Extract
from "British Commanders in the Transvaal War 1899-1900"
published by W.D. & H.O. Wills Ltd:
LIEUT.-GENERAL
SIR GEORGE WHITE, V.C.,
The
subject of our portrait, born in 1835, is, as are Lord Wolseley and
Lord Roberts and many other gallant and distinguished soldiers, an Irishman.
He entered the army in 1853, and first saw active service in the Indian
Mutiny, where he gained great distinction. In 1879, General White fought
with the Gordon Highlanders during the war in Afghanistan. At the actions
of Charasiah, Kandahar and others our (then) Major behaved with such
conspicuous gallantry that he was rewarded with the Victoria Cross.
For distinguished service in Burmah he was promoted to the rank of Major-General,
and soon after, in 1893, was appointed successor to Lord Roberts as
Commander-in-Chief in India.
The exigencies of the situation in Natal during the Autumn of 1899 necessitated
the sending out of this distinguished General to command the troops
there. His splendid military abilities were immediately evidenced in
his methods of dealing with the strategies of the Boer Command. ers,
but on November 3rd he found his communications cut off, and the siege
of Ladysmith commenced. For 117 days General White heroically defended
the town against the attacks of the Boers, the most daring and prominent
of which occurred on January 6th, 1900, when the enemy were repelled
with a loss of over 800 men. Eventually, on February 28th, the glad
news of the approach of the British relief column and the retreat of
the Boers was announced, and so ended one of the most memorable of modern
sieges.