Fort White, Burma

British Fort White was a small military station built by the British Armyunder Field Marshal Sir George White, V.C., Commander-in-Chief ofUpper Burma during their third expeditions in the annexation of theChin Hills in 1889. Its location is on the eastern (leeward) side ofthe Letha range at midway between Kale and Tiddim towns in the Tiddimsubdivision of the Chin State, Burma.

History of the name

Though it was a mere military stockade, it was indicated as awell-known spot on every old world-map, as it was named after FieldMarshal Sir George White who was one of the famous British peers.

Plan

It was garrisoned and a post and telegraph office wasestablished there on the 13.1.1889 to be linked with their rearward,
Kalemyo of Sagaing division and other parts of the country down toRangoon.

During World War

During the second World War, it was ruined to ashes by air-raidsand by shelling with heavy guns from the Allied Forces at mountKennedy and yet it was not restored after the end of the was, since ithad to be swerved off by the new Kale-Tiddim motor car road from theold one intersecting it. It had been deserted ever since the Britishcolonial government had left.

There had been a heliograph station, too, on a horn of the Letharange near it to the west of the stockade at a distance of about fouror so furlongs. It was belonging to the Chin Hills Bn (BFF) of Falamto be communicated with other outstation such as, Kalemyo, No. 3Stockade (Natang), Dimlo-Tiddim, Lungpi-Falam and Haka. Later on, itwas occupied by a detachment of the Allied Force until just before theJapanese army stormed the fort of White and it was razed to the groundin the war.

The Fort White post and telegraph office was the transit officeof the whole Chin Hills connected with Kale, Tiddim, Haka and Falamoffices.

It has temperate climate but the temperature is usually touchingdown below the freezing point in the months from November to Februaryevery year.

Its natural vegetation is evergreen and the land is good forgrazing mithuns and sheep that Major M.C. Moore, Commanding Officer ofthe Chin Hills Bn. Reared sheep, kept jersey bulls and stallions formating with the indigenous females.

Notwithstanding its fame, not a copy of its photo nor itspicture is its entirely is available so far, in spite of hunting itevery nook and cranny ( a person to keep it) for many bygone years.

People

This fort is an important historic spot in the Chin Hills worthremembering in our history. So it was painted by artist Daniel Son zaHowe from his memory as exactly as he saw it in his boyhood when hefrequented there for sightseeing and authenticated by

1. Ex. Hav. Ngaw Khup, 90, of Khuasak 2. U E. Pau Za Kam, 85, retired State Education Officer, Khuasak and 3. U Hau za Kimlai, 83, retired State Forest Officer, Buanmanwho in their living memory, had lived there for many years and theyare still vividly familiar with all the scenic spots there and in theneighbourhood.

The Chin called

A graveyard which the Chins called, "The White Cemetery" where the British pioneer soldiers killed in action against the Chins in their occupation of the Siyin valley were buried is situated in the north about a mile away from it. The British ranking officers who were interred there among others were Major Gordon Cunning and Major Stevens.

External links

* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/BM/2/Fort_White.html Fort White on map]