Herbert Walker White
aged 31 Pte Kings Own Scottish Borderers, killed in action at Karee Siding 29th march 1900
bap at Keswick 6th Dec 1868 to Sarah Ann White, 1871 he was living on Church St Keswick, 1881 on Back Lane, keswick and in 1891 he was lodging with another keswick man William Mounsey at Shap, they were both quarrymen.
These wandering patrols who kept the country unsettled, and harassed
the farmers who had taken advantage of Lord Roberts's proclamation,
were found to have their centre at a point some six miles to the north
of Glen, named Karee. At Karee a formidable line of hills cut the
British advance, and these had been occupied by a strong body of the
enemy with guns. Lord Roberts determined to drive them off, and on
March 28th Tucker's 7th Division, consisting of Chermside's brigade
(Lincolns, Norfolks, Hampshires, and Scottish Borderers), and Wavell's
brigade (Cheshires, East Lancashires, North Staffords, and South Wales
Borderers), were assembled at Glen. The artillery consisted of the
veteran 18th, 62nd, and 75th R.F.A. Three attenuated cavalry brigades
with some mounted infantry completed the force.
The movement was to be upon the old model, and in result it proved
to be only too truly so. French's cavalry were to get round one flank,
Le Gallais's mounted infantry round the other, and Tucker's Division to
attack in front. Nothing could be more perfect in theory and nothing
apparently more defective in practice. Since on this as on other
occasions the mere fact that the cavalry were demonstrating in the rear
caused the complete abandonment of the position, it is difficult to see
what the object of the infantry attack could be. The ground was
irregular and unexplored, and it was late before the horsemen on their
weary steeds found themselves behind the flank of the enemy. Some of
them, Le Gallais's mounted infantry and Davidson's guns, had come from
Bloemfontein during the night, and the horses were exhausted by the
long march, and by the absurd weight which the British troop-horse is
asked to carry. Tucker advanced his infantry exactly as Kelly-Kenny had
done at Driefontein, and with a precisely similar result. The eight
regiments going forward in echelon of battalions imagined from the
silence of the enemy that the position had been abandoned. They were
undeceived by a cruel fire which beat upon two companies of the
Scottish Borderers from a range of two hundred yards. They were driven
back, but reformed in a donga. About half-past two a Boer gun burst
shrapnel over the Lincolnshires and Scottish Borderers with some
effect, for a single shell killed five of the latter regiment.
Chermside's brigade was now all involved in the fight, and Wavell's
came up in support, but the ground was too open and the position too
strong to push the attack home. Fortunately, about four o'clock, the
horse batteries with French began to make their presence felt from
behind, and the Boers instantly quitted their position and made off
through the broad gap which still remained between French and Le
Gallais. The Brandfort plain appears to be ideal ground for cavalry,
but in spite of that the enemy with his guns got safely away. The loss
of the infantry amounted to one hundred and sixty killed and wounded,
the larger share of the casualties and of the honour falling to the
Scottish Borderers and the East Lancashires. The infantry was not well
handled, the cavalry was slow, and the guns were
inefficient--altogether an inglorious day. Yet strategically it was of
importance, for the ridge captured was the last before one came to the
great plain which stretched, with a few intermissions, to the north.
From March 29th until May 2nd Karee remained the advanced post.