TOPIC:

In Annan Cemetery, Dumfries and Galloway.

Halbert Russel Johnstone was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1874; his father seems to have been head of the Yokohama branch of Findlay, Richardson & Co.
www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=730258.0

Halbert also seems to have been resident in Canada at the time he volunteered, as his estate was granted a free homestead of land on 24th June 1902, by the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.
www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/oic/arc_oic/0286_1902

There are much better photos of the memorial here: - scottishwargraves.phpbbweb.com/scottishw...pic261-0-asc-60.html







Note that his inscribed middle name is Russel, but all online sources appear to give it as Russell.

Berenice
The Palmer roll says - amongst other things - that Lt. Herbert Russell Johnstone was educated at Dollar, Scotland. He was a fearless rider and good at all games. He went out at the outbreak of the war and first served as a Trooper in Strathcona's Horse and saw much service in Natal and the subsequent advance into the Transvaal, for which he was awarded the medal and three clasps. He was afterwards given a commission in the Yeomanry and served with General Plumer's force. At Onverwacht (which means unexpected), some Boers who were dressed like our troops, were mistaken for New Zealnders, who had been sent in advance. When the error was discovered, the Boers were quite close to our men. Lt. Johnstone, who was in command of his company, led it most gallantly, but fell mortally wounded. He died in the ambulance and is buried at a farm near Balmoral, Transvaal. A tablet has been placed to his memory in the cemetery at Annan, Dumfriesshire.
Regards
IL.

Johnstone was subsequently buried at Volksrust after exhumation from the original grave at Amersfoort.

LinneyI wrote: Berenice
The Palmer roll says - amongst other things - that Lt. Herbert Russell Johnstone was educated at Dollar, Scotland.

Presumably at Dollar Academy. Although there's no ABW memorial recorded for the Academy that I can find, I found that The Dollar Magazine - The Official Organ of the Dollar Academy Clubs [for former pupils] - was established in 1902, and this brief history, link below, of its early years includes a piece on a war incident. Perhaps Halbert Johnstone's death was recorded in one of the early issues.
www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_167446_smxx.pdf (pages 5 to 7)

Berenice
Yes, it was probably very likely that the death of a former student in the Boer War would get a write-up in a House/Old Boy's magazine. If able to be accessed, such magazines might add another dimension to research about the campaign.
Regards
IL.

Volksrust