Fort White, Burma
Encyclopedia
Fort White was a small military station built by the British Army
under Field Marshal
Sir George Stuart White, V.C., Commander-in-Chief of Upper Burma
during their third expeditions in the annexation of the Chin Hills
in 1889. Its location was on the eastern (leeward) side of the Letha Range midway between Kale and Tiddim towns in what is now the Tiddim Township
of Chin State
, Burma (Myanmar).
and other parts of the country down to Rangoon.
colonial government had left.
There had been a heliograph
station, too, on a horn of the Letha range near it to the west of the stockade at a distance of about four furlongs. It belonged to the Chin Hills
Bn (BFF) of Falam to be communicated with other outstation such as, Kalemyo, No. 3 Stockade (Natang), Dimlo-Tiddim, Lungpi-Falam and Haka. Later on, it
was occupied by a detachment of the Allied Force until just before the Japanese army stormed the fort of White and it was razed to the ground in the war.
The Fort White post and telegraph office was the transit office of the whole Chin Hills connected with Kale, Tiddim, Haka and Falam offices.
It has a temperate climate but the temperature usually drops below freezing point in the months from November to February every year.
Its natural vegetation is evergreen and the land is good for grazing mithuns and sheep that Major M.C. Moore, Commanding Officer of the Chin Hills Bn. Reared sheep, kept jersey bulls and stallions for mating with the indigenous females.
Notwithstanding its fame, not a copy of its photo nor its picture is its entirely is available so far, in spite of hunting it every nook and cranny ( a person to keep it) for many bygone years.
who in their living memory, had lived there for many years and they are still vividly familiar with all the scenic spots there and in the neighbourhood.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
under Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Sir George Stuart White, V.C., Commander-in-Chief of Upper Burma
Upper Burma
Upper Burma refers to a geographic region of Burma , traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery , or more broadly speaking, Kachin and Shan States....
during their third expeditions in the annexation of the Chin Hills
Chin Hills
The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma , that extends northward into India's Manipur state. They are part of the Arakan Mountain Range . The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Nat Ma Taung, or Khonumthung , in southern Chin State, which reaches 3,053 meters...
in 1889. Its location was on the eastern (leeward) side of the Letha Range midway between Kale and Tiddim towns in what is now the Tiddim Township
Tiddim Township
Tedim or Tiddim Township is a township in Tedim District of the Chin State of Burma .There are 55 village-tracts and 132 villages in 2011. -External links:* map, Myanmar Information Management Unit , 6 August 2009...
of Chin State
Chin State
Chin State is a state located in western Burma . The Chin State is bordered by Rakhine State in the south, Bangladesh in south-west, Sagaing Division and Magway Division in the east, Indian state of Manipur in the north and Indian state of Mizoram in the west. The Chin ethnic group make up the...
, Burma (Myanmar).
History of the name
Though it was a mere military stockade, it was indicated as a well-known spot on every old world-map, as it was named after Field Marshal Sir George Stuart White who was one of the famous British peers.Plan
It was garrisoned and a post and telegraph office was established there on the 13.1.1889 to be linked with their rearward, Kalemyo of Sagaing DivisionSagaing Division
Sagaing Region is an administrative region of Burma , located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east...
and other parts of the country down to Rangoon.
During World War II
During the second World War, it was reduced to ashes by air-raids and shelling with heavy guns from the Allied Forces at mount Kennedy and yet it was not restored after the end of the war, since it had to be swerved off by the new Kale-Tiddim motor car road from the old one intersecting it. It has been deserted ever since the Britishcolonial government had left.
There had been a heliograph
Heliograph
A heliograph is a wireless solar telegraph that signals by flashes of sunlight reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror, or by interrupting the beam with a shutter...
station, too, on a horn of the Letha range near it to the west of the stockade at a distance of about four furlongs. It belonged to the Chin Hills
Chin Hills
The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma , that extends northward into India's Manipur state. They are part of the Arakan Mountain Range . The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Nat Ma Taung, or Khonumthung , in southern Chin State, which reaches 3,053 meters...
Bn (BFF) of Falam to be communicated with other outstation such as, Kalemyo, No. 3 Stockade (Natang), Dimlo-Tiddim, Lungpi-Falam and Haka. Later on, it
was occupied by a detachment of the Allied Force until just before the Japanese army stormed the fort of White and it was razed to the ground in the war.
The Fort White post and telegraph office was the transit office of the whole Chin Hills connected with Kale, Tiddim, Haka and Falam offices.
It has a temperate climate but the temperature usually drops below freezing point in the months from November to February every year.
Its natural vegetation is evergreen and the land is good for grazing mithuns and sheep that Major M.C. Moore, Commanding Officer of the Chin Hills Bn. Reared sheep, kept jersey bulls and stallions for mating with the indigenous females.
Notwithstanding its fame, not a copy of its photo nor its picture is its entirely is available so far, in spite of hunting it every nook and cranny ( a person to keep it) for many bygone years.
People
This fort is an important historic spot in the Chin Hills worth remembering in our history. So it was painted by artist Daniel Son za Howe from his memory as exactly as he saw it in his boyhood when he frequented there for sightseeing and authenticated by- Ex. Hav. Ngaw Khup, 90, of Khuasak
- U E. Pau Za Kam, 85, retired State Education Officer, Khuasak and
- U Hau za Kimlai, 83, retired State Forest Officer, Buanman
who in their living memory, had lived there for many years and they are still vividly familiar with all the scenic spots there and in the neighbourhood.