Great grandson of World War One hero General Lord Horne visits his grave in Wick cemetery
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The great grandson of Lord Horne of Stirkoke talked of the pride he felt for the Great War general on a visit to his gravesite in Wick cemetery.
Together with his wife Judith, David Impey spent a few moments in quiet contemplation at the grave of the WWI general – who died in a shooting accident at Stirkoke on August 14, 1929 – and said he felt "humbled by the great esteem" in which his ancestor was held locally.
We have come up to Caithness for the first time since my mother's death a year ago last April," said David. "I wanted to show Judith where my mother's side of the family hail from and to pay our respects to Lord Horne."
General Sir Henry Horne of Stirkoke was instrumental in the British Army's use of a military tactic known as "creeping barrage" on the Western Front – which helped end the war much sooner than might have been the case – and is also remembered for helping save many thousands of lives by organising the evacuation of troops from the Gallipoli Peninsula in November 1915, described as a "masterpiece of planning, ingenuity, and deception" by historian John Terraine.
David's mother, Mary Maive Impey (née Hewson), passed away last year and had spent much of her childhood in Caithness. Maive (as she was known) returned to Caithness in March 2007 to be present at the rededication of a memorial fountain to General Horne which had been carefully restored by Angus Mackay of Haster.
The general's grave in Wick was also restored and rededicated in 2018 thanks to the efforts of Captain Richard Otley and the local branch of the RBLS. A colour party was present at the ceremony along with many local dignitaries along with a party from Australia representing Anzac troops.
David added: "It is a source of considerable pride for us in our family the esteem in which this man is still held, not only in Caithness, but also around the world. I had a Dutch colleague who is a leading light in the Western Front Association (WFA) who was keen to tell me how important – and largely unsung – his achievements are regarded by historians of the Great War.
"His progressive – for the day – attitudes to the welfare of his men and his eschewing of a post-war reputation marked him out for praise according to my old colleague. In addition to his signal military achievements, his record is one such that I am proud to be his great-grandson."
David said it has been "very humbling" to know the regard in which his great grandfather is held in Caithness and within informed circles such as the WFA. He shared a selection of rarely seen pictures of Lord Horne's funeral at Stirkoke House in 1929 which are published below. The grand house now lies in ruins after a mysterious fire in 1996.
The couple said they had earlier had a meal at Puldagon Farm Shop and Restaurant run by Gregory Hooker who has family connections in the area going back to the time of Lord Horne.
"His great grandfather carried my great grandfather down on a barn door bier from where he fell [died] to the farm house at Puldagon," said David.
Judith added that the couple were looking for somewhere to eat and had just come across the restaurant by chance. "We saw that it was open and went in but we had no idea there would be still family connections. They were so excited when we talked about Lord Horne."
A memorial cross is sited close to the Puldagon restaurant to commemorate the site where the general died in a hunting accident in 1929.
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Granddaughter of Lord Horne of Stirkoke passes away
