Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BAYONETS TO GYANTSE
The early-20th-century British invasion of Tibet, also known as the Younghusband exped-
ition, began, as wars sometimes do, with unreliable intelligence. Newspapers were
spreading the claim that Russia had designs on Tibet, and many were lapping it up. The
British Raj feared losing a buffer state and so sent Major Francis Younghusband, an army
officer with rich experience of Central Asia, on a diplomatic mission to the Tibetan border.
After six months of waiting, no Chinese or Tibetans had showed up for the meetings. A
stronger message had to be sent. Younghusband was instructed to advance on Lhasa
with 3000 troops (plus 7000 servants and 4000 yaks) to force a treaty on the recalcit-
rant Tibetans.
Despite having had previous brushes with British firepower, it seems the Tibetans had
little idea what they were up against. About halfway between Yatung and Gyantse, a small
Tibetan army bearing a motley assortment of arms and lucky charms confronted a Brit-
ish force carrying light artillery, Maxim machine guns and modern rifles. The Tibetans'
trump card was a charm marked with the seal of the Dalai Lama, which they were told
would protect them from British bullets. It didn't. Firing began after a false alarm and the
British slaughtered 700 Tibetans in four minutes.
The British buried the Tibetan dead (the Tibetans dug them up at night and carried
them off for sky burial) and set up a field hospital, dumbfounding the wounded Tibetans,
who could not understand why the British would try to kill them one day and save them
the next. The British then continued their advance to Gyantse, but found the town's de-
fensive fort (the Gyantse Dzong) deserted. Curiously, rather than occupy the dzong,the
British camped on the outskirts of Gyantse and waited for officials from Lhasa to arrive.
While they waited, Younghusband sped up to the Karo-la with a small contingent of
troops to take on 3000 Tibetans who had dug themselves in at over 5000m. The result
was the highest land-based battle in British military history and a fine example of frozen
stiff upper lip.
After nearly two months of waiting for Lhasa officials, the British troops received orders
to retake the Gyantse Dzong (which had been reoccupied by Tibetans) and march on
Lhasa. Artillery fire breached the walls of the fort, and when one of the shells destroyed
the Tibetan gunpowder supply the Tibetans were reduced to throwing rocks at their at-
tackers. The dzongfell in one day, with four British casualties and more than 300 Tibetan
dead.
