Description
Queen’s South Africa, bar Belmont, 9998 Private Henry William White, 1st Coldstream Guards, who was Wounded in Action at Belmont on 23rd November 1899 and invalided home.
Officially impressed: “9998 Pte H.W. WHITE, CLDSTM: GDS:”
Confirmed on the medal roll, only earning this clasp, as during the battle he was wounded in action on 23rd November 1899, his wounds bad enough that he was swiftly invalided home and later discharged as medically unfit.
He had been put down by a Gunshot Wound to the Right Thigh.
With copy service papers.
A rare casualty, the medal in crisp virtually unworn condition.
In the immediate casualty lists, the 1st Coldstreams were noted as having had 7 men Killed and 20 Wounded.
The 1st Bn bore the main brunt of the casualties, the 2nd Coldstreams also having 6 men wounded.
At the Battle of Belmont, Lord Methuen’s Force of 8000 Men took on 2,000 Boers, under Jacobus Prinsloo, who had entrenched themselves on the Belmont Kopje.
The Guards Brigade, 9th Brigade and Naval brigade made a gallant assault on the Boer position over open ground, by the end of the day they had suffered 75 men Killed in Action, with 233 Wounded, amongst them Pte White.
Lord Methuen wrote to his wife after the battle. “I detest war, people congratulate me; the men seem to look on me like a father, but I detest war the more I see of it.’ Outside his tent he could now hear a “poor fellow groaning and dying, shot through the chest, he is silent now, so perhaps God has released him.”
As many historians of the period and since have pointed out, the reason for such great losses was due to a lack of mobility and poor intelligence in the field with virtually no detailed cartography at the scale needed.
Henry William White, was born in Broxted, Great Dunmow, Essex, circa 1875.
Son of Charles White, of Cherry Green, Broxted, Essex.
His father was an Agricultural Labourer, like most of the family including Henry until enlisting.
His mother Harriet was a Teacher.
He had signed up with the Coldstream Guards on 29th January 1895, aged 20.
He saw the following service:
Home, 25th January 1895 – 9th March 1899
Gibraltar, 10th March 1899 – 27th October 1899, shipped over to South Africa
South Africa, 28th October 1899 – 25th December 1899, invalided home after being wounded in action at Belmont.
Home, 26th December 1899 – 20th February 1901, found medically unfit for further service.
His service papers noting service in “South Africa 1899” being wounded “At Belmont, 23rd Novr 1899”
After some time at home recovering, and with the 3rd Bn Coldstream Guards, he was found “Medically unfit for further service” and discharged on 20th February 1901 in London.
His conduct was noted as “Fair” and he intended to return home to Broxted.
He died in Dunmow, during 1912, he was only 37.
