Lt-Col Philip Le Gallais



This picture was taken c1890 when Le Gallais was a captain as can be seen by his cuff and collar braiding. Philip Walter Jules Le Gallais, from Guernsey, was commissioned as a cornet into the 8th Hussars on 23rd April 1881. He was a captain on 19th March 1888 and he served in the South African War as a Lieutenant-Colonel. He died whilst leading a company of mounted infantry in an assault on a Boer Lager at Bothaville. He and his 150 men took the Boers, who numbered 800, completely by surprise. Many of the Boers panicked and fled.

But the Boer commander, de Wet, rallied 130 of his men and returned the British fire. This went on for four hours. Both sides were reinforced by more infantry and artillery, but it all came to an end when the Boers heard the British order to fix bayonets. They immediately surrendered. The British casualties were 38 killed and wounded, while the Boers lost 34. Le Gallais was wounded but died later. De Wet referred to his adversary as: "..without doubt one of the bravest Engish officers I have ever met." And Lord Roberts called him "a most gallant and capable cavalry leader, brought up in the very best of schools, the 8th Hussars.


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by Stephen Luscombe