Coll 5/39 ‘Flights of RAF aeroplanes to Gilgit; flights of foreign aircraft over Gilgit and Chitral’ [‎98v] (196/409)

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necessary to turn for home, leaving to
the west the eastern ramparts of the
Hindu Kush and passing close to what
the late Lord Curzon decided was the
true source of the Oxus whose waters
not only he believed to have rocked the
cradle of our race
On the return journev it was possible
to give more attention to the details of
this stupendous landscape.
Somewhere in the western Karakoram
range (probably in square 2/C Map 42-
L) there is an outstanding peak
smothered in snow save for a large gash
of red on its flank which looked like
granite. The Batura glacier apneared
as a long straight road with the line of
demarkation between glacier and rock
plainly visible.
At Baltit height was lost to drop a
message on the Mir of Hunza. Although
dropped at a height of about 7,000 feet
from its objective it fell in a field by the
Rani’s House. The Hispar glacier pre
sented an unforgettable sight, suggest
ing some celestial highway with the
Golden Gates in the guise of a great
lonely peak at the end. This was seen
east south east from Baltit. From that
place to K 2 in a dead straight line is
one hundred miles. From Gulmarg
(9,000) Nanga Parbat, 85 miles away,
is visible so perhaps it was K 2 that was
viewed from Baltit. At an elevation
of 17,000 feet there is nothing very big
in the way. The summit was certainly
of the rounded shape to be observed in
the rare photographs of this mountain.
It is a pleasant and by no means im
possible thought.
At Chalt where the Hunza river
bends to the south a very slight devia
tion west of south was made to obtain
a view of Naltar, the new summer sta
tion. Far famed Chaprot proved a
disappointment but the sister nullah,
Naltar, stood out as a fine and well
wooded glen with its forests of blue
pine and silver fir stretching many miles
to the north west. It was impossible
not to feel some pleasure at the sight of
the new house completed less than two
months ago.
On the return flight photographs
were taken of likely landing grounds.
Sost,^ 119 miles by the land route from
Gilgit appeared to offer considerable
possibilities as also did Pasu and to a
lesser degree Misgar. On this most
important matter the report of the
Royal Air Force will be awaited with'
deep interest. If the reconnaissance'
results in a landing ground at Sost the
political consequences will be of first
importance. The loyalty of future
Mirs will be bound even more strongl#^
to the British Government in a, tew
them, most depressing manner for no
longer will they have a back door for
flight. The exit of which Safdar Ali
availed himself in 1891 will be closed.
If the old strategic barriers are break
ing down under the development of
aircraft then these valuable northern
oases of plain must be denied for ever
to an enemy and in what more simple
manner than by occupying them our
selves. Not for much longer will there
be a strong man in Hunza and Little
Guihal, but the problems of the future
will be simplified if it is possible to
transport troops into the heart of that
State at short notice instead of by a
weary and easilv opposable march that
Jn the best conditions must take manv
Giigit iigency be nearly interested : but
tne Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. can never teei tnat it is
without responsibility for the Consulate
at Kashgar with its handful of Euro
peans and its tiny Hunza guard If
nelp were ever needed there it could
only come from Gilgit and a landing
ground at Sost would turn that chance
of help, at present so remote, into some-
•i ea r tile lan d route Sost is
524 miles from Kashgar so that a return
flight without re-fuelling should be pos
sible for many types of aircraft.
At 11-30 the same morning the Mir
n r h UI |L a and , tile Cllie fs were taken up
rw % n hour ‘ Wlth ^em were
,^°f ) P er ’ Commandant of
Scouts and Lieut. Smart, Adjutant
was made clear beforehand ‘that
flight was not only a privilege but
entirely voluntary. Nagar decided not
» an yda y ^ lef'uslotoSaNT
So they were taken in that direction
canitalTf P ^ from Sherkilla he
S a e Ch^ la hool- V r that , pIaw Ws
by the heff ,- Pumal warmly
n I. , f d f d on dlsem barking they
all shook hands warmly with each other
and thankfully greeted their followers
who had remained at hand and at prav-
er during that fateful 30 minutes. This
short flight, a graceful and much ap-
preciated act on the part of the Air
Officer Commanding, was a very great
It
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