Biography:
Harry Bertram Abadie was born 20 June 1872, the son of Major General Henry Richard Abadie, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, and his wife Kate Teesdale Sandeman.
He arrived at Winchester College in January 1885 and was in H House, Mr Bramston’s house, until the summer of 1887.
Abadie went on to the Royal Military College when he left Winchester and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant with the 11th Hussars in 1892. He served in India, based at Sialkot and Peshawar, for five years. He was promoted to Lieutenant in September 1894 and served with the Chitral Relief Force under Sir Robert Low in 1895, followed by service as assistant transport officer in the North West Frontier Campaign of 1897 to 1898 under Sir William Lockhart. Then followed service on the Tirah Expeditionary Force in 1896 and a mention in despatches.
In September 1899, Abadie was seconded to the Staff in South Africa as a Special Service Officer and was part of the besieged British garrison of Ladysmith. He was mentioned in despatches in February 1900 for his service as Staff Officer for Water Supplies during that siege. Abadie was then appointed A.D.C to Lt General Sir Archibald Hunter, Commander of the 10th Division, in March 1900 and was again mentioned in despatches in September 1901. He was also awarded the D.S.O.
Abadie was on his way home in February 1901 when he fell ill with enteric fever and he died at Norval’s Point on 25 February 1901. He was buried at the Colesberg (Bongweni) burial ground in the Northern Cape and is also commemorated on a family grave in Eastbourne and on a family memorial in Canterbury Cathedral. Abadie’s name also appears on the South Africa Gate memorial at Winchester College and in the South Africa Chapel at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.