 The British Malakand Field Force used the town of Nowshera as a base of operations . Nowshera was located south of the Kabul River " six hours by rail from Rawal Pindi " . Commanded by Colonel Schalch , the base served as a hospital while the normal garrison was serving 47 miles ( 76 km ) away at Malakand Pass in what was known as the Malakand South Camp . This force consisted of one British cavalry regiment , one Indian cavalry regiment and one Indian infantry battalion . Winston Churchill , who would accompany the relief force as a second lieutenant and war correspondent , described the camp as " ... a great cup , of which the rim is broken into numerous clefts and jagged points . At the bottom of this cup is the ' crater ' camp . " Churchill goes on to state that the camp was viewed as purely temporary and was indefensible , as a result of its cramped conditions and the fact that it was dominated by the surrounding heights . A nearby camp , North Malakand , was also established on the plains of Khar , intended to hold the large number of troops that were unable to fit into the main camp . Both of these positions were garrisoned for two years with little fear of attack by a 1 @,@ 000 strong force . Officers brought their families , and the camp held regular polo matches and shooting competitions . 
