Captain M. S. Wellby

Montagu Sinclair Wellby (1866–1900) was a Captain in the 18th Hussars and a dedicated explorer. Educated at Rugby and Sandhurst, he entered the Army at age twenty and began his work in Africa in 1894, mapping much untrodden ground in Somaliland. He was known for his "unfailing tact, his cheerfulness, and resource in dangers".

Wellby was an exceptionally skilled negotiator with native tribes, earning their confidence and affection through his winning qualities. He previously authored Through Unknown Tibet, a record of his hazardous expedition across Central Asia to Peking. He was a contemporary and "dear friend" of the British Agent in Abyssinia, J. L. Harrington.

His brilliant career was cut short when he was killed in action at Paardekop during the South African War on August 5, 1900. Harrington describes his death as a significant loss to his country, as Wellby had been slated to serve as an assistant to the British mission in Abyssinia after the war.