heat, dust, snows and monsoons of India and the North-West Frontier. This book examines the conflict’s background, the Kurram Militia, the history of the squadron and the lives of the key players. While this was not the only action the 22nd Battery of the Motor Machine Gun Service fought during the Third Afghan War, this one was recorded in the account of A/Sjt Ernest “Bill” Macro, who was in charge of the section of 22nd Battery dispatched to Badama Post in late July 1919. This is his story, and the stories of the other men for whom the climax of their experience in the Third Afghan War came during the action at Badama Post

The work of explorers, surveyors and spies in the race to conquer Southern Asia is vividly recounted in this history of British imperial cartography. In the 19th century, the British and Russian empires were engaged in bitter rivalry for the acquisition of Southern Asian. Although India was the ultimate prize, most of the intrigue and action took place along its northern frontier in Afghanistan, Turkestan and Tibet. Mapping the region and gaining knowledge of the enemy were crucial to the interests of both sides. The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India began in the 18th century with the aim of creating a detailed map of the subcontinent. Under the leadership of George Everest—whose name was later bestowed to the world’s tallest mountain—the it mapped the Great Arc running from the country’s southern tip to the Himalayas. Much of the work was done by Indian explorers known as Pundits. They were the first to reveal the mysteries of the forbidden city of Lhasa, and discover the true course of Tibet’s mighty Tsangpo River. These explorers performed essential information gathering for the British Empire and filled in large portions of the map of Asia. Their adventurous exploits are vividly recounted in Mapping the Great Game.

An extraordinary compendium of information on herbal medicine, Medicinal Plants of the World, Volume 2 comprehensively documents the medicinal value of twenty-four major plants species widely used around the world in medical formulations. The book's exhaustive summary of available scientific data for the plants provides detailed information on how each plant is used in different countries, describing both traditional therapeutic applications and what is known from its use in clinical trials. A comprehensive bibliography of over 3000 references cites the literature available from a wide range of disciplines. This book offers an unprecedented collection of vital scientific information for pharmacologists, herbal medicine practitioners, drug developers, medicinal chemists, phytochemists, toxicologists, and researchers who want to explore the use of plant materials for medicinal and related purposes.