China Station: The British Militry in the Middle Kingdom, 1839–1997 by Mark Felton

Author:Mark Felton
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Tags: Non-Fiction, United Kingdom, Imperialism, China, War, History
ISBN: 9781473829602
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
Published: 2013-09-01T14:00:00+00:00

The Gurkhas and Royal Fusiliers charged through the breach, fighting tier to tier until the Union Jack was at last unfurled atop the fort’s highest pinnacle.

On 14 July, the British began their advance on Lhasa unopposed, the capture of Gyantse Dzong appearing to have destroyed Tibetan morale to resist. Once again, Younghusband sent letters ahead to both the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Amban asking for negotiations. But just when it seemed that Tibetan resolve to stop the British had cracked, a fresh block on the expedition was imposed at Karo-la Pass, where the British had already fought. The wall across the 16,600-foot pass had been repaired and extended, buttressing against the surrounding mountains that reached up to 24,000 feet high and were topped with snow. Behind the wall the Tibetans had constructed a line of rock sangars. About 1,500 Tibetans garrisoned the position.

A 7am on 18 July 1904, the attack began when the Royal Fusiliers attacked in the centre and the 8th Gurkhas and 40th Pathans sent parties out onto each flank. The artillery had a field day, firing from several hundred feet above the Tibetan position, the high altitude making the shells travel faster and longer. The Gurkhas and Pathans struggled up to 18,000 feet, turned the Tibetan flanks and then the artillery pursued the fleeing enemy with shrapnel shells.

Following the breaching of the Karo-la Pass position, the first signs that the Tibetans wished to negotiate reached Major Younghusband. A deputation of high lamas from Lhasa met Younghusband at Nagartse, a few miles on from Karo-la Pass. The war-fighting phase was now well and truly over after one of the most extraordinary campaigns in British military history, fought ‘on the roof of the world’. Younghusband now assumed command from General MacDonald who, with the exception of 2,000 troops, marched back to Sikkim.

Younghusband reached Lhasa on 4 August 1904 only to discover that the Potala Palace was empty – the 13th Dalai Lama had fled to Outer Mongolia, fearing British retribution. The Chinese Amban ’s troops escorted Younghusband into the city where he spent some weeks intimidating the Regent, Gandon Tri Rimpoche, and an ad hoc Tibetan government, into signing the so-called ‘Anglo-Tibetan Agreement’.

Younghusband’s self-drafted agreement allowed for Anglo-Tibetan trade at Yadong, Gyantse and Gartok, and forced the Tibetans to pay an indemnity of 500,000 pounds (later reduced). The Chumbi Valley would be ceded to Britain until the indemnity was paid, and the Tibet-Sikkim border recognised. Tibet was forced to promise that it would have no relations with any other foreign power, making Tibet a British Protectorate. Naturally, the Chinese immediately rejected this last part of the treaty and Britain actually backed down – formally accepting Chinese claims over Tibet.

Acting Viceroy Lord Ampthill later reduced the indemnity by two thirds and a revised agreement, the Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1906, agreed to recognise China’s rights over Tibet in return for a sizeable ‘bribe’ from the Qing Court. Britain also agreed not to annex Tibetan territory or to interfere in the administration of Tibet by China.

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