| Stirling | George Murray Home | | Captain | STIRLING, SIR GEORGE MURRAY HOME, Captain, Baronet, of Glorat, was born at 16, Bryanston Square, London, 4 September 1869, son of Sir Charles Elphinstone Fleming Stirling, 8th Baronet, of Glorat (Nova Scotia Baronetcy, 1666), formerly Highland Borderers Militia, JP and DL for Stirlingshire, and of Anne Georgina, eldest daughter of James Murray. He was educated at Eton College, and the RMC, Sandhurst; joined the 2nd Essex Regiment (56th Foot, The Pompadours) as Second Lieutenant 9 November 1889; became Lieutenant 7 October 1892; served in the Chitral Campaign, 1895 (Medal and clasp); in the Tirah Campaign, 1897-98 (as Transport Officer); operations against the Khani Khel Chamkaiiis; operations in the Bazar Valley 25-30 December 1897 (two clasps). He became Captain 29 January 1900. He served in the South African Campaign, 1899-1902; from January to June 1900, as Adjutant, Burma Mounted Infantry. He took part in the operations in the Orange Free State, March to May 1900, including the actions of Poplar Grove, Driefontein, Houtnek (Thoba Mountain,) Vet River (5 and 6 May) and Zand River. Also in the operations in the Transvaal in May and June 1900, including actions near Johannesburg, Pretoria and Diamond Hill (11 and 12 June); operations in the Transvaal, west of Pretoria, 1 August to October 1900; operations in Orange River Colony, June to 31 July 1900; operations in Transvaal till wounded in September 1900; operations in the Transvaal, January to April 1901. He served as Staff Captain, Mounted Infantry Brigade, from 18 October 1900 to 18 February 1902, and was afterwards attached to the Army Service Corps as Officer Commanding Transport, Bloemfontein District, till June 1902, when he returned to England. The following is an extract from C S Goldmann's 'With General French and the Cavalry in South Africa', which gives a good account of the engagement at Sanna's Post, for which Sir George Stirling afterwards received the DSO: "Reduced to ten men (seven gunners, one sergeant, one corporal and a bombardier), and himself the sole officer left with the battery, Major Hornby had to call volunteers to rescue the guns. The appeal was responded to by Captain Humphreys, who was close by, by Lieutenant Stirling (2nd Essex), Burma Mounted Infantry, by Lieutenant Maxwell (18th Bengal Lancers), attached to Roberts's Horse, and a number of privates showed equal alacrity in lending help. Five of the men by themselves working with a will arranged to drag the two guns on the left a distance of 50 yards to a point behind the Station buildings, and the two on the outside were hauled by ten non-commissioned officers and gunners 100 yards to the shelter of a camp close up the line; the limbers also had to be brought up by manual effort. Singling out the middle gun, the Boers poured on it an unmeasured fire till it seemed as if nothing could live under such a fury of shell and bullet. The five dauntless men resumed the attempt at rescue by hand, but their strength was exhausted, and they had to turn to the horses that were standing in poor shelter behind a tin shed at the station. Four of the animals were brought forward in pairs only to be shot down. Another pair met the same fate. A gunner went out with each pair to hook in, while the driver held the horses. It was observed that when the men emerged from the shelter of the buildings, they bent their heads towards the direction from which the bullets were coming, as if they were withstanding a storm of hail. There had been 87 horses under the shelter of the shed; 85 were killed or disabled, and upon the remaining two animals depended the fate of the guns. Several bullets dropped hard by these two animals, throwing up dust to their middles, but the whizzing of the lead scarcely seemed to frighten them. They were with the utmost haste hitched up to the limber, and Lieutenant Stirling proceeded to back them to the gun. The short space of a single yard separated the trail from the limber hook; one instant more and they would have plunged forward bearing the gun away into safety, but it was not to be. A few Boer muzzles, with unerring aim, snatched away the success that seemed so nearly assured and so richly deserved. Both horses were shot through the eyes and dropped dead. Driver Glasock was wounded at the same moment, and the last gun stood hopelessly derelict. All means of rescue had been exhausted and the gun must be abandoned". Sir George Stirling was wounded at Zandfontein. For his services in the South African War he was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 8 February 1901]; received the Queen's South African Medal with four clasps, the King's Medal with two clasps, and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 19 April 1901]: "Sir George Murray Home Stirling, Captain, Essex Regiment. In recognition of services during the operations in South Africa". Served Somaliland FF 1903-4, and commanded the 7th Somali Camel Corps from 12 November 1903 to June 1904, taking part in operations in Somaliland and receiving the Medal and clasp. He succeeded to the Baronetcy 10 September 1910; was appointed DAAG, Mhow Division, India, 13 January 1911, which appointment he vacated in November 1914, in order to join his regiment in France. He had become Major on 12 February 1912. After the outbreak of the European War he was appointed Provost-Marshal to the 9th Army Corps 29 December 1914 to 15 November 1915, and Temporary Lieutenant Colonel 16 November 1915, on getting command of the 2nd Essex Regiment. He was Commandant, Lines of Communication, British Armies in France, from 3 October 1918, and Temporary Colonel from 1 October 1918. He was wounded, and thrice mentioned in Despatches in 1915, 1917, and again in 1918, besides receiving a Brevet Lieutenant Colonelcy 1 January 1918. Sir George Stirling was a member of the King's Bodyguard of Scotland, and a JP and DL for Stirlingshire. Sir George Stirling married, 4 November 1904, at St Andrews, Fife, Mabel Elizabeth, second daughter of Colonel Sir Alexander Sprot, Baronet, CMG, of Garnkirk and Stravithie, late of the Carabiniers (served in Afghan, South African and European Wars). They had two sons: Charles Alexander Sprot Home, born 3 April 1910; George Archibald Mmigo, born 10 March 1915, and two daughters, Elizabeth Gloriana and Jean Margaret.
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book) | Essex Regiment |
