TOPIC:

I came across this paragraph in the ILH from 17 Aug 1901/

Does anyone know who the officer is?

Yes, it's Walter Karri Davies who refused pay also.

J

War Office, August 2, 1901 in the London Gazette of the same date.

THE King has been graciously pleased to
accept the resignation by Major Karri Davies,
'Imperial'Light Horse, of the Companionship of
the Most Honourable Order of the Bath ; that
Officer having expressed a wish that he might be
permitted to serve His Majesty without any reward

I have wondered if the reason why Karri Davies refused the CB was because his mismanagement of the Long Valley sortie on 3 November 1899 weighed heavily on his mind. This ill-conceived venture resulted in the deaths of two of the ILH's best officers, Captain J C Knapp and Lieutenant A E Brabant, as well as one of the most senior officers in the Natal Carbineers, Major C E Taunton. Other ranks casualties included Sergeant Mapstone of the Carbineers, who is mentioned in another current thread on this forum. Karri Davies ceded command of the ILH to Major A H M Edwards of the 5th Dragoons on the following day.

Apart from this one lapse in his Boer War record, I believe that Karri Davies thoroughly deserved the honour offered to him.

A friend who has settled in Western Australia spent time in the local archives tracing Karri Davies' life in his home country and she too thought him to be a remarkable man.

Brett

I think it was more to do with his strong desire to serve the Empire for principle and not reward.

After all, alone of the Reform Committee, both he and Wools-Sampson refused to pay for their release and spent a year in a jail out of principle.

Wools-Sampson also wanted to refuse the C.B. but was talked out of it by Bindon Blood.

Best,

Justin

No wonder these men and the Imperial Light Horse were held in such high regard.