Åbo Akademis bibliotek

These are fascinating memoirs of a British officer who fought the legendary Pathan tribesmen of the Northwest Frontier, right up to the beginning of WW2. He describes desperate battles against this highly skilled and ruthless enemy. Pathan atrocities were commonplace and no prisoners were taken.

Cummings served in two Frontier units, the South Waziristan Scouts and the Corps of Guides. Waziristan, then the home of Wazirs and Mahsuds, the most war like of Pathan tribes, is today sanctuary for Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists. Frontier Fighters describes the closing stages of Britain’s imperial presence on the subcontinent. Yet beside the pig sticking, polo and hunting, there was great excitement danger and gallantry. A unique bond existed between the British and their native troops. Paradoxically Cummings went on to command a Pathan regiment in North Africa in WW2.