full pension. He was named of the privy council in February 1888, but was not appointed to the judicial committee. A strong supporter of the Indian National Congress, he wrote ‘A Few Plain Truths about India’ (1888), largely in advocacy of its views. His vigorous reply (1895) to some criticisms of the movement by General Sir George T. Chesney [q. v. Suppl. I] has been constantly quoted by the congress authorities (see Ind. Nat. Congress, Madras, 1909, pt. ii. p. 24). Garth promoted in July 1899 a memorial to the India office from retired high court judges for the separation of executive and judicial functions in the administrative organisation of districts.
He died at his house in Cheniston Gardens, London, on 23 March 1903, and was buried at Morden. He married on 27 June 1847 Clara (d. 15 Jan. 1903), second daughter of William Loftus Lowndes, Q.C., by whom he had six sons and three daughters. A portrait of Garth by the Hon. John Collier is in the Calcutta high court.
[Foster's Men at the Bar, 1885; India List, 1903; Englishman Weekly Summary, 23 and 30 March 1886; Friend of India and Statesman Weekly, 26 March 1903; India, 27 March and 3 April 1903; Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack for 1904, lxxx.; information kindly supplied by Lt.-col. Richard Garth, the eldest son; personal knowledge.]
GATACRE, Sir WILLIAM FORBES (1843–1906), major-general, born near Stirling on 3 Dec. 1843, was third son of Edward Lloyd Gatacre (1806-91) by his wife Jessie, second daughter of William Forbes of Callendar House, Falkirk, Stirlingshire. The second son is Major-general Sir John Gatacre, K.C.B. The father was squire of Gatacre in the parish of Claverley, Shropshire, a manor held by his ancestors from the time of Henry II or earlier, and was high sheriff of Shropshire in 1856. He taught his sons to be good horsemen, and it was to home life and parentage that Gatacre owed what was most characteristic of him — a mind and body which delighted in exercise and seemed incapable of fatigue.
Educated at Hopkirk's school, Eltham, and at Sandhurst, Gatacre was commissioned on 18 Feb. 1862 as ensign in the 77th foot, then stationed in Bengal. He was promoted Heutenant on 23 Dec. 1864. He went to Peshawur with the regiment in November 1866, and in 1867 he spent six months' leave alone in the upper valleys of the Indus, shooting and exploring. He was invalided home soon afterwards. The 77th returned to England in March 1870, and he was promoted captain on 7 Dec.
In February 1873 he entered the Staff College, and after spending two years there he was employed four years at Sandhurst as instructor in surveying. In August 1880, after a year's service on the staff at Aldershot, he went back to India mth his regiment. He was promoted major on 23 March 1881, and lieutenant-colonel on 29 April 1882. He was then serving on the staff of Sir Harry Prendergast at Rangoon; but he returned to regimental duty in 1883, and succeeded to the command of the regiment at Secunderabad on 24 June 1884.
From 17 Dec. 1885 to 30 Sept. 1889 Gatacre was deputy quartermaster-general of the Bengal army. In the Hazara expedition of 1888 he gave striking proof of his activity and endurance. He was mentioned in despatches, and received the D.S.O. and the India medal with clasp. After being in temporary command of the Mandalay brigade for twelve months, and gaining a clasp for the Tonhon expedition, he was made adjutant-general of the Bombay army, with the substantive rank of colonel and temporary rank of brigadier-general (25 Nov. 1890). He had been made brevet-colonel on 29 April 1886. He was in command of the Bombay district from January 1894 to July 1897, but from March to September of 1895 he was engaged in the Chitral expedition. He commanded the 3rd brigade of the relief force under Sir Robert Low [q. v. Suppl. II], and on 20 April his brigade was sent forward as a flying column, as the Chitral garrison were in straits. It reached Chitral on 15 MsbV, after a most arduous passage of the Lowari pass; but the garrison had already been relieved by Colonel Kelly's force from Gilgit. Gatacre received the medal and was made C.B.
On his return from Chitral Gatacre went to England for three months in the winter of 1895-6. During the summer of 1896 he was in temporary command at Quetta, and during the first half of 1897 he was fighting the plague at Bombay. The deaths there in January from this cause rose to more than 300 a day. Gatacre not only took care of his own troops but served as chairman of a committee to deal with the problem generally. Thanks to his energy and tact, the outbreak was well under control by July, when he left India to take command of a brigade at Aldershot. Five testimonials expressed the gratitude of the citizens of Bombay — Christian, Mussulman,
