Born on the 21st of February 1827, the son of Hans White, Esq., of Coolnagour and Aghavoe Grange, Co. Queen's.
Educated at Trinity College, Dublin.
Recommended for a commission by H.R.H. Prince George of Cambridge (Colonel of the Regiment) who, in the same letter, also recommended John Stephenson to be Paymaster of the 17th.
Cornet in the 17th Lancers: 15th of October 1847.
Lieutenant, 17th Lancers: 22nd of December 1848.
Captain, 17th Lancers: 26th of March 1852.
Lieutenant-Colonel White served the Eastern campaign of 1854, including the affair of the Bulganak, battles of the Alma and Balaclava (severely wounded and his horse shot) and the Siege of Sebastopol. (Medal and Clasps, Brevet of Major and the 5th Class Order of the Medjidie.)
He also served during the Mutiny campaign of 1858-59, when he commanded a squadron forming part of Colonel Somerset's column and was in action against the rebels at Baroda on the 1st of January 1859. (Medal, and mentioned in despatches. (6th of May 1859.)
Led "C" Troop, 1st Squadron, and rode on the right of the directing squadron in the Charge and was checked by Lord Cardigan in the early stages for 'forcing the pace'.
Believed to have been wounded before reaching the guns and to have been brought off the field by Private William Dimmock of the 17th Lancers. Sent to Scutari on the 26th of October 1854 and invalided to England on the 13th of January 1855 for 'the recovery of his health'.
He received £266/2/11d, "in consideration of the severe wound received by him in action."
Brevet-Major, 17th Lancers: 12th of December 1854.
Acted as D.A.A.G. H.Q. Ireland, 9th of February 1855 — 21st of August 1856.
Major, 17th Lancers: 12th of July 1858.
The muster rolls for the period July-September 1858 show him as being "On Detachment at Sholapoore".
Lieutenant-Colonel, and assumed the command of the Regiment: 21st of February 1860.
He married, in 1864, Charlotte, daughter of the Revd. John Meara, of Headfort, Co. Galway.
Births registered
Georgina H. A. White [daughter], March Quarter 1866, Colchester.
Robert Frederick H White [son], December Quarter 1868, Tunbridge.
Birth registered
Cerise Elinor [sic] White [daughter], June Quarter 1871, Tunbridge.
Colonel: 21st of February 1865.
On to half-pay: 15th of June 1866.
Major General: 1st of March 1870.
1871 Census
Hawthorne Lane, Tunbridge.
Robert White, 44, Colonel 17th Lancers, born Queens County, Ireland.
Charlotte White, 37, Galway.
Harry E White, 6, Secunderabad.
Georgina H A White, 5, Colchester.
Robert F H White, 2, Tunbridge Wells.
Commanded the Brigade Depot at Worcester: 1st of April 1873 — 1877.
1881 Census
Stratten End, Great Malvern.
Robert White, 54, Army Major General, born Ireland.
Charlotte White, 47, born Ireland.
Georgina White, 15, Colchester.
Robert J White, 12, Tunbridge.
Cerise E White, 9, Tunbridge.
John H White, 6, Malvern.
Nine servants are also shown.
Major-General, Commanding the Eastern District: 15th of September 1882 — 31st of March 1883.
Lieutenant-General: 8th of July 1885.
General: 1st of November 1890.
Retired, and placed on the Reserve of Officers: 1st of April 1891.
Colonel of the 21st Hussars: 1st of April 1891 until his death in 1902.
Deputy-Lieutenant and a J.P. for Queen's Co., Ireland.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava and Sebastopol. Order of the Medjidie, 5th Class, and the Mutiny medal (without clasp.) Was appointed a C.B. on the 24th of May 1873 and a K.C.B. on the 3rd of January 1893. He also received the Reward for Distinguished and Meritorious Service, on the 2nd of June 1879.
Ill for nearly a year, he died quite suddenly at Aghavoe Grange, Co. Queen's, on the 17th of September 1902, aged 75 years.
Extract from the Leinster Express, 20th of September 1902:
"Death of Sir R. White
With deep regret we announce the death of Sir Robert White, K.C.B., of Aghavoe Grange, at which he passed away on Wednesday morning last, in his 76th year.
In the past year the deceased gentleman has not enjoyed good health and his death was due to heart failure. His military career had been active and eventful and he also attained high rank in distinguished corps.
Since assuming the life of a country gentleman, Sir Robert had given employment to large numbers of people and he was ever kind and considerate to those around him. His demise is sincerely regretted by those who have had the advantage of serving under him. He had taken part in the public boards of the County and he was a regular attendant at the Abbeylieux Board of Guardians for some years.
The large circle of friends and acquaintances of the family deeply sympathise with its members on their bereavement. The funeral will take place today (Saturday) at 12 o'clock at Aghavoe."
Extract from the Leinster Express, 27th of September 1902:
"The late General White
The funeral of the late General Sir Robert White, K.C.B., took place at Aghavoe on Saturday last. The deceased General had been Colonel of the 21st (Empress of India's Lancers) and had previously been a Captain in the 17th (D.C.O.) Lancers.
The close connection with some of the principal regiments of the Army accounted for the semi-military funeral accorded the deceased by his former comrades-in-arms. The date of the funeral also gave it an added military interest in that it was the forty-eighth anniversary of the battle of the Alma, at which the deceased was engaged in as a Captain in the 17th Lancers.
A deputation of the 21st Lancers attended, consisting of Captain H.F. Frazer, Lieutenant C.H. Colesworth and twelve non-commissioned officers and men.
The cortege left Aghavoe Grange about a quarter to one o'clock, when the coffin was conveyed in an open hearse, and covered with the Union Jack, on which rested the deceased officer's Orders and medals and the lancer cap and sword which had been used throughout the Crimean and Indian Mutiny campaigns.
Numerous beautiful wreaths were on and about the coffin, conspicuous amongst them being the magnificent wreath from the Colonel and officers of the 21st (Empress of India's) Lancers composed of white asters, lilies, lilies of the valley and camellias, with the figures "XXI. 4th." in Neopolitan violets.
The chief mourners in the immediate rear were Major Hans S. White, R.F.A., Captain H.E. White, 4th Bn. Leinster Regiment, and Mr. R.F. White, (sons.) A fourth son, Captain Ian White, of the 5th Bn. Warwickshire Yeomanry, is on his way home from active service in South Africa.
On both sides of the hearse were pall-bearers consisting of the Steward and employees from Aghavoe, and on either side outside of them walked six men of the 21st Lancers with their lances reversed.
On arriving at the entrance to the churchyard the coffin was taken from the conveyance and borne by the non-commissioned officers of the Lancers to the chancel steps, preceded by the Revd. J.H. Chapman (Rector of Agahavoe), and the Rev. Mervyn Clare, M.A. (nephew of the deceased) reading the opening sentences of the burial service.
The hymns, "Rock of Ages," and "Jesu, Lover of my Soul," were impressively sung by the choir and joined in by the whole congregation.
At the conclusion of the service in the church the coffin was conveyed to the grave by the Steward and employees, the Dead March in "Saul" being played as they left the church.
The interment took place in the family burial place in Agahavoe churchyard. The service at the graveside was conducted by the same reverend gentlemen and on its conclusion the trumpeters of the 21st Lancers sounded the 'Last Post' and then 'Lights out.'
[A list of mourners and wreath-senders follows.]
He was buried in a now walled-off section of the churchyard entered through an iron gate. The erected headstone bears only the inscription:
"In loving memory of General Robert White, KCB, of Aghavoe. Late 17th Lancers and Colonel 21st Lancers. Died 17th September 1902. Aged 75. 'Peace Perfect Peace.'"
From its appearance and condition, being of marble (compared with other stones which are all made from possibly a local stone and crafted by the same mason, which are almost universally illegible), this is probably a replacement stone from the original.
Extract from the Irish Times, 20th of September 1902:
"Killenny, 18th September 1902.
Sir, — Will you allow an old school-fellow and friend of this gallant soldier and true Christian, to add a few reminiscences of his career.
We came from the same school, the Revd. P. Sargent's, North Great George's Street, entered college on the same day in October 1843, and obtained second and third class Hebrew premiums. How different our lots since then.
Robert White was a singularly handsome man and I can well imagine how he must have looked when, with the light of battle in his eye, he led the gloriously absurd Balaclava Charge. He told me, as a proof of Lord Cardigan's calmness, although he had never been under fire before, that when he (Captain White) was forcing the pace to escape the "feu d'enfer" Lord Cardigan had turned more than once in his saddle and waved his sword to check him.
So severely wounded was he that when the surgeons, in those days when antiseptic aids were unknown, came day after day to cut off his leg, he refused to allow the operation and he recovered to do good service in the Mutiny of 1857, serving in Central India under Sir Hugh Rose, later Lord Strathnairn.
We had not met for forty-five years, when prompted by the fact that letters appeared in your columns on two consecutive days, one on a religious topic by him, the other on a military subject by me, he came out here to see me, and stopped me as I was going down the hill on a parochial duty, with the enquiry, "Can you tell me, Sir, where Canon Staveley lives."
We shall yet meet again — where partings, decay and death are no more.
Yours, etc.,
Robert Staveley."
Marriage registered
Georgina Hope A White [daughter] married Gerard Bixby Laurence (solicitor), December Quarter 1891, Birmingham.
Death registered
Cerise E White [daughter], 47, September Quarter 1918, Paddington.
Death registered
Georgina H A Laurence [daughter], 64, March Quarter 1930, Tunbridge.
A son, Hans Stannard, was later a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Artillery and served in South Africa, 1899-1901 and was at the Relief of Ladysmith, action of Colenso and Tugula Heights.
In April of 1971 a member of the O.M.R.S. made a request in the Society Journal for his Mutiny and/or Turkish Crimean medals, he (or she) already being in possession of his Crimean medal.
A Crimean medal with all four clasps and with engraved naming to "Capt. White. 17 [sic] Lancers." is known to have appeared at least twice in Charles Lusted's medal lists, in January 1971 and again in August of 1971. Extracts from his military service were repeated on the second occasion, but with the addition of: "In the absence of an initial in the naming, and as Hart's List shows Major-General White as being entitled to 3 bars only, we cannot guarantee this medal, although our source would lead us to believe that this medal is, in fact, to this recipient. We are therefore however, offering this item as is, and at a price well below a proven item."