What is recorded here
The Wauchope Monument at Town Yetholm is a granite obelisk unveiled in 1902 for Major-General Andrew Wauchope, killed leading the Highland Brigade at Magersfontein.
Why it was made
People in and beyond Yetholm raised a conspicuous memorial to a local estate owner and career soldier whose death in South Africa had brought the war sharply home.
People and events
Wauchope fought in Egypt and Sudan and took command of the Highland Brigade. He was killed at the start of the failed British attack at Magersfontein in December 1899.
How it worked
A tall granite needle on a broad base gave the small Borders village a far-seen marker, while its words connected the man, his rank and distant battlefield.
What remains
The obelisk and inscribed base remain on Town Yetholm green. It was unveiled in September 1902, and a later village hall also took Wauchope's name.
Why it mattered
The monument records local pride in an imperial soldier but also fixes a disastrous South African battle and its heavy Highland losses within the everyday village landscape.
Sources for this account
Sources checked 16 August 2026.
From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) w638713006
Places near here
Photo credits
- Callum Black, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Jonathan Hutchins, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Richard Webb, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Russel Wills, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Iain Lees, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- G Laird, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Jim Barton, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- James Denham, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- David Purchase, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bert Adams, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
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